Sometimes in football to try to snap a team out of a poor run of form, a manager just needs to change things up and try something a bit different. To an extent that is what we saw in Leyton Orient’s 1-1 draw with league leaders Cardiff last Saturday. Obviously our ongoing extensive injury absences dictated who was actually available, but there seemed to be something of a noticeable change in the tactical approach. 

Pairing Dom Ballard and Alfie Lloyd as twin strikers allowed us to be more direct. The former’s unceasing running, harrying and chasing, coupled with Lloyd’s battering ram style of play seemed to unsettle the Cardiff backline, and we looked more threatening than we had in recent performances. When Ballard gave us the lead in the 12^th minute thanks to his intense pressing forcing Cardiff goalkeeper Nathan Trott into an error, it felt like the least our positive front-footed start deserved.

When we conceded just past the half hour mark with Yousef Salech outmuscling/ dragging down (please delete according to your personal level of bias!) new boy Will Forrester on halfway, flicking it over Jack Simpson, driving up the pitch and rounding Killian Cahill before firing home, it felt a bit cruel. However the important thing was that (for once!) we didn’t crumble and stuck to our game plan.

While the second half was tight and, if we are totally honest, not much of a spectacle, the only thing that really mattered was that we saw out the result to secure an impressive point against the top of the table side.  Without wanting to dampen down any enthusiasm generated by Saturday’s result, we have been here before on several occasions this season, and the vital thing is to follow it up in our forthcoming matches.

As Richie Wellens said in his post-match interview: “We need that consistency…the framework, the work rate, the reactions, the desire, and if we keep that going forward then will start picking up more results.” These factors are in modern football parlance termed “non-negotiables”, which begs the question of why they have been lacking from our players so often this season?

Striving for some semblance of consistency has been the story of Orient’s season so far. Good performances and results have so often been followed by abject and disappointing displays. As a result we simply haven’t been able to get our season going in any real sense so far.

Having said that though we still have 21 league games to go and the division still remains incredibly tight, so if we can finally start to put a run of results together then there is every opportunity for us to start to climb the table. However if we continue to be as up and down as we have been to date, then it will inevitably continue to be a frustrating campaign.

Judging from Richie’s interview I think we can expect to see a number of new faces arrive before the transfer window closes, with the gaffer suggesting it could be as many as 4 or 5 new recruits coming in. However, at the time of writing, (Friday lunchtime) other than Forrester there has been no further confirmation of new additions.

Understandably for a club of our stature it is never going to be as simple as “we want this player, so let’s get him”, so as fans I guess we just have to be patient. As touched upon last week (Orient Nerd Weekly Ramblings: Make no Mistake, This is Bad!), last summer’s recruitment has proven to be more miss than hit, and with limited funds available we have to hope that this transfer window proves to be much more effective.

Before signing off for this week I just wanted to touch upon the very welcome return of a certain Theo Archibald, deservedly skipper for the day on Saturday. On Friday evening I treated myself to watching all three parts of the “Rising Stronger” documentary on YouTube, if you haven’t done so yet, make time as soon as you can, I promise you will not regret it!  

While the series chronicles Theo’s rehabilitation from the horrific knee injury that kept him out of the game that he clearly loves with a passion for nearly two whole years, it is so much more than that. Obviously it is emotional and heart-wrenching at times, but it also shows what an incredibly rounded, inspirational, intelligent and simply brilliant human being Theo is.

The very fact that he is back in the team and playing so well is not only testament to his positive mindset, belief and dedication, but also to the support he received from the club’s medical and fitness teams.

So often in modern football the media training that they receive and the scrutiny that they are under means that footballers can come across as completely one dimensional with little of any interest or substance to say. Our very own “Silky Scotsman” is anything but that. In a season of ups and downs, Theo’s return has been something that all Orient fans can truly cherish. 

Up the O’s!