I really don’t know what to say anymore. Just when they needed to show some fight and determination to pull themselves away from the threat of relegation, once again Orient were found wanting. This time somehow managing to lose 2-0 at home to already-relegated Rotherham. In a disappointing season of underwhelming performances, this was perhaps the absolute worst of a very bad bunch. It wasn’t simply the fact that we lost, that happens in football, it was more that it almost appeared as if some of those on the pitch didn’t seem to care.

Perhaps the only saving grace from last Saturday’s capitulation is that with Wimbledon losing to Plymouth and Exeter only managing to scramble a late draw with an added time goal from their goalkeeper (where have we seen that before?); is that, somehow, we still sit in 19^th spot in the table a point ahead of Wimbledon and 3 ahead of Exeter.

Before the match the missus and I attended the Supporters Club’s Q&A with Nigel Travis, David Gandler and Mark Devlin. While it felt important, (and perhaps somewhat overdue!), for our majority shareholder to front up to the supporters, a bit like last week’s online Fan Forum it didn’t really tell us very much that we didn’t already know.

In essence that session preceding another lacklustre, if not downright abysmal, performance on the pitch encapsulated the conundrum which the powers that be at the club are currently facing.  On the one hand they have grand plans towards securing the future sustainability of the club, a vision that they are try to convince us the fans is the only way forward, despite a tangible and very much understandable level of scepticism on our part. While on the other hand performances on the pitch and subsequently results have been nowhere near what they should be. It is very difficult to convince us that we need this ultramodern 35,000 seat stadium/ campus, when what we are most concerned about is the fact we could very well end up back in the fourth tier next season.

With just two games remaining the time for excuses is over, we simply need to win our two matches and guarantee our safety. It won’t be easy of course as the two teams we face: Blackpool and Burton, have both seemingly (unlike Orient!) got their act together over recent weeks: Blackpool have won 4 of their last 5 while Burton have drawn 3 and won 1 of their last 4.

Personally with the way this squad has been “performing” all season, I strongly doubt it is capable of winning one of those matches, let alone both. Instead we may find ourselves relying on Wimbledon and Exeter not getting maximum points in their remaining fixtures. The Dons go to resurgent Wigan this weekend and then host 9^th placed Huddersfield, while the Grecians are away at Burton followed by a final day home game against playoff-chasing Bradford. The very fact that we even have to look at those matches simply reinforces our disastrous drop-off in form since that run of four wins in a row in March.

However things play out over the final week of the season things need to change at the club. If we do stay up then significant refreshment and improvement of the squad is needed. We started some of that work in January but there is plenty still to be done, including as an utter priority signing a permanent and experienced goalkeeper. Whether that is Will Dennis will depend on his parent club, the player himself and our financial resources. If it is to be another option the selected man simply has to be of the same profile as Dennis. There are of course other positions that need sorting out as well, for me we need: a right back, better centre back options to partner Will Forrester, an attacking midfielder and a much more effective option as a wide forward on the right as a bare minimum. At the same time (and we all know the likely candidates!) there are a number of players who simply haven’t lived up to expectation, some of whom have been on the books for longer than just this season. Finding takers for those won’t be straightforward, but it is essential that we make space for the new additions that we all know we need.

If the worst is to happen and we are to face the drop then I am not sure that Richie Welllens will be sticking around to oversee a humungous rebuilding job. Equally, and this was something that Aaron Connolly controversially let slip earlier the season, the majority of our better players will be looking to get out.

The one undeniable positive from this disappointing season has been the emergence of Dom Ballard, who deservedly picked up a trio of awards (his fourth hattrick of the season!) at the EFL Awards last Sunday evening, winning: League 1 Player of the Season, Young Player of the Season and being named in the division’s team of the year.

The more I think about it, as impressive as the young striker has been this season, I simply cannot see him being with us in 2026/27. If we go down there will undoubtedly be a number of offers from clubs higher up the food chain. Even if we do stay up, then those with much more money than us might well be able to prise him away, and to be honest who could blame the lad if he decided his future lay elsewhere? We can only hope that if Ballard is to depart that we negotiate a suitably significant fee to fund the rebuilding job that we all know is so desperately needed.

With apologies for such a depressing post this week, but at least we have all the fun of a trip to the self-styled “Las Vegas of the North” to take our minds off things this weekend. Who knows we might even show some character and put in an improved performance.

Up the O’s!