Dejected but determined, Ross Embleton heads into the bowels of Brisbane Road looking for answers.
Win, lose, or draw, an assortment of the Leyton Orient hierarchy can be found outside of the dressing room to offer post-match congratulations or commiserations. This afternoon however, they are nowhere to be seen.
Embleton fears the worst.
He eventually finds the club’s Director of Football Martin Ling in the boardroom, and simply asks, “is that it for me?” to which Ling meekly replies, “yes that’s it.” They then both head back down into the dressing room to break the news to the players.
As one of the last left in the ground, after an evening of farewell drinks with his staff and squad, the now former O’s Head Coach finds himself collecting the empty bottles and pizza boxes and putting them out into the recycling bin.
Boyhood club
An act symbolic of the relationship the 39-year-old endures with his boyhood club.
Embleton’s appointment as Head Coach of the club where he was once a mascot should have been the apex of a nomadic 20-year coaching career. It was indeed a proud moment for the East London native, but it was one marred by tragedy following the death of Justin Edinburgh.
Having worked successfully as an assistant under Edinburgh, Embleton admits that he “never would have perceived himself as a Head Coach before May 2019.”
But after the former Spurs defender passed away less than a month after delivering the club their first league title in almost half a century, he felt a duty to step up and lead The O’s into their first campaign back in the EFL.
Emotional
Things got off to a fairy-tale start. A late winner from Edinburgh’s last signing Josh Wright secured victory against Cheltenham Town on an emotional opening day at Brisbane Road.
Results soon turned though, which led to Embleton stepping aside and handing over the reins to former Plymouth Head Coach, Carl Fletcher.
Twenty-eight days and an FA Cup defeat to eighth tier Maldon & Tiptree later, Embleton found himself back in charge. This time on a permanent basis.
Considering their turbulent summer, Orient sat in a respectable 17th place when the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to proceedings last March.
Reflect
After a whirlwind year, the extended break gave Embleton the chance to reflect and put a plan in place for the upcoming season.
With four wins and a draw from their first five fixtures, it looked like the blueprint devised by Orient’s Head Coach was about to pay dividends. That was until the East London club became the first in England to be struck by a widespread outbreak of COVID-19.
The majority of The O’s playing staff received a positive test just days before they were due to square off against Jose Mourinho’s Spurs in the Carabao Cup.
Having what promised to be a memorable occasion taken away from them, alongside the repercussions of being one of the first teams to be hit by a mass outbreak was significant, as Embleton explains.
Blow
“What happened was the restrictions were placed on us so much earlier.
“We played Wimbledon in the trophy in October, and they were still just being a normal football club, whereas we were working under all sorts of restrictions.
“That coupled with the blow of missing the Spurs game was massive for us.”
A brief dip in form followed, but Orient got back on track and picked up resounding victories against both Bolton and Harrogate, leaving them in playoff contention come the turn of the year.
The O’s were unable to build on that run however, and the free-scoring side from earlier in the season soon seemed a distant memory, something that Embleton puts down to a change in emphasis from the opposition.
“Everyone dropped off and accepted that, actually, we were probably the best football team in the league.
“Some people will sniff at that and laugh, but for me, we were the best in possession. We became the more dominant team and teams were scared of how much of the ball we were having.”
Rejuvenated
Orient averaged over 62% of the possession in Embleton’s last four home games in charge. But, despite dominating the ball, they managed just two goals in those four matches – a barren run that ultimately cost Embleton his job.
He now feels rejuvenated though, admitting that he’s taking better care of himself and “not drinking a bottle of wine to fall asleep anymore.”
He also harbours no regrets about his time in charge at the football club so dear to his heart.
“No one can take being the Head Coach of my football club away from me.”
“And I will always refer to it as my football club. Upset as I am at the way things are at the moment, once the dust settles, it’ll always continue to be my football club.”
Image used by kind permission Leyton Orient FC.
