Huge debt haunted the club leading up to a winding up order, which nearly contributed to the end of its 137-year history.
Since then, another relegation followed and it has taken the club further down, out of The Football League, to Conference National for the first time in over 100 years.
One year later, we take a look at how Leyton Orient’s reality has changed.
New Faces
Orient supporters welcomed life-long fan Nigel Travis as the new club chairman, as Francesco Becchetti left the club after his disastrous management nearly buried the historic East London outfit.
The Dunkin’ Brands CEO, brought hope and excitement to E10, by giving the fans the feeling that their beloved club was finally in the hands of someone who wanted the best for the O’s.
Orient benefited from Travis’ position in the Dunkin’ Brands and both the club and Dunkin’ Brands receive exposure since there has been an approximation between the two. Many Dunkin’ advertisement boards are seen in the stadium and also the brand is heavily mentioned on social media.
The new chairman was also keen on making changes to other aspects of the club, such as purchasing new pitch covers in order to protect the playing surface from the bad weather.
Travis was also quick to make his presence felt in the football side of the business when he appointed Steve Davis as the new first-team manager in July and signed an almost completely new squad for the 2017/18 season.
Déjà vu?
Davis’ start was positive, with the team winning five of their first eight games. However, after crucial players, such as defender George Elokobi struggled with injuries, Orient’s form plummeted and the team went on a winless run that lasted a staggering fifteen league matches.
Leyton Orient and Davis parted ways on November 14th and all kinds of worries were looming over Brisbane Road once again.
Concerns regarding instability within the club returned after Davis’ departure, and the fans had the right to feel that way since the club had ten (!) first-team managers in the previous three seasons with Becchetti at the helm of the O’s.
The board were on the search for a new person to take the club forward whilst caretaker manager, Ross Embleton tried to turn Orient’s fortunes around.
Two weeks had gone by since the sacking of Steve Davis and the O’s announced Justin Edinburgh as the new first-team manager.
Bright Times Ahead
Edinburgh has brought a positive style of football and has enjoyed a good spell at the club so far, winning eleven of his initial twenty-three games, and only losing six.
As the team begin to climb up the table, sighs of relief can be heard from the stands of Brisbane Road.
While there still is a long road ahead of the club to get regain their position in The Football League, supporters can be more confident than they were last year when the club’s future was in serious danger.
The new Chairman, Nigel Travis has set a good foundation and Leyton Orient now have the stability needed to progress and return to where they belong.
Certainly, we will not see Orient earning promotion in May, but things are definitely looking bright for the seasons to come.
Will we be writing about Leyton Orient’s return to The Football League by this time next year? We surely hope so.
