The Bet

[Faramir]

17.2.07

Leyton Orient (1) Chelsea (3) FA Cup 5th round

Orient- R.Calliste 45

Chelsea- J.Cole 10 H.Crespo 58 A.Gilardino 90

MOM- Joe Cole, Chelsea

A makeshift Orient side battled favored Chelsea before finally succumbing in their FA Cup 5th round match at Brisbane Road. Chelsea jumped on top early when Joe Cole took a pass from Hernan Crespo and blasted it through Daniel Carr. Orient evened the match just before halftime when Ramon Calliste, who had been stopped cold by Marcos moments earlier, fired a rising shot past him. Chelsea jumped back in front when Meteja Kezman crossed and Crespo overpowered Clint Hill and deflected it past Carr. Chelsea adminstered the coup de grace in second half extra time as Albert Gilardino raced past a tired Michael Duberry and drove a low shot past Carr to finish out the 3-1 win that advances the Blues.

[Faramir]

Leyton Orient (3) Aston Villa (2)

Orient- D.Byrne 7 A.Birchall 49-P,72

Villa- S.Moore 45 C.Cole 90

MOM- Jamie Donnelly, Leyton Orient

Due to more injuries to forwards, namely Erik Nevland, Orient Manager Will Drabek made the surprise move to call Jamie Donnelly back to the senior squad and gave him an immediate starting slot against Villa. His choice paid off as Donnelly was a force against the Villa backline in the close 3-2 win. Orient was off on a flyer when Carl Laurie's superb 40 yard pass put Danny Byrne in on Thomas Sorensen. Byrne fired a shot inside the near post to give Orient the lead. After having little offense the entire half, Villa attacked at the end of the half and Stefan Moore was left with an easy shot past Per Morten Kristiansen when Titus Bramble and Mark Harding both tried for the same ball in the air and both missed. Orient retook the lead when Donnelly was pushed in the area by Liam Ridgewell and Adam Birchall (who had come on for ailing Johann Torhallsson to start the second half) converted the penalty kick. Orient appeared to be cruising to the final whistle after they went up 3-1 when Donnelly beat Jonathan Bewers on the dribble and smartly crossed to Birchall for his 2nd goal of the match. Villa still had life though and Carlton Cole used his speed to break behind the Orient backline before slicing a shot past Kristiansen to make it 3-2. Villa had a couple more close calls in extra time but couldn't pot the equalizer and the Brisbane Road fans sighed with relief as Orient finally grabbed the win.

[Faramir]

17.3.07

Manchester City (0) Leyton Orient (3)

ManCity- None

Orient- D.Poole 6,37 T.Bramble 86

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

David Poole celebrated both his return from injury and his newly signed contract as he once again provided the impetus for an Orient win. Poole scored early when Sun Jihai sent a backpass for keeper Nicky Weaver, only to see Poole streak there and arrive in time to chip it past the onrushing Weaver. Poole's 2nd goal was spectacular as he outleaped two defenders to deflect a 50 yard free kick from Mark Harding past Weaver. ManCity could get very little going offensively as Yakabu and Francis Jeffers both had horrid matches. Orient clinched the win when Titus Bramble headed a free kick off the post, but was first to the ball and poked it past Weaver to finish off the impressive 3-0 Orient win.

***

"Boy, is it nice to have David back. We are a much different club with him out there," stated Drabek.

"I heard his comments after the match. He is really happy to both have signed his new contract- and also have his best bud Johann with a new contract," offered Field.

Drabek nodded, "Well, they are the two players that make us go- I am pleased to have both under new contracts. I wondered about David, we negotiated so many times this season-- just glad we finally got it done."

[Faramir]

21.3.07

Newcastle (3) Leyton Orient (3)

Newcastle- N.Anelka 25,84 K.Dyer 65

Orient- P.Crouch 23,39,61

MOM- Peter Crouch, Leyton Orient

Orient squandered a 3-1 lead in the second half as Newcastle fought back to earn a 3-3 draw. Orient wasted Peter Crouch's finest career performance as he netted a hat-trick to power the Orient offense. Newcastle struck first when a giveaway by Martijn Reuser to Kieron Dyer set up a pass that allowed Nicolas Anelka to beat Mark Harding by a step and he smashed a shot past Per Morten Kristiansen. Orient answered when Markus Neumayr made a deft short pass that allowed Peter Crouch to easily fire past Shay Given. Crouch's 2nd of the match put Orient up 2-1 at halftime as Erik Nevland made a superb cross from the left that Crouch deflected past Given. Crouch finished off his hat-trick and bumped the lead to 3-1 as Titus Bramble outleaped Alan Shearer to head a Given goal kick back toward where it came from. A bad decision by Kristiansen found him halfway out when Dyer used his speed to reach a loose ball first and slip it past the onrushing keeper. Kristiansen made a superb save on Yildiray Basturk, but Anelka powered past Bramble and blasted the rebound shot past Kristiansen to salvage the draw for the home side.

***

"We had them," sighed Field.

"Yes, we did. That is as poor as I have ever seen Given play, but you can't make any mistakes against a club of this caliber and we certainly did that," stated Drabek.

"I did see some encouraging signs out there- Markus Neumayr keeps showing me more and more with every match," offered Field.

"We played a solid match- but we could have played better in the late stages. Did you hear that Kevin (Keegan) resigned as their Manager after the match?"

Field said, "It was that or get the axe- least that is what I heard."

[Faramir]

26.3.07

Leyton Orient (3) Southampton (0)

Orient- D.Poole 30-P,90 J.Torhallsson 58

Southampton- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

In their televised match against Southampton, Orient showed they had taken their defensive lessons in practice to heart as they limited the visitors to one shot for the entire match. The lone goal of the first half was an example of the pressure Orient's pace puts on opposing clubs. David Poole outleaped Matthew Taylor and headed a goal kick toward open space. With Johann Torhallsson seemingly beating him to the ball in the area- Fitz Hall cut him down. It earned Hall a redcard and Orient a penalty kick- that David Poole converted past Alan Blayney. Orient struck for the 2nd time and Poole was the instigator with a superb cross that Torhallsson had an easy time deflecting past Blayney. Stuart Taylor subbed on for the ineffective Blayney and kept Southampton in the match with a series of superb saves. Orient clinched the match in extra time as Labinot Harbuzi made a soft pass that found Poole with plenty of room to drill his 2nd goal of the match past Taylor to make the final 3-0 Orient.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

31.3.07

Belarus (0) England (0)

Belarus- None

England- None

MOM- Yuri Tsigalko, Belarus

England could only manage a disappointing draw at Minsk as they controlled much of the play, but couldn't find a way to solve Yuri Tsigalko. Much of the blame can be laid at the poor finishing of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen- both of whom had excellent chances, but neither finished with aplomb. The match was rough with many yellow cards and loads of whistles. The draw allowed England to remain a point ahead of Denmark in the Group.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

Luxembourg (1) England (3)

Luxembourg- J.Feller 90

England- D.Poole 45 D.Vassell 69 D.Thompson 75

MOM- David Thompson, England

England finally saw off a determined effort by undermanned Luxembourg as their continued pressure paid off in the end. It appeared it would be scoreless at halftime, despite heavy pressure from England. That changed when David Thompson reached a loose ball first and zipped a pass across the area for David Poole to fire home. It was Poole's International debut and he quickly grabbed the ball from the net after the goal. Thompson also set up the second goal with a brilliant run before he broke in and smartly crossed to Darius Vassell. Vassell headed it in to put England up 2-0. Thompson struck for his own goal off a brilliant free kick from Jonathan Woodgate. Thompson hammered it past the keeper. The home side got a consolation goal when a poor choice by Woodgate allowed Jeff Feller to walk in and rip a shot past Christopher Kirkland to ruin the clean sheet in extra time. Both Denmark and Belarus won to keep pace with England as the top three clubs in the Group.

[Faramir]

12.4.07

"Again? I just can't believe this damm luck we are having!" grumbled Drabek.

"We lose another forward and we will be back to scraping on depth," offered Field.

Orient Loses Nevland- Out for Season

Orient's major purchase Erik Nevland will miss the remainder of the season with a torn groin that will require surgery.

***

16.4.07

Chelsea (2) Leyton Orient (2)

Chelsea- D.Duff 48 H.Crespo 90

Orient- D.Poole 57 R.Calliste 85

MOM- Marcos, Chelsea

It was a stirring match between 2nd place Chelsea and 3rd place Orient and Chelsea had to stage a last moment rally to come up with a 2-2 draw. By rights, Orient should have had a bigger lead- but Marcos was absolutely sensational in net for the Blues and kept them in the match despite numerous excellent scoring chances for Orient. The match was very rough and bitterly contested with 5 yellow cards and many whistles. Orient lost Danny Byrne early in the match to a deep thigh bruise and also lost David Poole in the 2nd half to a strained thigh. Following a scoreless first half that featured several good chances for both clubs, it was Damien Duff who gave Stamford Bridge fans a spectacular highlight. He came from the left side and split Orient's defense on the dribble- before firing a shot past Per Morten Kristiansen. Orient rallied when Bojan Djordjic came up on the left baseline and then was able to cross in for David Poole. Poole's header eluded Marcos for Poole's 30th goal of the season. After Poole went out, Ramon Calliste replaced him and gave Orient the lead when Torhallsson crossed in to him for a half-volley past Marcos. Chelsea surged to the offense and was able to equalize when Mark Harding missed a header on a pass and Crespo was able to blister a shot past Kristiansen in extra time to salvage the draw. Torhallsson was especially snakebit by Marcos as he was stopped twice in one-on-one situations and had two more soft chips over Marcos that barely skimmed the bar and sailed over the net.

[Faramir]

Field stared at the training table, "I thought we had them."

Drabek leaned on the wall and sighed, "Yeah, we had plenty of chances- we really gave them a battle and I am proud of the boys even with the draw. One thing we need to work on though is a more defensive set for when a club like them switches to a 235- that extra pressure overwhelmed us in the end."

***

21.4.07

Leyton Orient (1) Nottingham Forest (0)

Orient- A.Lennon 89

Forest- None

MOM- Aaron Lennon, Leyton Orient

Aaron Lennon picked an opportune moment to score his first ever goal for Orient. Lennon's header on a corner from Markus Neumayr spoiled a stellar defensive effort by Forest as they completely stifled the Orient's electric duo of David Poole and Johann Torhallsson. Poole was removed at 60 minutes with his most invisible performance of the season. Of course there was a price for all that defensive hounding and Forest didn't have a shot on goal the entire match. That may have been fortunate for Orient as Per Morten Kristiansen left the match at 44 minutes with a sprained ankle and will be out for about a week. Lee Harrison ably filled in for Kristiansen.

[Faramir]

28.4.07

WBA (0) Leyton Orient (0)

WBA- None

Orient- None

MOM- Tommy Lee, Leyton Orient

In an extremely rough match, Orient fought just to survive since their offense was short circuited by the loss of David Poole (4th minute), Johann Torhallsson (49th minute) and Darren Ambrose (63rd minute) to injuries. WBA had several excellent chances early and Tommy Lee earned his MOM honors by several stellar stops to keep the clean sheet. Orient had a couple chances in the 2nd half, but Russell Hoult had little trouble keeping the goose-egg on the home side of the scoreboard too. Poole and Ambrose were slightly banged up and should only miss a couple of days, but Torhallsson suffered suffered torn knee ligaments and will be out the remainder of the season and could well miss the beginning of next season.

***

Drabek just shook his head, "Do we have any forwards healthy?"

Field chuckled at the grim humor, "Yes, we have a few bodies left- but of those we wanted to play down the stretch, only a handful."

[SoS]

Great story still Faramir...but I'm surprised that Tom 'Monkey' Newey isn't still in the squad

[Faramir]

Thank you SoS- I appreciate your kind words. Tom Newey just didn't have the qualities I was looking for and he ended up long gone from Orient. I will try and post an updated roster before I head into the next season with the story.

***

2.5.07

Leyton Orient (1) Everton (0)

Orient- R.Calliste 90

Everton- None

MOM- Richard Wright, Everton

Richard Wright did everything he could to earn floundering and seemingly relegation bound Everton a point at Brisbane Road, but it went for naught as Orient snatched a last minute goal to win out 1-0. Orient launched 21 shots to Everton's 3, but Wright was johnny-on-the-spot in stopping David Poole on 3 different occasions and also frustrating surprise Orient starter Zvjezdan Misimovic- making his first senior appearance in over a year. In the end it was Ramon Calliste, who subbed on for Misimovic, that finally was able to solve Wright. Aaron Lennon zinged a superb long cross that found Calliste in full stride and he sent one inside the far post in second half extra time for the match winner. Wright had stopped Calliste also just moments before the he scored. Calliste continues to demonstrate he is ready for prime time with excellent work after coming on. Chelsea walloped Nottingham Forest 5-0 to overtake Arsenal for top spot in the EPL, though Arsenal still have a match in hand as they trail by a single point. Orient clinched the 3rd spot in EPL with the win, as they have a 10 point margin over 4th place Manchester United with only 3 matches remaining.

***

"I thought we were never going to get one by him," sighed Field.

Drabek smiled, "Just glad we did. I really thought David (Poole) was going to get one today, he had some superb chances."

Field nodded, "Misimovic looked pretty good out there too today."

Drabek leaned his head to the side, "He was ok at least. I am glad we grabbed the win- now we don't have to fret these last three matches and ManU can't catch us for third. It is a huge accomplishment for us."

[Faramir]

5.5.07

Arsenal (3) Leyton Orient (0)

Arsenal- A.Cole 21 M.Zonneveld 59 A. Del Pierro 73

Orient- None

MOM- Jens Lehmann, Arsenal

In a match that was somewhat closer than the final scoreline indicates, Arsenal used its superior pace and talent to control more of the play enroute to a 3-0 win and a move back in front of Chelsea atop the EPL. Ashley Cole scored a dazzling goal that will likely be in the running for goal of the month when he smashed a shot from well outside the area on a nice lay off pass. Both of Arsenal's 2nd half goals came on free kicks as Mike Zonneveld and Alessandro Del Pierro made excellent shots to score past Per Morten Kristiansen. The lone Orient offensive threat in the match was Ramon Calliste, who caused problems for Sol Campell in portions of the match.

***

"I am disappointed with Per (Morten Kristiansen)- if he comes up with those free kicks I think we could have earned a draw," commented Drabek.

Field tilted his head, "Well, I agree Per hasn't played his best for us- but he has been steady throughout the season."

[Faramir]

12.5.07

Leyton Orient (5) Birmingham (0)

Orient- D.Poole 6,13,54 R.Calliste 9 D.Byrne 28

Birmingham- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient celebrated their final home match of the season with a revival of form by David Poole as they crushed visiting Birmingham 5-0. Orient had the jump from the opening whistle and Bojan Djordjic made a sizzling cross that David Poole deflected past Roy Carroll to quickly establish the Orient lead. Calliste scored when Djordjic made a deft pass to put him in free on Carroll. Calliste then drew the defenders on the dribble before loosing a pass to unmarked Poole and he slotted a shot past Carroll for his 100th Orient League goal. Danny Byrne made it a 4-0 halftime lead when he ripped a volley on a Djordjic free kick inside the near post. Poole finished off his hat-trick when Calliste hit a swerving cross that Poole was able to knock past Carroll to finish off the scoring in the impressive 5-0 Orient win.

***

"Nice way to end in front of our fans," stated Field.

"Also nice to see David (Poole) come back to form," agreed Drabek.

[Faramir]

20.5.07

Manchester United (1) Leyton Orient (1)

ManU- C.Ronaldo 90

Orient- D.Poole 84

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

It looked like Orient was going to eke out a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, but the backline once again failed to cover in the closing stages and Cristiano Ronaldo walked in and calmly beat Per Morten Kristiansen to salvage a 1-1 draw for the home side. After the match remained scoreless in the first half and most of the 2nd half it was Daneil Simpsonhirs who wheeled out a long pass and found David Poole roaming unattended in the middle of the pitch. Fabien Barthez had stopped Poole in an earlier 2nd half chance, but this time Poole cooly chipped over Barthez for the goal. Ronaldo scored despite Orient switching to a defensive formation and attempting to keep everyone back and it was obvious Manager Drabek was seriously upset about the equalizer. Arsenal beat Bolton 2-0 to clinch the EPL title, with Chelsea finishing 2nd, Orient 3rd and Manchester United 4th.

***

"Fantastic season wasn't it?" Drabek smiled and toasted Field with an ale in his office.

Field was leaning back on the small couch and staring absently at the ceiling, "Truly wonderful. Can you believe we will be in Europe next season?"

Drabek shook his head, "No, I can't believe much of this at all. Now comes the hard part though."

"What do you mean?"

Drabek glanced over, "Time to reshape the roster again. The 13.5 Million in prize money gives us some leeway again. One way or another we are going to trim some of the dross off the roster."

"Just be sure to keep in mind that we will be in Europe- we may need additional depth."

"I am sure we will. But, we have a lot of accumulated players that are not good enough for the level. Now that I have a lot better idea on who our 'core' team will be, I also have ideas about ensuring the depth. But that is for a month from now- let me worry on it in the meantime. Go take that trip to Italy you have been wanting to- you have earned it."

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

9.6.07

Finland (0) England (0)

Finland- None

England- None

MOM- Sami Hyppia, Finland

In a hard fought contest neither side could come up with a goal and settled for a scoreless draw. Finland had much the better of the play in the first half and pressured the English midfield incessently. England turned the tables in the second half, pressuring the Finnish backline. The draw, coupled with Denmark's 3-0 win at Kazakhstan, sent Denmark to the top of the group.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

13.6.07

England (6) Kazakhstan (0)

England- D.Poole 13,31,49,56 C.Laurie 37 J.Beattie 63

Kazakhstan- None

MOM- David Poole, England

In a match that announced the arrival of David Poole on the International scene, England rolled over hapless Kazakhstan by a 6-0 margin. England laid 27 shots at Yuri Novikov, while allowing the visitors only brief possessions in their defensive end. Poole broke the English record by scoring four goals in the match and win itself was a record margin for a win. Poole had perfect placement as the midfield continually fed him in the area and the Kazakhstan backline was unable to mark him. Carl Laurie added his 1st International goal when he deflected a cross from Poole home.

[Faramir]

Leyton Orient 2007-08 Summer Comings and Goings:

Coming to Orient:

Adam Roberts (Purchased from Charlton for 425K)

Matt Morris (Purchased from Chelsea for 800K)

Both Roberts and Morris are 16 yr olds who have a world of promise and might help the club in a couple seasons down the road. Roberts is an MC, while Morris is MRLC.

Kieran Richardson (Purchased from Manchester United for 1.1 Million)

Richardson is 22 yr old AML who is expected to take the place of Martijn Reuser on Orient's left wing.

Lionel Morgan (Purchased from Birmingham for 1.3 Million)

Morgan is a 24 yr old AML who should split time on Orient's left flank with Richardson.

Tommy Smith (Signed on free from Sunderland)

Smith is a 27 yr old FRC who should move right into Orient's forward rotation.

Stephen Pearson (Purchased from Wolves for 2.5 Million)

Likely Orient's most important signing is this 25 yr old MRLC who is certain to be in the Orient midfield to start the season.

Danilo Arrieta (Signed on free from Valencia)

Arrieta is a 20 yr old Danish FRLC that started showing flashes of his huge potential while on loan to Leeds last season. He is expected to also be part of the Orient forward rotation.

Frank Brands (Signed on free from Ajax)

Brands is a 21 yr old Dutch FRC that has shone brightly in their Under-21 matches and may work into the forward rotation.

Danny Guthrie (Signed on free after released by Liverpool)

Guthrie is a promising 20 yr old AMC who may earn his way into some senior playing time.

Goings:

Steve Baker Released on free

Michael Sisson Released on free

Mathieu Flamini Released on free

Shaun Marshall Released on free

Michele Gallacio Sold to QPR for 70K

Orient Lineup heading into 2007-08

GK- Tommy Lee, Per Morten Kristiansen, Daniel Carr

DL- Carl Laurie, Ryan Garry, Adrian Nevins

DR- Lee Sims, Mitchell Booth

DC- Titus Bramble, Mark Harding, Jon Spector, Michael Duberry, Clint Hill, Will Haining

ML- Bojan Djordjic, Kieran Richardson, Lionel Morgan

MR- Danny Byrne, Aaron Lennon, Darren Ambrose

MC- Stephen Pearson, David Livermore, Jody Morris, Markus Neumayr, Labinot Harbuzi, Danny Guthrie

SC- David Poole, Johann Torhallsson, Danilo Arrieta, Tommy Smith, Ramon Calliste, Erik Nevland, Frank Brands

[Faramir]

15.8.07

Leyton Orient (4) Litex (0) 1st Leg- 3rd Round Qualifying Champions Cup

Orient- D.Arrieta 18,26,86 D.Poole 54-P

Litex- None

MOM- Danilo Arrieta, Leyton Orient

In a magnificent personal debut, Danilo Arrieta notched a hat-trick as Orient enjoyed a magnificent European debut with a convincing 4-0 win over Bulgarian side Litex. The early moments of the match featured end-to-end action as Anatoli Todorov roamed forward for Litex, while David Poole and Arrieta scooted forward for Orient. Arrieta broke the ice when he scored after beating Zhivko Zhelev into the middle and taking an excellent pass from Poole. Danny Byrne had set the stage for the goal with a beautiful curling pass to find Poole in full stride. Kieran Richardson was the architect of the next goal as his vision found Arrieta breaking free of coverage. Arrieta took the ball around keeper Todor Kyuchukov for his 2nd of the match. Zhelev took Poole down, seemingly in frustration after Roson Kirilov had been redcarded for mouthing off at the referee. Poole converted the penalty for a 3-0 Orient lead. Arrieta capped off the match by completing his hat-trick late in the 2nd half when Poole headed a goal kick from Tommy Lee down the middle of the pitch. Arrieta was first to the ball and Zhelev couldn't make too determined a challenge because of his previous yellow card. Arrieta whistled a 20 yard shot that Kyuchukov got a piece of- but it trickled into the net.

***

"Pretty nice debut for Danilo (Arrieta)- he certainly will get his share of time up front for us- and I don't mind the loss of Torhallsson as much with him around," commented Drabek.

"I wondered why he picked us to sign with- I know Juventus offered him a contract too," said Field.

"Well, he knew his chances of actually playing were better here- and it is paying off for both him and us."

[Faramir]

18.8.07

Leyton Orient (5) Fulham (1)

Orient- D.Arrieta 28,33,40,45 D.Poole 44

Fulham- M.Tonge 72

MOM- Danilo Arrieta, Leyton Orient

It only took one match for Danilo Arrieta to make believers of Fulham. After a desultory first portion of the first half, the combo of Arrieta and David Poole set out to destroy the visitors. It was excellent teamwork that set up the first goal as Bojan Djordjic threw a pass into the left side of the area. Poole crossed over and picked up the ball, and then as coverage converged he passed into the middle for Arrieta to run onto it. Arrieta easily reached it first and had a simple finish against Edwin van der Sar. Stephen Pearson made a smart head ahead that went to Arrieta in the area and he snapped his shot home for his 2nd goal of the match. Arrieta finished off his hat-trick when Poole once again moved across the pitch and drew both defenders before finding Arrieta lurking in front of van der Sar. Arrieta took his time and whistled his shot for his third goal of the match. Danny Byrne's superb cross from the baseline set up Poole at the corner of the net and he rapped the ball past van der Sar for a 4-0 Orient lead. Arrieta capped off his terrific half when he had an easy time firing the ball inside the far post after Poole's blast was parried by van der Sar in first half injury time. Fulham managed a consolation goal when newly acquired Michael Tonge (purchased the day before the match) managed to knock a rebound past Tommy Lee. The 5-1 result was certain to catch the eyes of other EPL clubs.

[Faramir]

22.8.07

Manchester United (0) Leyton Orient (1)

Manchester- None

Orient- D.Poole 38

MOM- Tommy Lee, Leyton Orient

It must have been terribly difficult for the Old Trafford fans as they watched their youth program come to fruition- in the baby blue of Leyton Orient. Ex-ManU youngsters Tommy Lee, David Poole, Danny Byrne, Lee Sims, Kieran Richardson and Labinot Harbuzi all played important parts for Orient as they won out over favored ManU in a gritty 1-0 road victory. The lone goal of the match came when Carl Laurie stepped up and headed a Rio Ferdinand clearing pass to Stephen Pearson. Pearson made a brilliant touch pass that found David Poole onside behind Mickael Silvestre and Poole slotted a low shot past Fabien Barthez. ManU found Tommy Lee frustrating as Lee continued to prove his year of apprencticeship behind Per Morten Kristiansen is now paying big dividends. ManU could also blame their own poor finishing for the unfavorable result as Cristiano Ronaldo missed several golden chances and Sanli Tuncay also wasted a couple of prime opportunities. Orient's Mark Harding, their 18 year old defender who is turning heads with his play, made several superb plays to stop ManU down the stretch- including clearing two rebounds that bounced in front of the net and making an interception just when it appeared that Ruud van Nistlerooy would break in alone in the closing moments of the match.

***

"I have seen lots of good things already so far this season- but Tommy's play is among the best," commented Field.

Drabek nodded in agreement, "After he played so much better than Per (Morten Kristiansen) in the friendlies- I had to give him the starting role. I was surprised today that we couldn't get more breaks- we appeared to be running in slow motion despite some pace advantage that we had over them. Ah well, at least we got the win- that was a superb play by Pearson, I have really enjoyed seeing how he and Bojan (Djordjic) fit together in the center midfield for us."

[Faramir]

25.8.07

Leyton Orient (3) Millwall (1)

Orient- F.Brands 27 D.Guthrie 41 T.Smith 59

Millwall- N.Harris 29

MOM- Danny Guthrie, Leyton Orient

In a match that featured choppy play by both sides, it was Orient's ability to convert their opportunities that allowed them to win out over a determined Millwall side. After an inconsistent start by both clubs with each displaying poor passing, Orient broke on top when Dutch youngster Frank Brands scored on his debut. Tommy Smith sent a searching pass that Brands was able to run onto and then slide past Alan Marriott. Millwall wasted little time in replying as Adam Smith smartly crossed to Neil Harris and Harris deflected it inside the near post past Per Morten Kristiansen. Orient regained the lead for halftime when Danny Guthrie outleaped two defenders to deflect Lionel Morgan's corner into the net for a goal in his debut. With the match still in doubt, Aaron Lennon made a nice pass that found Tommy Smith in stride. Marriott got a piece of Smiths' hard blast, but could only watch helplessly as it trickled into the net. Millwall still had the will though and Kristiansen was called on for several saves in the late stages of the match as Orient wound up a man short in the last minutes due to Jody Morris' ankle injury.

***

27.8.07

"Well, do you think he is worth it Spencer?" asked Drabek.

Field glanced through the reports again, "He certainly is explosive- top of the line pace- and he is developing quicker than most his age. Do you think we can keep him- once we sign him?"

Drabek shrugged, "I think so. We are getting closer to being able to keep Adam Roberts- if we can keep both of them under wraps until 17- I think both could be the future core of our midfield- with those we already have."

Orient Signs Morris

Leyton Orient today paid Chelsea 800K for the right to sign 16 year old midfielder Matthew Morris. Morris is a pacey youngster from their youth program and according to many scouts has good future potential.

[Faramir]

28.8.07

"It isn't much money-wise- I think it is worthwhile," stated Field.

"I have been searching for one more for depth- he is affordable," agreed Drabek.

Orient Adds Haining

Leyton Orient today reported they had purchased 24 year old Scot defender Will Haining from Oldham for 180K. Haining was heavily scouted by Orient two seasons ago- but nothing came of the interest at that point. Orient pursued him again and this time Oldham was willing to listen to the offer and Haining was pleased to make the move to the EPL and Europe.

***

29.8.07

Litex (0) Leyton Orient (1) Champions Cup Qualifying 3 2nd Leg (Orient advances on 5-0 aggregate)

Litex- None

Orient- D.Poole 73

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

Needing only a solid defensive performance to advance to Group play in the Champions Cup, that was what Orient provided as they edged Litex 1-0 to finish out their 5-0 aggregate win. Orient flowed well on defense and Litex wasn't able to send their speed merchant Anatoli Todorov on any long runs. The lone goal came in the second half when Danny Byrne made a superb move with the ball and then sent a through ball that found David Poole clear in on goal. Poole rocketed a shot inside the near post to provide Orient with the margin for their 1-0 win. They were placed in Group play with Juventus, Dinamo Kiev and Real Sociedad.

[Faramir]

1.9.07

Blackburn (1) Leyton Orient (2)

Blackburn- B.Emerton 17

Orient- D.Poole 11 B.Djordjic 79

MOM- Mark Harding, Leyton Orient

In a superb up and down the pitch battle, Orient edged Blackburn at Ewood Park when Bojan Djordjic picked a stellar time to contribute his first Orient goal. Danny Byrne provided superior work in Orient's first goal. He took the ball away from Nils-Eric Johansson on the right sideline and then dribbled partway down the pitch. He then sent a superb pass that found David Poole moving in and Poole drilled a shot past Brad Freidel inside the near post for his 5th goal of the season. It didn't take Blackburn too long to thrill the home fans and even the match as Michael Ricketts headed the ball down and Brett Emerton crushed a shot past Tommy Lee. Both sides had chances to take the lead, but Lee and Freidel settled down- until Lee went out with an injury at 71 minutes, forcing Per Morten Kristiansen to take his place. Bojan Djordjic took the ball just shy of midfield and broke straight down the pitch. He dribbled past Martin Taylor before blasting a shot through Freidel for the go ahead goal. Emerton had a golden chance to even the match at 88 minutes when a pass put him free on Kristiansen, only to see Per Morten get enough of the ball to make it slide just past the post to preserve the 2-1 Orient win. Fortunately for Orient, Lee was diagnosed with only a bruised thigh and will miss a day or two of training.

[Doctor Who]

This story has been on my shortlist for a while, and now I finally found the time to read it.

Excellent stuff. KUTGW

I used to play a lot with Orient in an ancient CM version, when Darren Purse was a godlike D/S C wunderkid. Those were the days

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

8.9.07

Denmark (0) England (0)

Denmark- None

England- None

MOM- Richard Wright, England

In a match that could have gone either way- the scoreless draw that resulted was a fair result for both clubs. Both sides had some wonderful chances, but Thomas Sorenson and Richard Wright staged a superb duel in either net and both came up with big stops when they needed them. Michael Owen had one excellent chance in each half for England and David Poole missed a golden opportunity in the first half. For the home side Jesper Gronkjaer and Jan Kristiansen both had great chances, but Wright stopped each of them.

[Faramir]

Thanks Doc

Purse was great, but my favorite off those old Orient squads was DMC Bjorn Heidenstrom

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

12.9.07

England (3) Luxembourg (0)

England- K.Dyer 42 D.Poole 50 M.Owen 73

Luxembourg- None

MOM- David Poole, England

In a match that many expected England to win handily, the plucky Luxembourg side held firm for most of the first half, but finally wilted under the continued England pressure in the 2nd half. After holding firm most of the first half, a bad pass allowed Kieron Dyer to break in and rifle a shot past Patrick Thill. Early in the 2nd half a sensational pass by Dyer put David Poole free and he smoked his shot past Thill before he could react. England finished off the scoring when Steven Gerrard made a nice header and sent Owen in. Thill parried Owen's initial shot, but he whisked the rebound past Thill to ensure the 3-0 win.

In other Group play- Denmark beat Finland 3-0, which means they only have the task of winning against Luxembourg to finish atop the Group. Belarus won 3-1 at Kazakhstan to set up a showdown with England at Wembley for 2nd place in the Group.

[SoS]

Newey scored the winner for the O's today in our 2-1 at home to Rochdale....

Anyway Faramir, as ever, great story. Wondering if, when FM05 comes out, whether you'd be interested in doing a joint Orient story on here? I don't know how it would work, but up to you anyway, if you're interested, say the word.

[Faramir]

SoS- Sure, I wouldn't mind trying something in conjunction with you on Orient. Contact me at my listed email addy (- the *lesspam*) and you can let me know what ideas you have

***

15.9.07

Leyton Orient (1) Newcastle (1)

Orient- S.Pearson 38

Newcastle- M.Chopra 10

MOM- Jonathan Woodgate, Newcastle

In a match that Orient held the upper hand, they were done in by some questionable calls and forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. Newcastle's lone goal came early when Craig Bellamy crossed to a completely unattended Michael Chopra. Chopra, with all the time in the world, thanks to Titus Bramble and Mark Harding not coming back, knocked the ball past Tommy Lee. On replay though, it certainly appeared that Chopra was offside on the play. Orient, after Shay Given made a couple superb saves on David Poole, finally equalized when Bojan Djordjic made a slick pass that put Stephen Pearson free on Given. Pearson smashed a shot inside the near post to make it 1-1. It appeared that Orient would take a 2-1 halftime lead when Pearson appeared to head in a corner from Kieran Richardson- but the goal was waved off when the referee ruled Pearson used his arm to control the ball. Orient maintained pressure on Given in the second half and again looked to have taken the lead when Danilo Arrieta rapped in a rebound after Given had stopped Danny Byrne's blast- only to see an inexplicable offside call made on the play which nullified the goal. Newcastle had a couple golden chances late in the match as the Orient backline didn't have their best match, but Lee was sharp and denied both Chopra and Yildiray Basturk on good opportunities as the clubs were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.

[Faramir]

19.9.07

Leyton Orient (2) Dinamo Kiev (0)

Orient- D.Arrieta 41 D.Poole 56

Kiev- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient proved very poor hosts as they did a nice job in controlling the tempo of the match in their 2-0 inaugaral win in Champs Cup Group Play. After battering away at the Kiev backline and keeper Olexander Shovkovskyi in the first half, it was finally Danilo Arrieta's putback of a rebound that gave Orient the lead. Arrieta knocked it past Shovkovskyi after he made a brilliant parry of Arrieta's initial shot. Orient made certain of control of the match when Stephen Pearson made a nice interception of a clearing pass and his header found David Poole alone in the center of the pitch. With defenders closing in on both sides, Poole calmly hit a slightly curling 20 yard blast that beat Shovkovskyi inside the near post. With the 2-0 lead in hand, Orient backed off their pressure and were content to play out the remainder of the match- and the 2-0 score stood up as the final margin. Juventus dumped Real Sociedad at San Sebastien by a 2-0 margin in other Group play.

***

"I hate to say it Will, but I think you're going to have a pretty tough choice when Johann (Torhallsson) is ready to play again," commented Spencer Field.

Drabek nodded, "It is going to be hard to deny Danilo (Arrieta) a place on the starting side- he has played extremely well partnered with David (Poole) in the early going. Still, that is the kind of tough choice you want to have- since it does indicate the improving depth on our squad."

[Faramir]

22.9.07

Southampton (1) Leyton Orient (0)

Southampton- M.Pahars 33

Orient- None

MOM- Danny Higginbotham, Southampton

Southampton had much the better of play in this match and were somewhat unfortunate to have only won 1-0. Tommy Lee held Orient in throughout the match as time and again he made the big save that they needed. His only mistake in the match was in his indecision to come out and corral the loose ball that Marian Pahars scored on. Still, that was more Titus Bramble's bad play than a real mistake by Lee. Orient had chances of their own as Stuart Taylor also came up with some key stops and benefitted from Danilo Arrieta ringing one off the post in the opening moments of the first half as he missed a wide open net. The Orient offensive cohesion was slightly off during the entire match- due both to the lacklustre backline play and the midfield just not passing well and giving away possessions in the Southampton end.

***

"Tommy cemented himself as our number 1 keeper with that performance," stated Drabek.

"He was superb today, too bad the backline didn't give him much help," agreed Field.

"I don't think we had the right mix today, and that is my fault. I also needed another option on the bench today- and I didn't have it," sighed Drabek.

***

"Blast it! First we lose Adrian Nevins and now Mark (Harding) in consecutive practices," muttered Drabek.

"Both injuries weren't the kind you expect to see in practice. Still, I think we have enough depth to overcome their loss," stated Field.

[Faramir]

29.9.07

Leyton Orient (2) Birmingham (0)

Orient- R.Calliste 24,65

Birmingham- None

MOM- Ramon Calliste, Leyton Orient

Ramon Calliste made the most of his first start this season as he scored in each half while leading Orient to a 2-0 win over Birmingham at Brisbane Road. Calliste's first goal came when Ryan Garry swiveled and made a wonderful pass down the left side for Kieran Richardson. Richardson then smartly crossed to Calliste and he deflected it off Roy Carroll's hand inside the near post for his first goal of the season. His second goal came when Calliste picked up a loose ball and sailed past Kenny Cunningham before taking his time to tee up a shot past Carroll from close range. Birmingham had a couple of chances to get back into the match- but Tommy Lee came up big and stopped El-hadji Diouf on his doorstep and batted away Darren Purse's header on a corner.

[Faramir]

2.10.07

Juventus (3) Leyton Orient (0)

Juventus- P.Nedved 34 A.Birindelli 45-P D.Trezeguet 78

Orient- None

MOM- David Trezeguet, Juventus

Juventus taught Orient a lesson in converting opportunities as they made much better use of their chances in dumping Orient 3-0 at Torino. After Gianluigi Buffon stopped both Danilo Arrieta and David Poole in one-on-one situations, Juventus took the lead when Pavel Nedved's free kick trickled through Tommy Lee's fingertips after being slightly deflected by the wall. Carl Laurie was whistled for pushing Nicola Legrottaglie on a corner in first half injury time and Alessandro Birindelli made Orient pay when he converted the penalty kick for the 2-0 Juventus lead. Orient again had some wonderful chances in the second half and David Poole must have been feeling snakebit as Buffon made three more superb saves on him in the half. Orient was also a bit unlucky as Poole's lob bounced wide off the post after going over Buffon. Carl Laurie also sent a looping pass in that Buffon never saw- only to see bounce squarely back off the post. Juventus finally finished off Orient when Andrea Gasbarroni crossed and David Trezeguet outleaped Titus Bramble to deflect it past Lee to make the final margin of victory 3-0.

***

"I don't know, that seems like a pretty tough call Will," murmured Field.

Drabek sighed, "Yes, I know. But it is only going to get worse and I don't want his unhappiness to affect our play- I will take our chances with our two youngsters."

"Ok, if that is the way you see it," nodded Field.

Rumors of Kristiansen Move

The rumors out of the Leyton Orient camp are that Norwegian keeper Per Morten Kristiansen has been transfer listed. Apparently Kristiansen and Manager Will Drabek had a private disagreement relating to Kristiansen's not starting against Juventus- and this listing is a direct result of that confrontation. There has been no official confirmation of this matter from Orient at this point.

[Faramir]

6.10.07

Arsenal (2) Leyton Orient (0)

Arsenal- T.Henry 34 Emerson 38

Orient- None

MOM- Thierry Henry, Arsenal

Arsenal made a demonstration of picture perfect football as they easily handled Orient 2-0. Their first goal came when Thierry Henry made a superb move in the area and waltzed past three defenders before firing it past Tommy Lee on a sharp angle. They quickly made it 2-0 as Emerson was first to a loose ball on a corner and fired it home before Lee could react. Orient managed to generate a few chances, but James Hicks made a good diving stop on David Poole and Danny Byrne whistled a couple of decent chances just over the crossbar. Arsenal's advantage in both pace and technical skill was evident throughout the match.

[Faramir]

10.10.07

Leyton Orient (0) WBA (0)

Orient- None

WBA- None

MOM- Antti Niemi, WBA

Orient seemed set to shake off their woes and had plenty of chances to do so, but couldn't overcome both the fine play of Antti Niemi and their bad luck in the area. They outshot WBA 16-4 for the match and in one sequence early in the second half rang shots off both the crossbar and the post in a furious sequence. Frank Brands missed an open net in the second half and Ramon Calliste also had an apparently easy chance wasted. Stephen Pearson had the last good chance for Orient, but his shot was high and WBA was able to escape with a split of the points in the scoreless draw.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

14.10.07

England (2) Belarus (0)

England- M.Owen 23,38

Belarus- None

MOM- Michael Owen, England

It was a workmanlike effort as England saw off visiting Belarus. David Poole keyed the first English goal when he headed to an unattended Michael Owen. Owen then took the ball past Maxim Tsigalko and scored easily. Owen added his second goal of the match when he was first to a loose ball in the Belarus area and was able to chip the ball over the diving Tsigalko. From that point, England kept the pressure on- never allowing Belarus a chance in their end as they closed out the 2-0 win. Denmark easily beat Luxembourg to leave England with the unenviable Playoff round as the 2nd place club in the Group. In the Playoff draw, England drew the chance to tangle with Poland.

[Faramir]

20.10.07

Chelsea (2) Leyton Orient (0)

Chelsea- J.Vrjanes 45 H.Crespo 47

Orient- None

MOM- Jurica Vrjanes, Chelsea

Orient was completely outclassed by Chelsea as the Blues rolled to an easy 2-0 win. Chelsea outshot Orient 22-4 for the match and the only shining light for Orient was the play of Tommy Lee as he single-handedly held them in the match for most of the first half. After being repeatedly frustrated by Lee's acrobatics, Chelsea's 10 Million Man (what they paid Stuttgart for him) boomed home a 30 yard kick after a superb pass from Hernan Crespo in first half injury time. Vrjanes then returned the favor to open the second half with a dazzling pass that Crespo volleyed past a sprawling Lee. Chelsea never let up the pressure in the match and the Orient passing was woeful. Even the return of Johann Torhallsson after being off almost 7 months did nothing to improve their lot as they faltered badly in the loss.

[Faramir]

"I am at a loss Spencer. We are playing poorly, but I just can't put my finger on it," offered a frustrated Drabek.

"I don't know either Will- we are practicing fine, but we aren't playing well. We haven't gotten any kind of a passing attack going in the past several matches and our backline is wandering all over the place- often winding up out of position."

Drabek looked at Field, "If we do that against Real Sociedad- they will have an easy time with us."

22.10.07

"Well, good news- bad news situation today," stated Drabek to Field.

"Uh, oh- what's the bad news?"

"Jamie Donnelly went down with a torn groin in practice- I am sending him for surgery and he will be out a minimum of five months."

Field groaned, "Miss one practice, and see what happens! I really thought Jamie was going to break out on the reserves this season and force us to move him up. I guess it won't be anytime soon. What's the good news?"

"The inspector Ok'd the stadium addition for opening. We now have an additional 3000 or so seats."

Field nodded agreeably, "That finally puts us over 15,000 in the stadium."

Drabek smiled, "The Board also approved the upgrade to the training facilities."

"Now that I like!"

"I thought you would," offered Drabek

***

23.10.07

Leyton Orient (0) Real Sociedad (0)

Orient- None

Sociedad- None

MOM- Sander Westerveld, Real Sociedad

Orient turned in a credible performance in earning a scoreless draw against Real Sociedad, but it was the lack of finishing and great play by both keepers that caused the result. There was a very loud round of booing when Westerveld was awarded MOM honors- as the Orient fans rightly believed that Tommy Lee made more of a difference in the match. After an offside call on David Poole wiped away Orient's apparent first goal at the 8 minute mark, Real stormed the Orient backline. Lee was forced to come up with three huge one-on-one saves, against Yasser Anger, Edgar Davids and Darko Kovacevic to keep the match spotless at halftime. Orient managed more pressure in the second half and forced Westerveld to come up with some big stops of his own. The scoreless result was a fair one for the effort put forth by both clubs. Orient welcomed back Mark Harding from injury and he asserted himself well in his first match back. Dinamo Kiev also battled visiting Juventus to a scoreless draw in the other Group action. The match marked the inaugaration of the new stands and reportedly Orient broke a box office record with over 700K from the match proceeds.

[Faramir]

31.10.07

Manchester City (0) Leyton Orient (1) League Cup 3rd Round

Manchester- None

Orient- D.Arrieta 77

MOM- Daniel Carr, Leyton Orient

Orient finally broke their five match scoring draught with a late goal to beat a deserving Manchester City 1-0 in their 3rd round League Cup match. The home side clearly had control of the match for large portions as they outshot Orient 12-3 on the match, but Daniel Carr (spelling Tommy Lee in net) earned his MOM honors by denying several excellent chances. Orient struck for the lone goal in the match when Markus Neumayr flipped the ball to a moving Frank Brands on the right side. Brands then crossed smartly to Danilo Arrieta, who had slipped Mikkel Bischoff's marking long enough to scorch a half-volley past Nicky Weaver. The win was especially impressive for Orient, given that the only regular starting in the match was Mark Harding.

[Faramir]

3.11.07

Leyton Orient (1) Manchester City (0)

Orient- D.Poole 41

Manchester- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

The quirks of scheduling immediately brought Orient and Manchester City back together, this time at Brisbane Road. A spate of early yellow cards and some general jawing with the referee was the bane of most of the first half for Orient. Manchester City was doing a good job of clamping down on Orient and limiting their chances. Orient broke through when skipper Carl Laurie sent a through ball that Sun Jihai just couldn't reach- and David Poole could, as Poole rifled his shot inside the right post past Nicky Weaver to give Orient a 1-0 halftime lead. Orient clung to that lead in the early portion of the second half as Manchester City rallied and created some good chances- only to see Tommy Lee collect them all. Both sides did a good job forcing the shots to come from outside of the area and it wasn't any surprise that there was no further scoring as Orient finished on the plus side of the 1-0 margin.

***

Drabek drummed his fingers on his desk, "We still aren't clicking offensively- we are getting movement and flow, but we aren't making good choices and finding the open man."

"Still, we did get the win- and considering it has been awhile since our last league win, can't knock the result," commented Field.

***

"What do we have to do in training? These problems with torn groins are simply remarkable!" grumbled Drabek.

"I don't think we can do anything differently- just a cycle," offered Field. "How long is Frank (Brands) out for after the surgery.

"Pretty much the remainder of the season- six months or so," sighed Drabek.

[Faramir]

7.11.07

Real Sociedad (3) Leyton Orient (1)

Sociedad- Nihat 19 D.Kovacevic 61 C.Laurie OG 74

Orient- J.Torhallsson 17-P

MOM- Darko Kovacevic, Real Sociedad

Orient wasn't particularly sharp and Real Sociedad made them pay in the late stages of the match as they dumped Orient 3-1. Orient drew first blood when Agustin Aranzabal pushed Jonathan Spector in the area and Johann Torhallsson converted the penalty kick for his first goal this season. Orient quickly wasted the lead when David Livermore and Stephen Pearson got tangled up, which left Spector trying to counter two Sociedad players- and he wasn't able to do so as Nihat fired it past Per Morton Kristiansen off the near right post. Both sides battled hard, but it was clear that Sociedad was having the better of the match. Sociedad finally broke clear on top when Darko Kovacevic blistered a ball past Kristiansen. Orient then capped the 3-1 loss themself when Carl Laurie knocked it past Kristiansen while trying to prevent Nihat from reaching a rebound near the goal line.

[Faramir]

14.11.07

Nottingham Forest (2) Leyton Orient (1)

Nottingham- C.Westcarr 2 J.Biggins 66

Orient- D.Poole 15

MOM- Mathew Sadler, Nottingham Forest

In a disastrous performance, Orient lost to last place Nottingham Forest. Forest took advantage of James Biggins heading in a corner for his 1st Senior goal to edge Orient 2-1. Orient again wasted some stellar scoring chances as Darren Ward ruined several good chances with some excellent saves. Orient's backline let Craig Westcarr in alone and after Tommy Lee parried his first shot he walked around Lee with the rebound to give Forest the early lead. Orient struck back when David Poole rifled a shot past Ward after a good pass from Stephen Pearson. Orient also lost both Poole and Pearson to slight knee injuries that will keep them out a short while.

***

Drabek slumped in his chair, "Another match where we didn't really play bad- but not really well either..."

"Just bad enough to lose- to a club we should have beaten," grimaced Field.

"You know, I can see why they were willing to let Tommy Smith go," continued Drabek. "He had two great chances- once when I know he had enough room on Ward to get a look at a more or less open net- and he wouldn't pull the trigger. I don't think he will get starting time- even with the injuries we have up front- Ramon Calliste will move into the lineup."

"Are you going to pursue any transfers?" asked Field.

"I don't think so. I can't see adding any players right now- I think we may need a bit more quality depth next summer, but I like the building blocks here. For example, I think Adam Roberts had a solid debut against Nottingham. He is a bit young to be playing much at 17, but I think spotting him will help him and he in turn will help us more next season. I was glad to finally sign him to a regular contract."

Field nodded, "He did zing a couple passes."

Drabak added, "We are just going through one of those rough patches. We really didn't see one of those last season- and we also didn't have the additional pressure of Europe, I think that helped contribute to our 3rd place finish. This isn't rocket science, we just need to get back to making the good choices and playing solid football. We just have to keep fighting through this..."

[cms186]

Woohoo, Forest win, it would be nice if that happened irl kutgw

[Faramir]

Thanks cms I didn't enjoy the win much though

***

ENGLAND

17.11.07

European Championships Qualifier Playoff Leg 1

England (4) Poland (0)

England- J.Thomas 5 J.Dudek OG 8 M.Owen 11 K.Dyer 45

Poland- None

MOM- Jerome Thomas, England

It was a stellar 1st Cap for Jerome Thomas as he earned MOM honors while leading England in a 4-0 tromping of Poland. The size of the win bodes well for England's chances in the 2nd leg as they dominated a steady, but slow Polish side. The forward combination of Thomas and Michael Owen was a problem for the Polish backline from the opening whistle. Thomas notched the first goal of the match when Titus Bramble's through ball was missed by Michael Zewlakow and Thomas whipped it past Jerzy Dudek to score in his International debut. England struck quickly for a second goal when Dudek was credited with an own goal, but Michael Owen deserved credit after getting open for a Joe Cole cross and then hammering a shot that Dudek got a portion of, but then accidently turned into his own net. Owen did get the next goal as he lobbed the ball over Dudek for his 40th International goal after Thomas had headed a Richard Wright goal kick to him. Kieron Dyer closed out the first half for England as he half-volleyed past Dudek on a Cole free kick. With the 4-0 lead, England was content to prevent Poland from getting any scoring chances in the second half and will take that commanding margin into their 2nd leg matchup in Warsaw.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

21.11.07

European Championship Qualifier Playoff Leg 2

Poland (0) England (1)

Poland- None

England- M.Jansen 82

MOM- Glen Johnson, England

With a 4-0 aggregate advantage, England was set to play stalwart defense in their 2nd leg at Warsaw. Injury problems kept several regulars out of the lineup for the match and allowed Matt Jansen and Matthew Etherington to make their International debuts. Poland started out determined to dent the English advantage, but failed to make headway against the backline of Glen Johnson, Titus Bramble, Darren Purse and Carl Laurie (both Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell were out injured). Jansen made his debut memorable when he scored the lone goal of the match late in the 2nd half to send England home with both a 1-0 match win and a trip to the European Championships based on their 5-0 aggregate result. In other playoff results- Germany staged a sensational comeback to even their aggregate at 4-4 in Athens after stunningly falling 4-0 in Berlin, but it went for nought as the surprising Greeks won the penalty shoot-out to knock Germany out. Ireland dumped Wales on a 5-2 aggregate and Sweden won the Nordic side as they edged Norway on a 2-0 aggregate.

[Faramir]

24.11.07

Leyton Orient (2) Liverpool (0)

Orient- D.Poole 26 J.Torhallsson 43

Liverpool- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

After not playing well offensively for quite a long stretch, Orient looked very much themselves as they pressed Liverpool hard and scratched out a 2-0 win. Chris Kirkland made two terrific saves on David Poole early in the match, but when Poole stepped in front of a poor Jamie Carragher free kick and took it past Sami Hyypia- Kirkland's luck was gone as Poole blistered a 20 yard shot inside the near right post. Liverpool lost stalwart Hyypia shortly after to a leg injury and that caused them more problems. Orient took advantage when Poole outleaped replacement Carl Medjani and headed across to an unattended Johann Torhallsson. Torhallsson wasted little time drilling a shot past Kirkland inside the far post for a 2-0 Orient halftime lead. Orient backed off their pressure somewhat in the second half, but still maintained control of the midfield in limiting Michael Owen's opportunities as they finished out their 2-0 win.

[Faramir]

27.11.07

Dinamo Kiev (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Kiev- Diogo Rincon 50

Orient- J.Torhallsson 1 D.Poole 71 S.Pearson 83

MOM- Stephen Pearson, Leyton Orient

Dinamo Kiev likely expected a bitter defensive battle with Orient as the English side arrived on short rest. Instead they suffered a bitter battle on defense as Orient was aggressive from the outset of the match. Keeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy was under pressure from the opening whistle and though he made a good stop of Johann Torhallsson, the rebound bounced directly back to Torhallsson- who had an easy time slotting it past him to give Kiev a nightmare start. Shovkovskiy recovered to keep Kiev in the match in the first half. He made several other great saves to keep Orient's lead at 1-0. Following halftime, Kiev took advantage of Orient confusion on the backline to start the second half and Diogo Rincon was left unmarked. He had an easy time taking the ball around Per Morten Kristiansen for the equalizer. Orient pulled ahead again when Michael Duberry (subbed on for injured Jonathan Spector) headed a Kiev free kick away to Torhallsson. Torhallsson's long, searching pass for a streaking David Poole was deflected, but not controlled by Goran Gavrancic, and Poole had an easy time scoring as the play had left Shovkovskiy woefully out of position. Stephen Pearson then capped his superb match by knifing through the Kiev backline. Pearson's initial shot was saved by Shovkovskiy, but he took the rebound around him for the clinching goal as Orient won an important match by a 3-1 margin.

[Faramir]

1.12.07

Middlesbrough (0) Leyton Orient (3)

Middlesbrough- None

Orient- D.Arrieta 22,65 D.Poole 45-P

MOM- Danilo Arrieta, Leyton Orient

Orient continued to show signs that they are shaking off their bad stretch as they put forth an impressive performance in rolling over Middlesbrough at The Riverside. Danilo Arrieta was much more than the Middlesbrough backline could handle in this match. He scored the first goal of the match when David Poole headed forward a long pass from Lee Sims and Arrieta had an easy time driving it past Andreas Isaksson for his 10th goal of the season. Arrieta and David Poole both found Isaksson frustrating as he stopped both on point blank chances. After Frank Quedrue pulled down Stephen Pearson in the area, Poole converted the penalty kick to send Orient to halftime ahead 2-0. In the opening moments of the second half, Isaksson made two more sensational saves on Arrieta, and Arrieta lost a goal when he deflected a corner in- only to see the goal waved off when Adrian Nevins was called for pushing a defender. Arrieta finally notched his 2nd goal of the match after Ramon Calliste did a wonderful job of drawing the defense to him and then sending it across to unattended Arrieta. By rights, given both his earlier efforts and the two more stellar saves made by Isaksson, Arrieta should have had his hat-trick. Calliste set him up one more time in the late stages, but he drilled it off the post on the good chance. Orient was satisfied to head home with the 3-0 road win.

[SoS]

Good as ever. Have you voted yet in the SOTW panel thread