The Bet

[Faramir]

14.5.11

Leyton Orient (3) Blackburn (1)

Orient- D.Poole 20 O.Oskarsson 80 S.Pearson 90

Blackburn- G.Pazzini 65-P

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient was forced to win a closely played match in the late going after yielding a penalty kick for Blackburn's 2nd half equalizer. Despite controlling much of the play, Orient had wasted several good chances to extend the lead they had grabbed when David Poole drove a low shot past Tommy Lee after a good pass from John Turner. Steed Malbranque missed just over the net and John Turner drove a shot past Lee- only to see it bounce back off the right post. Despite the misses, Orient looked good for the win as they were playing staunch defense in front of Sebastien Frey. It was a little too staunch though, as Titus Bramble was yellow carded for holding Brett Emerton in the area. Giampaolo Pazzini converted the penalty kick and Orient was left looking for another goal to retake the lead. Blackburn was playing staunch defense now, but Carl Laurie sent a long pass to the right side of the area looking for Poole. Poole leaped and flicked it back to the middle. Orri Freyr Oskarsson, who had come on for a slightly injured Malbranque, reached the loose ball and wheeled to drive it through the hands of Lee before defender Paul Konchesky could close him down and it was again 2-1 Orient. Orient clinched the match when Stephen Pearson picked up a loose ball and blasted a 25 yard shot past Lee to clinch the 3-1 win for Orient in their final match at Brisbane Road for 2011. Tottenham kept pace with Orient thanks a huge 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. In their final matches, Orient travels to Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham hosts Everton.

[Faramir]

22.5.11

Sheffield Wednesday (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Sheffield Wednesday- None

Orient- W.Rooney 48,54

MOM- Wayne Rooney, Leyton Orient

The math was simple for Orient- win and win the EPL title. Draw or lose and likely Tottenham would win the title. The nerves for Orient were evident in the early going as the players were trying to hard to get the goal for the lead. Both Wayne Rooney and David Poole tried to be too fine with their shots and skimmed the top of the net from close in. Andreas Isaksson made a good stop on Stephen Pearson's curling 20 yard blast and also managed to smother a loose ball just before Poole could get a foot on it. It was a scoreless first half as Wednesday managed only one shot on Sebastien Frey. Orient came out with the same determination in the second half, but this time executed better. Joey Barton sent a long looping pass towards Poole. Poole managed to flick the ball on and it went past Leigh Bromby. Wayne Rooney and Bromby raced for the ball, but Rooney had a full stride on the defender and then found Isaksson slightly off his line as he fired the ball past him into the near left side of the net for his 10th goal at Orient this season. Orient then removed a lot of their fire from Sheffield Wednesday and their crowd as Jan Kristiansen, starting in place of a very tired Stephen Pearson, chipped a pass by Danny Butterfield and found Rooney with space. Rooney again drilled a shot past Isaksson inside the near left post for his 2nd goal of the match and a 2-0 Orient lead. Wednesday almost immediately answered the goal, but Frey was able to push a rising Stephen Schumacher shot over the bar to preserve the clean sheet. The celebration on the Orient side may have been small, but it was determined as the final whistle sounded with Orient winning their 3rd consecutive EPL title.

***

"A hat-trick of sorts," grinned Field.

"Hard fought one," smiled a relieved Drabek. "I didn't even look- what was the Tottenham result."

"We needed the win- they beat Everton 2-1 on a last minute goal."

Drabek shook his head and smiled broadly, "One more to try and get now."

[Faramir]

EPL

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Leyton Orient 91 pts (+64)

2- Tottenham 90 pts (+49)

3- Chelsea 75 pts (+25)

4- Arsenal 66 pts (+33)

5- Millwall 65 pts (+20)

6- Newcastle 58 pts (+3)

7- WBA 58 pts (+2)

8- Blackburn 57 pts (+7)

9- Bolton 54 pts (+19)

10- Manchester United 54 pts (+7)

</pre>

EPL Awards

Player of the Year

1- Adriano, Arsenal (2nd EPL PotY honour)

2- Giampaolo Pazzini, Blackburn

3- Jamie Donnelly, Everton

Young Player of the Year

1- Steve Marshall, Bradford City

2- Wayne Bullock, Aston Villa

3- Shaun Jenkins, Bolton

EPL Players Select

GK- Paul Robinson, Leeds

D- Jan Evrard, Leyton Orient

D- Jens Forster, Arsenal

D- Simone Padoin, Chelsea

D- Mbulelo Mabizela, Tottenham

M- Stephen Pearson, Leyton Orient

M- Ylidiray Basturk, Newcastle

M- Ryan Wilkie, Bolton

M- Joe Cole, Chelsea

F- Adriano, Arsenal

F- Giampaolo Pazzini, Blackburn

R- Andreas Isaksson, Sheffield Wednesday

R- Titus Bramble, Leyton Orient

R- Jason Koumas, WBA

R- Jermaine Jenas, Newcastle

R- Thierry Henry, Arsenal

English Footballer of the Year Award

1- Thierry Henry, Arsenal

2- Daniel Braathen, Blackburn

3- Sanli Tuncay, Manchester United

Top Goalscorers

Jamie Donnelly, Everton 23

Mark Quigley, Chelsea 23

Adriano, Arsenal 23

Wayne Rooney, Orient 19

Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Orient 14

David Poole, Orient 12

***

Inter edged Parma 2-1 to win the UEFA Cup as they scored a goal in the waning moments of extra time for the close win.

[Faramir]

1.6.11

Leyton Orient (2) Rangers (0) Champions Cup Final

Orient- D.Poole 2 W.Rooney 6

Rangers- None

MOM- David Fox, Leyton Orient

Orient made a pair of early goals stand up as they defeated Rangers 2-0 despite playing most of the second half with only 10 men. Orient's pace created havoc in the early going for Rangers. Carl Laurie sent a long pass to start a counterattack and David Poole flicked it to Wayne Rooney on the left sideline. Rooney made a quick move past one defender and then sent a perfectly lofted pass over defender Mark Moore that put Poole in free on Dean Simpson. Poole made no mistake with a hard, low blast that went inside the far right post for his 30th goal of the season and the 250th Orient goal to send Orient off on a flyer. Orient struck again minutes later as Jan Evrard made Simpson pay for a poor goal kick. Evrard headed the ball straight up the middle and Rooney beat Robert Malcolm to the ball by a shade. That was enough to allow him to rip a rising shot past Simpson and give Orient a very quick 2-0 lead. Rangers settled down after the horrific start, but found themselves unable to break the tight Orient midfield and backline coverage and could only manage a series of long shots from their midfielders as they tried to rally. Simpson was called on to preserve the margin as he made a sensational save on Poole in the late moments of the first half. In the early moments of the second half, Orient was distressed when skipper Carl Laurie earned a redcard (51 minutes) for bringing down Steven Thompson on the dribble. With Ryan Garry on for Poole to fill the leftback role- Orient battled to preserve the margin. Their scrambling defense saw Titus Bramble, Lee Sims and Garry all make saving tackles on what looked to be good scoring chances for the 'Gers. The final whistle set off a wild celebration for the tired Orient crew as they had successfully defended their place as holders of the Champions Cup.

***

"Time to take a couple weeks off," sighed Drabek.

"Been a great season, hasn't it?" smiled Field.

"Wonderful. Much harder than last year's success- but actually more satisfying to have overcome all the obstacles. We will meet again in a couple weeks to plan for next season, but I have National duties quicker than that- so call me if anything comes up."

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

11.6.11

England (3) Croatia (0) Euro Championships Qualifying Group 3

England- D.Fox 27 D.Thompson 33 D.Poole 64

Croatia- None

MOM- David Poole, England

England, playing with a 22 man roster due to the upcoming Confederations Cup, defeated stubborn Croatia 3-0 at Wembley in a match that was much closer than the final score indicated. Croatia had a wealth of opportunities in the early going of the first half, but Richard Wright was steadily superb in blunting their good scoring chances. Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown seemed to be on differing pages as they both made coverage mistakes to allow the good chances, but Wright earned his clean sheet. England took the lead when David Poole flicked back to the middle a long pass from Joe Cole. That allowed David Fox to break in and fire a shot underneath a diving Stipe Pletikosa to send the fans into a frenzy. Cole was instrumental in the 2nd English goal as well. He took a throw-in and broke down the left sideline before sending a cross into the center. David Poole outleaped Robert Kovac, but Pletikosa was able to parry away his strong header. David Thompson had glided in and fired the rebound home before any defender could react to give England a 2-0 halftime lead. The second half saw England a bit more content with the lead as they worked hard to thwart the visitor's attempts to rally. The English backline played a more solid positional game in the second half and denied the Croatian forwards the space they had found in the first half. England clinched the match when Joe Cole again showed deft ball movement with a short squared pass that allowed Poole to blast a rising shot past Pletikosa to finish out the 3-0 win for England. The win, combined with Georgia's scoreless draw against Iceland in Reykjavik, leaves England firmly in control of the Group with a 5 point margin over 2nd place Georgia as they face each other next in showdown match four days hence. The lone down note for England was that Rio Ferdinand will likely miss the Georgia match due to a slight injury.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

15.6.11

Georgia (0) England (1) Euro Championships Qualifying Group 3

Georgia- None

England- O.Hargreaves 60

MOM- Giorgi Lomaia, Georgia

Despite playing most of the match with only 10 men, England managed to edge Georgia 1-0 to clinch the top spot in Group 3 and ensure their place in the upcoming European Championships. England pressured the home side from the opening whistle, but Giorgi Lomaia provided a sensational acrobatic display in net as he stopped both David Poole and Wayne Rooney on good chances early in the first half. Steven Gerrard was given a redcard at 21 minutes when he made an ill-advised kick at Georgia's Malkhaz Asatiani. England missed a golden chance to take the lead when Zurab Khizanishvili was forced to bump David Thompson in the area late in the first half. Poole stepped up and saw Lomaia make a terrific save and then Joe Cole botched the rebound by shooting ineffectually directly at Lomaia. With only 10 men and Wayne Rooney forced into midfield service, England remained alert for counterattacking opportunities and took advantage early in the second half for the lone goal of the match. Rooney made a beautiful touch pass over a defender to find strike partner Poole in the area. As the defense quickly closed down on Poole, he unselfishly squared the ball across for completely overlooked Owen Hargreaves. Hargreaves had moved up into the play and had plenty of time to fire the ball into the open right side of the net for what would prove to be the match winning goal. Georgia desperately tried to rally, but Richard Wright stood firm in keeping another clean sheet as England remained unscored upon in Group 3 action with the 1-0 win. Iceland defeated Faroe Islands 4-1 at Torshavn to move up and challenge Georgia for 2nd place in Group 3. Gerrard may face an additional suspension for his untimely decision and Glen Johnson will also miss the next match due to accumulating yellow cards.

***

"It was nice to see that Orri Freyr Oskarsson scored his 10th International goal in their match," commented Field.

"You know the nice thing was he made a comment to me that if we hadn't given him the chance- then he never would have had enough recognition to gain even one Cap," said Drabek. "He had been in England since 2003-04 season when we signed him and had only made 13 appearences for Nottingham Forest over those years- what a waste!"

"I think he has proven that he can be a substantial player," grinned Field.

"I was surprised Spencer, I just heard that Stephen Pearson was selected as Orient Player of the Year by the press. I thought for sure that David Fox would get the honour this time."

"Stephen is well liked by everyone. It isn't a surprise to me that they gave it to him. Has the Board stated what they expect for this season?"

"Why of course, they expect us to win the title again," smiled Drabek. "They indicated that our transfer fund would be around 25 Million this season."

"I don't understand why so little on the limit. They paid out another 9 Million to the shareholders after last season. We are awash in cash at present and we will easily be under our weekly wage budget as contracts run out in a couple weeks."

"Maybe they know we don't need that much. I don't know why for sure. They did say they were adding another 1600 seats to Brisbane Road- I guess last season's record attendence forced their hand on that."

"At least we already have our summer signings in place. Those are some good youngsters coming over to us."

Drabek nodded, "Heartily agree with you on that. Wayne Routledge, Jason Reynolds, Oliver Lorenzen, Steven Taylor and Chris Sutton will really help add youthful talent to our club. Lorenzen and Reynolds may well earn a lot of playing time up front this season. Routledge gives us another solid winger and Taylor and Sutton will help solidify our depth on the backline."

[Faramir]

Gerrard Banned For More Matches

FIFA announced that after reviewing the tape of the incident with Steven Gerrard in England's 1-0 win over Georgia that they would ban Gerrard for 2 additional matches- beyond the one match initial suspension for the redcard. England manager Will Drabek admitted that he had expected a suspension along this line, but was disappointed that they had decided on two additional matches.

***

ENGLAND

23.6.11

England (1) Brazil (2) Confederations Cup Group B

England- W.Rooney 54

Brazil- Adriano 63 Kaka 65

MOM- Kaka, Brazil

England fought to take the lead against Brazil but then played poor defense in allowing the Brazilians to come back for two quick goals as they edged England 2-1 in Uruguay. The partisan crowd for Brazil was pleased with the first half of play which saw the South American side playing with much more pace and fervor than the English side. Still, England battled to a scoreless draw in the first half thanks to another fine match from keeper Richard Wright and a couple timely tackles. England took a suprising lead when they came out playing much stronger after halftime. David Fox blocked the ball ahead and David Poole used perfect timing to slip the ball past Juan as he challenged to put Wayne Rooney in free. Rooney made a quick dipsy-doodle move with the ball and fired it past Rubinho for his 30th International goal. England could not hold the lead though. Adriano made England pay for a corner when he outleaped Rio Ferdinand and deflected the equalizer past Wright off a Denilson corner. Ferdinand then compounded that mistake by misplaying a header directly to Mancini. Mancini sent the ball ahead for Kaka and Ferdinand failed to close him down as he rifled the match winner past Wright. England had a couple late chances to get back to even, but Rubinho managed to get a hand on a strong header from Rooney and then was able to dash and dive on the rebound before Poole could get there to push it into the net.

***

"I don't know why the fans were down on Poole and Rooney today," murmured Drabek. "They both did fine with the chances they had. What killed us was bad choices by our backline."

"We seemed a bit disorganized on the backline today," agreed Field. "Getting Glen Johnson back should help for the next match as we won't have to play Wes Brown outside again."

[JonFox]

What a story I just hope there is more to come

[Faramir]

JonFox- thanks for the kind words, and yes still more to come- still playing this one...

***

ENGLAND

25.6.11

Japan (0) England (3) Confederations Cup Group B

Japan- None

England- W.Rooney 6,24 O.Hargreaves 53

MOM- David Poole, England

England rebounded from their loss to Brazil with a resounding 3-0 win over Japan. The forward tandem of Wayne Rooney and David Poole were in fine form this match and the pair overpowered the Japanese backline throughout the match. David Thompson's superb through ball keyed the early English lead. Thompson found Rooney lurking behind his marker and Rooney immediately snapped the ball past Seigo Narazaki into the left side of the net. Poole and Rooney demonstrated their innate knowledge of where the other might be as Poole made a no-look flick on of a Thompson pass. He found Rooney unmarked and Rooney blistered a low shot past Narazaki for his 2nd goal of the match. Hargreaves demonstrated his quickness as he clinched the win for England by hooking a half-volley past Narazaki on Thompson's free kick in the second half. Japan managed only 2 shots at Wright for the match as they were beaten for the second straight time by a 3-0 margin (South Korea had also defeated them). Brazil's late goal allowed them to edge South Korea 2-1, which setup a South Korea-England showdown for the 2nd place spot in Group B. In Group A, New Zealand stunned Italy 1-0 with a late free kick to take over top spot, with both clinching qualification due to a wild 5-5 draw between host Uruguay and Senegal.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

27.6.11

South Korea (2) England (3) Confederations Cup Group B

South Korea- K.Young-Dae 30 S.Jae-Won 86

England- W.Rooney 18 D.Poole 45-P,90

MOM- David Poole, England

England scored a dramatic last minute match winning goal that sent them on to the Confederations Cup Semifinals instead of into extra time with the plucky South Korean squad. England fully deserved a better result than the 3-2 final as they controlled play most of the match, but the South Koreans made the most of a fluke first half goal and indecisive English defending that allowed them to equalized late in the match. England struck first when David Fox- playing rightwing for the injured David Thompson- broke in and made a sizzling cross. Wayne Rooney hammered the cross off of defender Jong-Kook Song and the deflection was enough to see the ball bounce past flat footed keeper Kim Yong-Dae. Young-Dae made history by becoming the first keeper to ever score in Confederations Cup play midway through the first half. His long goal kick was badly misjudged by a ranging Richard Wright and the ball sailed beyond him to bounce slowly into the English net as frustrated Matt Hill just could not reach the ball in time to keep it out. The fans hooted and howled at the mistake, but England turned back to the business at hand and once again started pressuring the South Koreans. The pressure finally paid off when Young-Pyo Lee tripped David Poole in the area as he looked certain to score. Poole calmly converted the penalty kick to restore England to a 2-1 halftime lead. England kept pounding away at the South Koreans in the second half, but Yong-Dae came up with a couple saves and was assisted by his post (Wayne Rooney) and his crossbar (David Fox) in keeping them only a goal down. That effort paid off when Hyun-Ho Yang was able to flick a long free kick from Lee to Shim Jae-Won. Jae-Won had slipped the marking of Jermaine Jenas and had an easy time slotting the equalizer into the right side of the net past Wright. It looked like the two sides were headed to extra time as they were even with 6 goals for and 4 goals against each, but England had one last effort in them. Fox again caused havoc on a dribble down the right side as he moved past Lee. His low blast was parried by Yong-Dae, but Poole swooped onto the rebound in the middle and fired it home for his 2nd goal of the match as Jae-Won, the hero a moment before, was now the goat as he had left Poole unmarked on the play. The dramatic 3-2 win sends England on for an intensely interesting Semifinal match against fellow Commonwealth side New Zealand- who had finished 1st in Group A. Italy and Brazil tangle in the other Semifinal.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

30.6.11

New Zealand (0) England (2) Confederations Cup Semifinal

New Zealand- None

England- W.Rooney 23 J.Cole 28

MOM- Richard Wright, England

It took a gritty performance for England to defeat New Zealand 2-0 in their Semifinal match as they had to survive an early redcard. Richard Wright carried England as he made two point-blank saves on Noah Hickey in the first few minutes of play as England sputtered to get moving offensively. Just when it appeared the momentum was shifting to England, Matt Hill was redcarded for holding Hickey on another scamper by the Kiwi forward. England manager Will Drabek appeared to cause New Zealand confusion when he reconfigured his lineup with only three defenders and Carl Laurie moved into a sweeper role behind Michael Dawson (making his 1st Cap due to injuries to Titus Bramble and Glen Johnson and the suspension of Ashley Cole on yellow card accumulation). England then staged a superb counter attack that was started when David Thompson sent a long ball into space on the right side for David Poole. Poole outraced Peter Scoullar to the ball and sent a superb cross that picked out Wayne Rooney a step free of Jason Jones. Rooney's header sailed past Ross Nicholson into the right side of the net to seemingly stun New Zealand. England then added to their woes as Joe Cole drilled a 25 yard free kick past Nicholson off the inside of the right post to send England ahead 2-0. With the lead in hand, England switched formations again with Steven Gerrard moving to fill a backline place and Rooney moving to midfield to present a 441 look. New Zealand starting showing the trademark attacking that had carried them to the top spot in Group A, but it was to no avail against a superb effort from Wright as he refused to allow them the goal to give them hope. The 2-0 English win will carry them into the finals against Italy and will give them a chance to avenge the 3-2 loss to Italy in last year's World Cup Finals.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

3.7.11

England (2) Italy (1) Confederations Cup Final- Montevideo

England- D.Thompson 40 W.Rooney 69

Italy- A.Cassano 12

MOM- David Poole, England

England staged a superb fightback to claim their 2nd straight Confederations Cup with a close 2-1 win over favored Italy. Italy took the lead early in the first half when Manuele Blasi stepped in front of an Ashley Cole crossing pass and sent a quick pass to scampering Antonio Cassano. Cassano split the English tandem of Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown before striking a scorching low shot from just inside the edge of the area that skimmed past a lunging Richard Wright. England was able to answer that goal before halftime when David Poole leaped and showed great vision as he headed the ball back out to David Thompson well outside the edge of the area. Thompson's quick dribble into the area wouldn't allow Blasi to come and close him down, nor could Alessandro Nesta reach him before he struck a nicely placed shot past Gianluigi Buffon into the right side of the net. Both sides surged to try and gain the next goal to start the second half and both were thwarted by errant shots on middling chances. The match winner for England came when Owen Hargreaves (on at 59 minutes for a badly winded Steven Gerrard) chipped a pass out to Wayne Rooney on the left side. Rooney took the ball to a very sharp angle to the net. Italy's Daniele Bonera apparently didn't aggressively close down on Rooney because of the bad angle and the fact he already had earned a yellow card, but that proved to be a mistake when Rooney drilled a precision shot to the inside post of the far right side of the net- and it bounced in. England clung to the lead through the late wave of Italian attacks and was able to celebrate their continued holding of the Confederations Cup at the final whistle.

[Faramir]

Author's note- Sorry to interrupt the narrative, but I wanted to offer a few observations on both the club and the story.

I have to say the reason the club remains so much fun to manage (and why the story will keep going for awhile) is because Orient itself is made up of players not highly regarded in the game. Just to give you an example- while playing the SOS-I storyline (had retired as manager of Orient and England in that story)- Carl Laurie and Orri Freyr Oskarsson never played another match for Orient and were released by the summer of 2012. David Poole never started another match for Orient and was sold off for a pittance to Bradford City- where he never started either. To put Poole's plight in perspective- this is a player who has 31 National Goals (in 34 apps) and had scored 250 goals at Orient as we head into the 2011-12 season. Danny Byrne, who has 53 assists and a 7.44 rating over the last 5 seasons at Orient at this time was never used on Senior side again and sold off to Luton for a pittance in summer of 2012.

All of this just highlights the point that you don't need the superstar players to have a good side. This is something that I have found true in all versions of CM and likewise now in FM. Winning without the superstars is a very satisfying thing- though I have to admit that Sebastien Frey's addition was one of the key ingredients in Orient moving to the level it has. Thanks again to everyone still following along at this point and I hope you continue to enjoy the exploits of the unappreciated core of Leyton Orient.

-MD

[Faramir]

Summary of Orient Additions/Subtractions Summer 2011

Additions:

Jason Reynolds(Purchased from Newcastle for 2 Million)- 19 yr old FRC- fantastic on the dribble and one of the top young versatile English prospects on the scene- expected to see some playing time at Orient, but uncertain whether in midfield or forward role.

Oliver Lorenzen(Purchased from Everton for 2.4 Million)- 20 yr old SC- one of the top young German strikers- already had 22 EPL goals over last three seasons at Everton, but most of those came in first season and played sparingly in last two- should work into the forward rotation at Orient.

Chris Sutton(Purchased from WBA for 1.8 Million)- 21 yr old SW/DRC- solid defender who was just starting to make his mark in the WBA lineup last season- expected to see time at right back for Orient as cover for Lee Sims.

Nigel Vaughan(Purchased from Aston Villa for 1.1 Million)- 23 yr old GK- considered one of the better young English keepers but was unhappy at Villa- will likely be part of 3 man Orient keeper rotation with Frey and Hicks.

Steve Lee (Purchased from Newcastle for 575K)- 19 yr old DMLC- another top young English midfielder- had been loaned out last two seasons and wanted to move from Newcastle- expected to see occasional time on the senior side as cover for Pearson.

Steven Taylor (Signed on Bosman from Newcastle)- 25 yr old DC- steady center defender- should see occasional playing time in the middle of Orient's backline.

Wayne Routledge (Signed on Bosman from Manchester United)- 26 yr old FRC- signed with Manchester United three seasons ago but never worked into their lineup- expected to provide cover for Danny Byrne on the right wing.

Subtractions:

David Mannix (Sold to Bayern Munich for 5.25 Million)

Michael Carrick (Signed on Bosman with Arsenal)

Jonathan Spector (Released on free)

Ramon Calliste (Released on free)

Simon Brown (Released on free)

Richie Wellens (Released on free)

Adrian Nevins (Released on free)

Curtis Woodhouse (Released on free)

Kris Taylor (Released on free)

***

Leyton Orient 2011-12 Depth Chart

GK- Sebastien Frey, Nigel Vaughan, James Hicks

DL- Carl Laurie, Matthias Franz, Ryan Garry

DR- Lee Sims, William Flood, Chris Sutton

DC- Jan Evrard, Robert Huth, Mark Harding

DC- Ben Hutchinson, Titus Bramble, Steven Taylor

ML- Daniel Fredheim Holm, Matthew Etherington, Matt Morris

MR- Danny Byrne, Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Wayne Routledge, Chris Eagles

MC- Stephen Pearson, Jan Kristiansen, Joey Barton

MC- David Fox, Adam Roberts, Steed Malbranque

SC- David Poole, Oliver Lorenzon, Jason Reynolds, Davide Vanni

SC- Wayne Rooney, Danilo Arrieta, John Turner, Johann Torhallsson

Transfer Listed- Marco Borriello, Milan Baros

[Faramir]

"Not many big changes over the summer," observed Spencer Field.

"I didn't feel many were needed," answered Will Drabek, "All I added were some pretty good young players that I hope we can develop with time."

"You surprised everyone when you allowed David Fox to be transfer lised at his request."

"David feels he has done everything he can here. He wants a new challenge and if someone meets his transfer price- he can talk to them about it. In the meantime, he is a solid professional and will do his best."

"What are we going to do if someone meets the price?"

"Adam Roberts wants a chance- badly. He basically said he won't re-sign unless he gets some senior time this season. He is going to get that time- and his chance. Whether or not he has the talent to back up his feelings- I guess we will find out."

"Are you really planning on starting Ben Hutchinson this season?"

"Ben has earned his shot- working up from the under-19 side through his fine reserve play last season. I think he is ready to play and it's time to give him that chance. That doesn't mean that Titus Bramble won't see a lot of action in key matches- especially once he is fully healed."

"I think we are as ready as we can be for the season. That tough slate of friendlies certainly took some of the rust off."

"It helped that many of our players were on National sides too- they weren't out of training too long this summer."

***

2011-12 Skybet EPL Odds

Leyton Orient 2-1

Arsenal 5-1

Tottenham 14-1

Chelsea 20-1

Manchester United 33-1

Newcastle 33-1

[Faramir]

"Did Arsenal make a bid on David Fox?"

Drabek snorted, "Yes, but it was just a straight player swap of 3 youngsters for him. The youngsters were solid- but nowhere near worth David. I offered them back- with his rated amount and some of it up front- some over time- and they immediately said they weren't interested. Unless some club is willing to give us the boodle of cash David is worth- he isn't going anywhere."

***

14.8.11

Millwall (1) Leyton Orient (2) Community Shield- Wembley

Millwall- M.Quigley 45

Orient- A.Roberts 29 M.Etherington 77

MOM- Matthew Etherington, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient trotted out a suprising lineup and made it work as they edged Millwall 2-1 in an entertaining Community Shield match. Orient looked much the sharper club in the early going and Nicky Weaver was forced to make a series of good saves to avoid yielding an early goal to the Orient passing attack. Danilo Arrieta had a fantastic run from the Orient area, but Joe Dolan made it back to make a saving tackle in the Millwall area for one of the matches highlight moments. Orient took the lead when Adam Roberts made a superb deflection of a corner from Matthew Etherington to gain the lead for Orient. Millwall moved back to even at halftime when they caught the Orient defense pressing too far forward and a good through ball found Mark Quigley with space. Quigley snaked a shot inside the far left post past Nigel Vaughan to equalize. The second half began with each side having good chances, but not managing to keep their shots on net. Mathieu Bodmer managed to clear a ball off the line to save a goal for Millwall. The match winner came midway through the half after Roberts was taken down on the dribble. Etherington stepped up and boomed a curving shot that caught the inside of the right post for an Orient lead. Orient played steady defense after that, but Vaughan was called on for a huge save when he stopped Robert Vittek in a one-on-one chance in the last ten minutes of play. The final whistle sounded and Orient had its 2nd Community Shield trophy to place at Brisbane Road.

[Faramir]

21.8.11

Leyton Orient (3) Bolton (0)

Orient- D.Byrne 33 D.Poole 50 J.Kristiansen 90

Bolton- None

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

Orient began the quest for its 4th consecutive EPL title with a solid 3-0 win over Bolton in a Sunday afternoon televised match from sold out Brisbane Road. The early stages of the match were closely played and Sebastien Frey had to be sharp to stop a couple early Bolton chances. Bobby Zamora and Ricardo Gardner both saw Frey tip shots over the net as Ryan Wilkie gave Orient fits with mazy runs in the early going. On the Orient side, it was Danny Byrne bedeviling the Bolton backline as he wended through their coverage to come close. Orient grabbed the lead when Byrne launched a 30 yard free kick that hit the inside of the right post and went in past Chris Howarth. Orient opened the second half with a much more cohesive attack that paid dividends quickly. Momentary indecision by Howarth on a through ball by Danilo Arrieta (playing for the injured Wayne Rooney) was enough to allow David Poole to reach the ball, as he outraced Darren Kenton, and take it quickly past Howarth to shovel it into the open net. Orient polished off the win as Jan Kristiansen teed up and blasted a 30 yard rocket that got through Luke Steele (subbed on for Howarth after the Poole goal) to finish off the 3-0 win.

[Faramir]

24.8.11

Leicester (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Leicester- None

Orient- J.Turner 7 O.Lorenzen 77

MOM- Matthew Etherington, Leyton Orient

Orient looked very sharp in the first half, but were forced to survive a rejuvanated Leicester club in the second half to win a close 2-0 road match. Matthew Etherington and Wayne Routledge gave Leicester fits in the first half as both seemed to cut through the midfield like a knife through margarine. Routledge beat Alex Morris off the right sideline on the dribble and then his sizzling cross was headed by John Turner into the left side of the net past Matt Murray for the early Orient lead. Murray was sensational the remainder of the first half as he made point-blank saves on both David Poole and Stephen Pearson to keep the Foxes trailing only by a goal at half. Leicester seemed renewed by halftime and started applying pressure on their visitors. Sebastien Frey was sharp in tipping a Xisco blast over the bar early on. It appeared that Leicester was set to even the match at 73 minutes when Titus Bramble was whistled for pushing Louis Dodds in the area. Frey proved why he is such a major contributor to Orient's success as he not only parried Dodd's penalty kick, but tipped his follow-up shot over the bar to preserve the clean sheet. The miss seemed to take the life out of the Leicester squad and Orient clinched the match when Etherington's pass put David Poole away and he made nice unselfish lay off for Oliver Lorenzen (on for slightly injured Turner) to easily smash into the left side of the net as he scored on his debut and cap off the 2-0 win.

[Faramir]

27.8.11

Leyton Orient (2) WBA (1)

Orient- D.Arrieta 76 S.Malbranque 90

WBA- J.Koumas 73

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient was forced to fight back after falling behind midway through the second half and managed to snatch a last moment victory when they scored the match winner in second half extra time to please their record crowd as they celebrated the completion of the addition of new seating. It should have been evident to Orient from the outset that it would take work to beat the visitors. Orient hit the post twice in the first two minutes of play and missed over the net twice more on excellent chances after that. WBA was content to take advantage of set piece situations and Jason Roberts skimmed the bar with a header midway through the first half. Russell Howarth was doing yeoman work for WBA as he parried away several good opportunities for Orient. It was exceedingly frustrating for Orient to maintain the pressure they had in the match, and then fall behind. WBA took the lead with hard work following a throw in. Neil Clement went hard into the left corner and was able to send the ball out to Jason Koumas beyond the area. Koumas and Tiberiu Ghioane worked a pretty 1-2 passing sequence that saw Jan Kristiansen left without backline support as Koumas took the return pass and drilled it past Sebastien Frey inside the left post. Orient quickly rallied as a flick on by Davide Vanni (on for a tiring David Poole) allowed Danilo Arrieta to take the ball past Thomas Gaardsoe. Arrieta, who had been stopped in a similar one-on-one with Howarth minutes earlier, made no mistakes this time slotting the ball home into the left side of the net for his 50th goal at Orient. Orient struck for the match winner just after regulation time stretched into injury time. Kristiansen picked out Vanni with a good pass and Vanni's quick move allowed him to fire a low shot. Howarth managed to get a hand on the ball, but Steed Malbranque (on for Adam Roberts) overpowered young Chris Campbell and knocked the rebound home to send the Brisbane Road crowd happy with another win.

[Faramir]

"Are you sure we want to do that?" asked Field.

"I think we have to- he plainly told me that he would like to move to another club because he isn't starting regularly here. I think he is a solid defender, but he hasn't proven to me more deserving of a regular role than the rotation we have used. Besides, we are paying him top wages and it would give us more room to seek another replacement," replied Drabek.

Orient Transfer Lists Huth

Leyton Orient today announced the transfer listing of German defender Robert Huth. Huth had been expecting to be annointed as a starter this season and apparently unsatisfied with not being used as such demanded to be allowed to move on. Orient manager Will Drabek accommodated this request by placing him on the transfer list.

Manchester United Seeking Fox?

Whispered rumours from those in the know at the Orient camp indicate that Manchester United has made a firm transfer offer for midfielder David Fox. Fox, who is on the transfer list at his request, had indicated that he would like a new challenge and may be very interested in moving to ManU to try and help them improve their fortunes. There was no confirmation of the rumour from Orient manager Will Drabek and Fox's agent didn't return calls to the press.

***

Huth Hustles to Stuttgart at Deadline

Unhappy Leyton Orient defender Robert Huth will move to Vfb Stuttgart after accepting their contract offer out of the several clubs that had transfer bids accepted by Orient. The reported transfer price will be Huth's rated 4.4 Million, but will reportedly be in payments spread out over the next two years. Huth was pleased to be moving back to Germany with a guaranteed starting role. The sale also seems to confirm the committment to the development of Mark Harding as part of the Orient backline rotation.

[Faramir]

2.9.11

Leyton Orient (0) Inter (1) European Super Cup- Stade Louis II

Orient- None

Inter- A.Recoba 50

MOM- Alvaro Recoba, Inter

Inter provided all the answers as they managed to edge Leyton Orient 1-0 to capture the European Super Cup. Inter completely blunted the Orient tandem of David Poole and Wayne Rooney up front while also blanketing the Orient midfield. Orient had the best of play early in the match and Stipe Pletikosa was called on for a couple good saves early on. Inter came close when Alvaro Recoba burst through the backline down the left side, but his shot drifted just wide of the right post. Inter took the lead in the opening moments of the second half as Andy van der Meyde rocketed down the right side and then made a smart cross that Recoba was able to deflect past Sebastien Frey. Frey was called on to preserve that margin minutes later when he made a brilliant save on Alessandro Palmieri. Orient could not get much offensive cohesion and their last good scoring chance was when surprise starter Jason Reynolds ripped a shot that sailed over the net from a sharp angle. The loss meant Orient failed to defend the Cup that they had won last season when they defeated Roma.

[Faramir]

7.9.11

Everton (1) Leyton Orient (1)

Everton- T.Atieno 3

Orient- D.Fox 42

MOM- Richard Wright, Everton

Richard Wright demonstrated why he remains England's Keeper with a superlative performance against Leyton Orient as the home side managed to hold on for a 1-1 draw. Everton struck for the early lead when young Ben Hutchinson fell down and allowed Everton to get an odd man attack at the net. Sebastien Frey parried a close in blast from James McFadden, but Taiwo Atieno pounced on the rebound and drove it into the right side of the net. Wright showed his magic in both the first and second halves, but wasn't quick enough to keep Orient off the board. Barry Brennan was redcarded for pulling down David Fox in the area and David Poole stepped up to take the penalty. Poole drilled his kick past Wright- but it bounced back off the post. Fox was quickest to the rebound and fired it past the diving Wright to the left side of the net. With the lead and a man advantage Orient tried hard to put Everton away, but Wright wouldn't allow his club to fall behind with sensational acrobatic saves against Wayne Rooney, Danny Byrne and Jan Kristiansen in keeping the 1-1 draw as the two clubs split the points from ""the match.

***

"I don't know what it is, but David (Poole) and Wayne (Rooney) seem to be in a slump lately," observed Field.

Drabek nodded his agreement, "It could be all the feelings about letting Fox go if we get a bid, but you're right- they haven't been all that sharp around the area in the last few matches."

"Interesting grouping we got in the Champions Cup."

"It doesn't seem as bad as some we have had- Austria Vienna and Dinamo Kiev appear to be clubs we should do well against. Lazio is bound to be difficult though."

[Faramir]

Skybet 2011-12 Champions Cup Odds

FC Bayern Munich 5-1

Deportivo 6-1

Real Madrid 15-2

Arsenal 8-1

Milan 8-1

Juventus 11-1

Leyton Orient 11-1

***

ENGLAND

10.9.11

England (4) Faroe Islands (0) European Champions Qualifying Group 3

England- D.Poole 14 M.Etherington 16 L.Croft 60 M.Owen 71

Faroe Islands- None

MOM- Lee Croft, England

England turned in a splendid performance as they easily rolled over visiting Faroe Islands in a convincing 4-0 win. The margin of victory could have easily been greater, but for the unkind posts and crossbars behind Faroe keeper Jan Jacobsen. The match started with a standing ovation from the huge- but not sold out- Wembley crowd as 36 year old David Beckham came out for introductions in the starting lineup. Beckham, who hadn't appeared on the National side in over two years, was the injury replacement for Joe Cole who was hurt two days before the match. Few thought Beckham would make more than a token appearance, but he was pushed into the starting lineup and played a solid match. England took command of the match with a double hammer blow early in the first half. Leyton Orient strike partners David Poole and Wayne Rooney showed their affinity for each other's play by working a dazzling passing sequence that ended with a textbook cross that Poole was able to leap and deflect into the right side of the net. Less than two minutes later Matthew Etherington caught Jacobsen leaning the wrong way looking for a cross when instead Etherington let go with a blistering blast that sailed past the off balance keeper. England kept Faroe from having any say in the play of the match with superior tackling and passing. Lee Croft and Michael Owen added another spark to the home side when they replaced David Fox and David Poole fairly early in the second half. Owen made a scorching right side run before his sharp cross to Croft was headed by Croft into the net to make it 3-0 England. Owen then finished off the scoring for the match as he took advantage of a nice pass from Lee Sims and rapped a rebound past Jacobsen after Jacobsen stopped his initial shot. When the match concluded there was another standing ovation for Beckham as many sensed that this would be the venerable wingers final appearance for England at Wembley. The other Group match saw Croatia dump Georgia 2-0 in Varazdin to move back within a point of Georgia for 2nd place in the Group.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

Iceland (2) England (1) European Champions Qualifying Group 3

Iceland- O.Oskarsson 9 H.Helguson 90

England- M.Owen 12

MOM- Heidar Helguson, Iceland

In a dramatic ending, the Iceland snatched a last moment win to keep their hopes of finishing 2nd in Group 3 alive. England controlled much of the match, but the determined Icelandic side kept them from taking full advantage of their chances. England featured a lineup with few of their regular starters as the match meant nothing to England but everything to Iceland. Iceland took advantage of Michael Dawson's (2nd Cap) relative inexperience as Eidur Gudjohnsen crossed to Orri Freyr Oskarsson for a simple volley winner past Christopher Kirkland as Dawson hadn't marked him closely enough in the area. England wasted little time answering as a deft header from Jermaine Jenas gave Michael Owen room in the area and he smashed a shot past Gudmundur Eiriksson. England pressured Iceland, but Eiriksson and the backline refused to crack. Iceland stole the win in second half extra time when Gretar Rafn Steinsson made a picture perfect pass to Heidar Helguson. Helguson had a step on Dawson and Dawson couldn't catch him as he moved into the area and beat Kirkland cleanly inside the left post for a dramatic match winner that sent the Rejkyvik crowd into a frenzy. The win kept Iceland within 2 points of Croatia as Croatia took over 2nd place in the Group with a 2-0 win over Faroe Islands.

[uskopite]

I just wanted to comment on your match descriptions. I'm sure other people have made the same comments at some point:

They are outstanding -- short, succinct, yet descriptive and entertaining -- such a hard balance to strike and you seem to get it spot on everytime.

I'm thinking of going into a more abbreviated format myself (just thinking, not going there yet), and yours would serve as inspiration to that.

KUTGW -- always

[Faramir]

uskopite- Thanks Glad you enjoy the shorter approach. Most everyone here plays the game so much that I would hate to drag them out too long- most can picture the highlights that I offer from the match.

***

17.9.11

Leyton Orient (3) Arsenal (0)

Orient- D.Poole 4-P,38 S.Malbranque 74

Arsenal- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

An early season televised showdown brought out the best in Leyton Orient as they took full advantage of Arsenal mistakes enroute to a 3-0 win at Brisbane Road. Arsenal got off to a nightmarish start and Christopher Kirkland was forced to push Wayne Rooney in the air on a corner, resulting in David Poole converting the penalty kick to give Orient a quick lead. Carl Laurie keyed the second goal with a lofted pass to Daniel Fredheim Holm on the left side. Fredheim Holm's looping cross was just right for Poole to slip between Philippe Senderos and Ashley Cole to head past Kirkland for his 2nd goal of the match. Steed Malbranque, on for a tiring David Fox, clinched the match for Orient with what may be one of the finest goals in Orient history. Malbranque took a header from Jan Evrard just inside the Orient end and then dribbled past Kieron Dyer in the wide open center portion of the midfield. Malbranque continued to press down the center and then cracked a 35 yard slightly swerving shot that caught the inside of the left post and bounced in past a stunned Kirkland. Sebastien Frey earned his clean sheet as he stopped both Thierry Henry and James Graham in one-on-one situations in the waning minutes of the match to preserve the 3-0 margin.

[Faramir]

20.9.11

Austria Vienna (0) Leyton Orient (1) Champions Cup 1st phase Group C

Austria Vienna- None

Orient- D.Poole 45

MOM- Daniel Fredheim Holm, Leyton Orient

Orient opened their campaign for their 3rd consecutive Champions Cup with a strong, efficient 1-0 win over a stubborn Austria Vienna side. Orient held sway over the play in much of the match, but backed by Australian National keeper Joe Didiluca, the home side kept firmly defending and keeping Orient from scoring. The lone goal of the match came when Danny Byrne scooped up a loose ball in the center of the pitch at midfield and took the ball straight down the pitch. Byrne showed superb vision when he picked out David Poole breaking free of his coverage on the right side and Byrne made a nice chip pass to Poole. Poole struck a booming shot that Didiluca was able to get his hands on, but couldn't keep out of the net to give Orient the lead at halftime. Orient kept up the pressure in the second half, but Sebastien Frey was also forced to come up with a pair of key saves on Vienna counterattacks in the late stages of the match to preserve the win. In the other Group C match, Dinamo Kiev stunned Lazio 2-0 in Kiev.

[Faramir]

24.9.11

Chelsea (1) Leyton Orient (2)

Chelsea- S.Moore 15

Orient- A.Roberts 54,56

MOM- Stefan Moore, Chelsea

It was a wave of Blue attackers throughout the match, but Orient made the most of a ten minute stretch when they managed all of their 4 shots they had for the match to edge the home side 2-1. Orient played very disorganized in the first half and gave away the lead early on. Orri Freyr Oskarsson made an ill-advised attempt to dribble out of the Orient area and Stefan Moore took the ball away from him. Moore moved cleanly into the area as Lee Sims and Ben Hutchinson were too far away to reach him in time and rifled a shot past Sebastien Frey. Chelsea spent the rest of the first half pressuring Orient's backline, but were unable to get another goal past Frey. Orient showed signs of life early in the second half and then played a 10 minute spurt of effective football. David Poole made a terrific flick on of a long free kick from Lee Sims. Poole's header went over Simone Padoin and John Terry and found Adam Roberts in front of the net. Roberts made no mistake, scoring his 1st senior goal, as he drove midlevel shot past Marcos into the right side of the net. Less than two minutes later Matthew Etherington whipped in a sizzling cross that found Roberts with enough space to half volley past Marcos for his 2nd goal of the match. Poole came close to moving the margin to 3-1 when a nice pass from Stephen Pearson put him in free, but Marcos got a hand on the ball and then Terry made a desperate sliding clear away of the ball on the goal line before Wayne Rooney could push it in. Following those few minutes Orient was again pinned back in their end by the determined home side. Moore had another great chance all alone in front, but missed over the net to his dismay. A nice passing sequence also put Mateja Kezman in free on Frey, but his shot was inches wide of the right post to the anguished groan of the Stamford Bridge crowd. The final whistle found Orient had hung on for the undeserved, but welcome 2-1 road win.

"Our backline spent most of the match scrambling," sighed Field.

"Steven Taylor was out of sync with Ben Hutchinson in the middle, but I guess I should have expected that- they haven't really practiced together all that much. We need to change that though with Huth gone- because that pairing will be playing together more," observed Drabek.

"It might be that Steven is unaccustomed to playing on the left side. I haven't really had him practicing that much there, at least before we sold Huth..."

"Better give him a lot of time there then, because that is one spot he will get to play. I don't want to move Ben over there- he is just starting to get comfortable on the right side. Until Bramble and Evrard get healthy- our rotation will be Hutchinson- Taylor- Harding."

[Faramir]

1.10.11

Leeds (1) Leyton Orient (0)

Leeds- Al.Smith 79

Orient- None

MOM- Paul Robinson, Leeds

Leeds hadn't had many highlights so far this season, but Paul Robinson provided a big one as he managed to keep a clean sheet and Leeds upset Leyton Orient 1-0 at Elland Road. Orient dominated the play for much of the match, but weren't able to really get any close-in chances in the first half thanks to yeoman work by the Leeds backline. Orient featured a lineup sprinkled many changes from the Chelsea match, as Manager Drabek apparently was resting many players in advance of their key Dinamo Kiev Champions Cup match. Oliver Lorenzen came closest to scoring for Orient in the first half, but his shot sailed over the bar. In the opening moments of the second half Orient put furious pressure on Leeds and Jan Kristiansen missed a wide open net when his volley went high. Leeds grabbed the only goal of the match when Alan Smith showed exquisite timing as he volleyed a long free kick from J'Loyd Samuel past James Hicks. Leeds had to survive another stifling rally attempt and Adam Roberts came close to evening the match twice. His first chance sailed just past the left post and then Robinson made a beautiful smother of his low shot in a one-on-one chance. The loss was the first for Orient this season.

[Faramir]

5.10.11

Leyton Orient (2) Dinamo Kiev (0) Champions Cup 1st Phase Group C

Orient- S.Pearson 52 D.Poole 64-P

Dinamo Kiev- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient proved themselves very resourceful as they were outplayed at home by an impressive Dinamo Kiev squad but managed to dump their visitors 2-0. A portion of the reason for the win can be laid at the feet of Kiev's strike corps as they weren't very accurate in their shooting- especially their big gun Roberto Nanni. Orient wasn't effecitive on offense, but took full advantage of a couple of chances. Orient worked a deep throw-in to perfection as Lee Sims made the short toss to Danny Byrne. Byrne chipped it back just outside the area and Stephen Pearson swooped in to smash a 25 yard blast past Olexandr Shovkovskiy for his 1st goal of the season. A corner set up the 2nd Orient marker as Daniel Fredheim Holm curled an inswinger to the near post. Jan Evrard was pushed out of the way by Goran Gavrancic and the referee immediately awarded the penalty. David Poole easily converted the penalty for his 5th goal of the season. With the 2-0 lead, Orient could afford to play conservatively and they forced Kiev into a series of long shots that never really tested Sebastien Frey in finishing out the 2-0 win. Lazio dumped Austria Vienna 2-0 in Rome in the other Group C match.

[Faramir]

8.10.11

Leyton Orient (6) Coventry (0)

Orient- D.Poole 22-P,38,44 D.Arrieta 60,77 S.Lee 90-P

Coventry- None

MOM- Steve Lee, Leyton Orient

It is rare when a player who scores a hat-trick doesn't wind up as MOM, but such was the case today as Steve Lee provided a glorious performance in his Orient debut to earn the honours. Coventry was in trouble with the referee from the opening whistle and found themselves with huge problems as hot-tempered David Thompson earned his 2nd yellow card at 16 minutes. The visitors were already having difficulty coping with Orient and the extra space wasn't what they needed. Orient took advantage and Lee's deft pass forced Ryan Holman to haul down Wayne Rooney in the area. David Poole converted the penalty kick and Orient was off to the races. Lee's pass keyed Poole's 2nd goal of the match as well when he fired a 30 yard pass that Poole waited to hit the ground before half volleying past Owain Fon Williams. A corner worked to great advantage as Orient closed out the half with Poole finishing off his hat-trick. Lee slipped a pass to Wayne Routledge on the right side and Routledge sent a sharp cross that Poole had no difficulty deflecting into the left side of the net. Poole received a standing ovation when he came out of the match in the second half and Danilo Arrieta took immediate advantage of his opportunity as he deflected a well placed cross from Steed Malbranque past Williams to make it 4-0. Wayne Rooney's centering pass for Arrieta was just long, but Philip Lahm made a huge mistake by knocking it down as an alert Arrieta slid and hooked the ball into the net for his 2nd goal of the match and 5th of the season. When Ben Hutchinson was knocked down in the area on a Malbranque corner kick, everyone expected Wayne Rooney to step up and take the penalty. Instead Rooney showed a wonderful display of sportsmanship and motioned the deserving Lee up to the mark. Lee calmly struck the penalty into the right side of the net to cap off an exceptional debut with a goal.

"I hadn't realized what a good passer Steve (Lee) was," commented Field.

"Neither had I. I thought he would fit more as cover for Pearson, but with our left wingers out- was glad I gave him a try out there."

"He was pretty winded at the end of the match."

"His stamina and strength aren't all that great, but he gave us a superb effort and I didn't want to take him out. That was very nice of Wayne to allow him the penalty kick at the end."

"One of the reasons Wayne and David Poole are the two most popular players on the club."

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

15.10.11

England (3) Kuwait (0) Friendly

England- D.Fox 16,42,45

Kuwait- None

MOM- David Fox, England

After scoring only 2 goals in his first 27 Caps, David Fox bettered that total in one match as he led England to an easy 3-0 win over Kuwait at Wembley. England featured several players earning their first Caps- Adam Smith, Phil Jagielka, Tom Williamson and Kevin Nolan- and it was Nolan's excellent pass that found Fox free in the area. Fox whipped the ball into the left side of the net past Abdul Fattah Al-Dosari to give England a quick lead. Wayne Rooney's strong work on the left sideline helped set up the next goal. Rooney outmuscled two Kuwaiti defenders and slotted the ball into the middle where Fox raced in to pick it up. Fox then took it around a diving Al-Dosari on the dribble for his 2nd goal of the match. Nolan then made another superb pass that Fox was first too- and Fox chipped it over the onrushing Al-Dosari to finish his hat-trick with his 5th International goal. The second half was more England pressure, but no more goals as the Kuwait club played much stauncher defense in helping Al-Dosari.

[Faramir]

22.10.11

Middlesbrough (0) Leyton Orient (3)

Middlesbrough- None

Orient- D.Vanni 2 J.Torhallsson 80 M.Harding 89

MOM- Mark Harding, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient played their 2nd unit today and a trio of first time scorers led them to a 3-0 road win. It was off on a flyer for Orient when Johann Torhallsson showed a flash of the ability that continues to make him an Orient favorite. Torhallsson's excellent pass allowed Davide Vanni to challenge and score past Martin Krvianek inside the near right post for his 1st goal of the season. The match remained a see-saw one with Sebastien Frey called on for several solid saves to keep Middlesbrough from equalizing. After being stopped once by Krivanek, Torhallsson wouldn't be denied the second time and his shot trickled through Krivanek for Torhallsson's 1st goal of the season. Mark Harding added a strong header on a late corner to cement his selection as MOM and finish out a strong 3-0 win.

[Faramir]

26.10.11

Lazio (1) Leyton Orient (1) Champions Cup 1st Phase Group C

Lazio- A.Bindi 67

Orient- D.Poole 35

MOM- David Fox, Leyton Orient

An innocent looking play that blew up in Orient's face was the cause of their 1-1 draw against Lazio in Rome. Orient looked much the sharper club and David Fox showed excellent vision in picking out David Poole camped at the corner of the six yard box. Cristiano Lupatelli blocked Poole's initial blast, but he fired the rebound past Lupatelli to put Orient in front. Lazio was having trouble making anything work in Orient's defensive coverage, but when Lee Sims challenged too far up the pitch they were quick to take advantage of it. Francesco Maggi's 30 yard blast was easily blocked away by Sebastien Frey, but his failure to control the rebound was costly when Alberto Bindi beat him to the ball and slid it under him for a stunning equalizer. Orient missed a great chance to take the lead when Lupatelli was able to smother another hard blast from Poole in the late stages. Dinamon Kiev thumped Austria Vienna 2-0 in Kiev to move back within a point of Orient for the top spot in Group C.

[Faramir]

29.10.11

"I can't believe the amount of grousing and griping going on," darkly muttered Spencer Field.

"Some of it is understandable, what with players not seeing the playing time they want," calmly answered Drabek.

"Maybe so, but with the kind of club we have been and the fact that they should know they will get a chance to play- I am disappointed."

"To a certain extent I am too. Ben Hutchinson came to me this morning and wanted to be transfer listed."

"Ben? With the exception of the Champs Cup matches, you have made him the starter. Why does he want that?"

"I don't know. Past grudges about having had to earn his dues on the reserve side? Still, we are getting to the boiling point on some of these players and I am tempted to just let them walk and find new replacements. We have a solid core that aren't unhappy, so I am not worrying overly much about the issue yet- but it is bound to be a nuisance the remainder of the season."

[Faramir]

2.11.11

Leyton Orient (0) Manchester City (2) League Cup 3rd round

Orient- None

Manchester City- Yakubu 71,90

MOM- Simon Kelly, Manchester City

It mattered little to Manchester City that they had been outshot 17-3 and outplayed by Orient for much of the match. What mattered was that the scoreboard told the tale of their 2-0 win that broomed Orient from the League Cup in front of a packed house at Brisbane Road. Manchester City keeper Simon Kelly had a terrific match as his acrobatic stylings denied Orient time and again. Orient winged crosses in left and right, but David Poole and Wayne Rooney had no luck getting them past the 23 year old GK. The catalyst for Manchester City was 17 year old Richard Watkins, who had come on for Giuseppe Sculli. Watkins created havoc in the Orient backline with his blazing runs and he sent two nicely timed crosses that Yakubu was able to convert for two goals. It was a disappointing effort for the Orient backline as they were knocked out of League Cup play by last season's runners-up.

[Faramir]

5.11.11

Leyton Orient (0) Blackburn (1)

Orient- None

Blackburn- D.Braathen 73

MOM- Tommy Lee, Blackburn

Tommy Lee gained a measure of revenge on his past club as he played a superb match and earned MOM honours in leading Blackburn to a 1-0 win over Orient at Brisbane Road. Orient, playing with many of their 1st line resting for the midweek tilt against Lazio, still poured the pressure on the visitors in the first half. Jason Reynolds came close but hit the outside of the far left post and Lee made dazzling saves against John Turner, Adam Roberts and Orri Freyr Oskarsson to keep things even at 0-0 going to the dressing rooms. Orient started the second half determined to score and again Lee was called on for several superb saves to keep the home side from gaining the lead. Blackburn took advantage of a corner when Daniel Braathen slipped away from Ben Hutchinson to drive home a rebound after Nigel Vaughan parried Giampaolo Pazzini's strong header. Trailing, Orient tried to rally but couldn't find a way to solve Lee and were left with their 2nd consecutive loss at Brisbane Road.

[Faramir]

8.11.11

Leyton Orient (1) Lazio (0) Champions Cup 1st Phase Group C

Orient- D.Poole 90-P

Lazio- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Unbelievably, it looked like Orient was on their way to their 3rd straight match at Brisbane Road without scoring. Lazio's Cristiano Lupatelli had answered every call for the visitors and the Orient attackers were left shaking their head in continual frustration. Lazio had played solidly in the first half as they battled their way to a scoreless halftime. They had challenged Sebastien Frey a few times too, but he had blocked or smothered their attempts. Orient took control at the start of the second half and had applied great pressure in the Lazio zone. Despite the pressure they still couldn't score as Lupatelli and their poor shooting victimized them. When Orri Freyr Oskarsson's strong half-volley was tipped over the bar it seemed like the last chance for Orient. An excellent corner changed that as Lupatelli was called on for another terrific save on Jan Evrard's deflection. Francesco Coco was forced to grab David Poole's shirt to keep him from reaching the rebound and the referee immediately whistled for a penalty. Poole converted the penalty for his 10th goal of the season and Orient finally broke their home scoreless string to grab the 1-0 win. Orient remained atop Group C, 1 point ahead of Dinamo Kiev, as the Ukranian side edged Austria Vienna 1-0 in Vienna.

[Faramir]

12.11.11

Southampton (3) Leyton Orient (0)

Southampton- D.Carter 7 C.Cole 14 T.Thorpe 37

Orient- None

MOM- Tom Thorpe, Southampton

The mood of the crowd as St.Mary's Stadium was raucous as their side stormed to an easy 3-0 win over struggling Orient. Southampton struck early and often beginning with Darren Carter's curving 30 yard blast that sailed past a flat footed Sebastien Frey. Minutes later, Carlton Cole was given room to romp by the Orient backline and he made a superbly placed 20 yard chip over Frey to put the home side up 2-0. Orient tried to rally, but instead fell behind 3-0 when Tom Thorpe outleaped Ben Hutchinson and deflected a corner from Steven Cherundolo by Frey. The Orient offense was dragged down by a decidly subpar effort from Wayne Rooney. Even when Orient passing put Rooney in with good chances, he seemed indecisive and wasn't a factor. Orient played a bit better in the second half, but Robert Green wanted the clean sheet and put up a good effort to earn it. The 3-0 loss pulls Southampton up with the top contending clubs and left Orient dropping from 1st to 4th spot in the jumble of clubs atop the EPL.

"I don't know what is wrong, but today was certainly the worst match we have played in the last couple seasons," stated a grim faced Drabek.

"Nothing worked well today. We just didn't get anything going- not our defensive pressure, not our passing, not our counter attacking," agreed Field.

"Wayne (Rooney) was completely lost out there today. I would have taken him out, but with all the nicks we had by then- I thought I might as well just leave him."

"Time to right the ship here- this last month hasn't been a pretty one. If we play a good match, something keeps us at bay. If we play a poor match like today, then the opposition takes full advantage."

[Faramir]

16.11.11

Leyton Orient (2) Millwall (1)

Orient- O.Oskarsson 5 O.Lorenzen 14

Millwall- S.Johnson 64

MOM- Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Leyton Orient

It was apparent from the starting lineup that Orient manager Will Drabek was none too pleased with the effort in their last match, as then entire starting unit from that match wasn't dressed. Despite playing with their 2nd unit, Orient played a strong, controlled match and held on for the 2-1 win. Orient struck early for their goals. It is difficult to fathom that Orri Freyr Oskarsson had not scored coming into the match, but that was the case when he finally got his 1st goal of the season. Oskarsson banged in a rebound after Nicky Weaver stopped his initial shot. Orient moved the lead to 2-0 when Oliver Lorenzen scored his 1st goal for Orient. Johann Torhallsson set Lorenzen up nicely when he saw him standing unmarked just outside the six-yard box and Lorenzen's shot overpowered Weaver. Weaver shut the gates after the two goals and kept the visitors in the match. Millwall drew one back in the second half when Simon Johnson smashed a low shot past James Hicks after his initial shot carommed back off the crossbar. Hicks was called on for a game saving sequence shortly after when he stopped Mark Quigley's initial shot, then Johnson's rebound shot and finally the backline cleared the ball away after Hicks stopped Quigley's rebound shot. Orient closed with a better defensive performance after that allowed them to stave off any further rallies in the 2-1 win.

[Faramir]

16.11.11

Leyton Orient (2) Millwall (1)

Orient- O.Oskarsson 5 O.Lorenzen 14

Millwall- S.Johnson 64

MOM- Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Leyton Orient

It was apparent from the starting lineup that Orient manager Will Drabek was none too pleased with the effort in their last match, as then entire starting unit from that match wasn't dressed. Despite playing with their 2nd unit, Orient played a strong, controlled match and held on for the 2-1 win. Orient struck early for their goals. It is difficult to fathom that Orri Freyr Oskarsson had not scored coming into the match, but that was the case when he finally got his 1st goal of the season. Oskarsson banged in a rebound after Nicky Weaver stopped his initial shot. Orient moved the lead to 2-0 when Oliver Lorenzen scored his 1st goal for Orient. Johann Torhallsson set Lorenzen up nicely when he saw him standing unmarked just outside the six-yard box and Lorenzen's shot overpowered Weaver. Weaver shut the gates after the two goals and kept the visitors in the match. Millwall drew one back in the second half when Simon Johnson smashed a low shot past James Hicks after his initial shot carommed back off the crossbar. Hicks was called on for a game saving sequence shortly after when he stopped Mark Quigley's initial shot, then Johnson's rebound shot and finally the backline cleared the ball away after Hicks stopped Quigley's rebound shot. Orient closed with a better defensive performance after that allowed them to stave off any further rallies in the 2-1 win.

[Faramir]

26.11.11

Wolves (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Wolves- M.Harper 50

Orient- D.Poole 17,22 S.Malbranque 83

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient looked much more on top of their form as they played almost the entire 2nd half with only 10 men and were still able to pull off a 3-1 road win. David Poole was back on the mark up front for Orient today. David Fox showed good vision in zipping a short pass that allowed Poole to split Chris Palmer and Stuart Roach on the dribble before rocketing a shot past Conejo Perez into the right side of the net for his 200th league goal for Leyton Orient. After Danny Byrne's header forward of a clearing kick, Poole and Fox played a tricky one-two passing combination that allowed Poole to rifle the ball into the right side of the net for his 2nd goal and a 2-0 halftime lead. The second half started poorly for Orient as Jan Evrard earned a redcard for pushing David Rose in the area. Surprisingly Rose's kick back at Evrard earned no foul. Sebastien Frey made a nice save on Mark Harper's penalty kick, but Harper was quickest to the rebound and slipped it past Frey to draw a goal back for the Wolves. Down to 10 men, Orient played a scrappy, scrambling defense and relied on Frey to keep them in the lead. Steed Malbranque, on for a tiring Fox, helped the Orient peace of mind when he boomed in a 25 yard free kick in the later stages to make the final scoreline 3-1 for Orient.

"I have little hope it will help, but I did appeal the ban on Evrard," stated Drabek.

"Not likely that they won't suspend him, but maybe the appeal will keep the length down a bit."

"That was my hope. I still can't believe Rose was never even warned on his kick back at Evrard."

[Faramir]

30.11.11

Leyton Orient (4) Austria Vienna (0) Champions Cup 1st Phase Group C

Orient- D.Poole 4,20,26 W.Rooney 65

Austria Vienna- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Led by David Poole, Orient marched to a convincing 4-0 win over Austria Vienna at Brisbane Road. The win clinches both Orient's moving on to the 2nd phase and also their top placement in Group C. Poole was too much for the Austria Vienna backline to handle. He started the scoring when Joe Didulica blocked a long range blast from David Fox, but the rebound was snapped into the net by Poole to send Orient off on a flyer. Wayne Rooney set Poole up nicely for goal number 2 as he found Poole had slipped away from Neto's marking just beyond the six yard box and Poole had an easy time firing a crisp shot into the left side of the net. David Fox made a lovely through ball that found Poole moving past the backline and he found the small space between Didulica and the right post with his hard, accurate shot to complete his hat-trick with his 15th goal of the season. The only goal of the second half came when Wayne Rooney was in the right spot to tap home a rebound after Didulica managed to get a hand on a sizzling shot from Stephen Pearson. Amazingly, this was Rooney's 1st goal of the season for Orient. The 4-0 win, coupled with Lazio's 1-0 win over Dinamo Kiev in Rome, ensures Orient will finish with the top spot in Group C.

***

EPL November Honours

Player of the Month- Adriano, Arsenal

Young Player of the Month- Kevin Ryan, Blackburn

Manager of the Month- Arsene Wegner, Arsenal

Goal of the Month- Darren Carter, Southampton (vs. Orient)

EPL Standings 1-12-11 (13 matches)

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1. Blackburn 30 pts (+14)

2. Arsenal 29 pts (+17)

3. Leyton Orient 28 pts (+17)

4. Tottenham 25 pts (+14)

5. Newcastle 25 pts (+8)

6. Manchester Utd 23 pts (+8)

7. Sheffield Wed 22 pts (+2)

8. Southampton 21 pts (+4)

9. Bolton 19 pts (-1)

10.Millwall 18 pts (0)

Others-

15.Chelsea 13 pts (-3)

16.Liverpool 12 pts (-7)

</pre>

[Faramir]

30.11.11

Leyton Orient (4) Austria Vienna (0) Champions Cup 1st Phase Group C

Orient- D.Poole 4,20,26 W.Rooney 65

Austria Vienna- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Led by David Poole, Orient marched to a convincing 4-0 win over Austria Vienna at Brisbane Road. The win clinches both Orient's moving on to the 2nd phase and also their top placement in Group C. Poole was too much for the Austria Vienna backline to handle. He started the scoring when Joe Didulica blocked a long range blast from David Fox, but the rebound was snapped into the net by Poole to send Orient off on a flyer. Wayne Rooney set Poole up nicely for goal number 2 as he found Poole had slipped away from Neto's marking just beyond the six yard box and Poole had an easy time firing a crisp shot into the left side of the net. David Fox made a lovely through ball that found Poole moving past the backline and he found the small space between Didulica and the right post with his hard, accurate shot to complete his hat-trick with his 15th goal of the season. The only goal of the second half came when Wayne Rooney was in the right spot to tap home a rebound after Didulica managed to get a hand on a sizzling shot from Stephen Pearson. Amazingly, this was Rooney's 1st goal of the season for Orient. The 4-0 win, coupled with Lazio's 1-0 win over Dinamo Kiev in Rome, ensures Orient will finish with the top spot in Group C.

[Faramir]

3.12.11

Leyton Orient (2) Liverpool (0)

Orient- T.Bramble 50 D.Fox 56

Liverpool- None

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

Orient and Liverpool played a disorganized, boring first half of football as neither club could string any passes together. It was no surprise the match was scoreless at half and both managers were more than a little upset at the efforts of their respective sides. Orient seemed to take more heart from the halftime discussion as they managed a pair of goals in the early second half that proved to be the deciding margin in the 2-0 win. Titus Bramble gave Orient the lead when he deflected a corner from Joey Barton past Ross Flitney for his 1st goal of the season. David Fox scored a highlight reel goal for Orient's second marker. David Poole had the ball in the six yard box, but sent it back out to Fox beyond the area. Fox never stopped the ball, instead stepping up and letting rip a 30 yard blast that caught Flitney leaning the wrong way and unable to react as it sailed into the left side of the net. Orient was content to play defensively with the two-goal margin and their job became easier when Carl Medjani was redcarded for discussing a situation with the referee in slightly too vehement terms.

[Faramir]

9.12.11

Independiente (0) Leyton Orient (3) Inter-Continental Cup

Independiente- None

Orient- D.Poole 44,73 S.Malbranque 45

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient successfully defended their Inter-Continental Cup title as they won their 2nd straight in an 3-0 trouncing of Independiente. Independiente experienced first hand the smothering affections of the Orient midfield and backline coverage as they had extreme trouble moving out of their side of the pitch in the first half. Orient pressured and harried them, but wasn't able to take advantage as the Argentine side played staunch backline defense in support of good work by their keeper- Damian Albil. The heady play of MOM David Poole was the spark that finally roared into flame for Orient. Matias Villavicencio sent a short pass across to central defensive partner Rafael Olarra. As Olarra swung around with the ball, Poole pooched the ball away from him and broke into the area. Poole's quick move caught Albil offguard and he couldn't manage to put a hand on the ball as Poole drilled the ball into the right side of the net. While Independiente was still reeling, Orient earned a free kick when Cristian Tavio went in hard on Titus Bramble. Steed Malbranque, a surprise starter instead of David Fox in the Orient midfield, once again proved he was lethal on the free kicks by blasting a swerving 25 yard cannon shot past Albil to make it a 2-0 Orient lead heading to the dressing room. Independiente tried to rally in the second half, and though they showed more cohesion, they had a difficulty time managing anything but long shots at Sebastien Frey. Poole capped off another vintage effort as he and Johann Torhallsson demonstrated the kind of ESP passing they had shown in their early days by scoring the clinching goal midway through the second half. Poole's flick to Torhallsson, another surprise starter- as Wayne Rooney was expected to start, and Torhallsson immediately chipped it back to Poole. Poole had a half-step on Olarra and that was enough as he snapped a shot into the lower left corner past Albil for his 2nd goal of the match. Orient finished out the clean sheet for Frey with more pressure and then celebrated their consecutive Inter-Continental Cups with their fans that made the trip to Yokohama.

"It was great to win it again," sighed a happy, and slightly drunk Field.

"You know who I was most happy for? Johann (Torhallsson). He deserved this kind of limelight earlier in his career and it was great to give him a chance in this match," answered an also inebriated Drabek.

"David (Fox) is mad that he didn't start," warned Field.

"Steed has played better than David this year, he deserved the chance to shine today. If someone does step up and purchase Fox- I will likely hand the position to Steed."

"That won't make Adam (Roberts) happy."

"I have come to the considered conclusion that Adam is a showboat and is not going to be happy until he is the star of some club. That club likely won't be us, since we play too much of a team-style and have David Poole- so I think he will eventually get a new home as well."

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

European Championship Group of Death?

In what must be considered an unfortunate draw, England was placed in Group D with Germany, Italy and France. How such a lopsided loading of favored clubs came to be is something that the organizations must be called to account for, but realistically the path to the Championships for all 4 countries has become much more difficult. Group A contains Bulgaria, Turkey, Portugal and Romania. Group B includes Ireland, Spain, Belgium and the Czech Republic. Group C appears to be the weakest and features Austria, Holland, Serbia & Montenegro and Ukraine.

***

13.12.11

Dinamo Kiev (0) Leyton Orient (4) Champions Cup 1st phase Group C

Dinamo Kiev- None

Orient- D.Fox 1 M.Etherington 13 S.Pearson 76 D.Poole 90

MOM- David Fox, Leyton Orient

In a match that meant little to Orient, they still came out determined to demonstrate to Dinamo Kiev that they were the class of the Group and easily saw off the home side by a 4-0 margin. Orient was off on a flyer when David Fox exploited a seam in the defense and broke in from the edge of the area. Oleg Shovkovskiy's indecision was costly- when he finally made his move for the long dribble of Fox it was Fox who reached it first and slipped it past for a goal in the opening minute of play. Matthew Etherington took advantage of a slight deflection from Dinamo Kiev skipper Andry Nesmachnyi and the ball skittered past Shovkovskiy into the net for a 2-0 Orient lead. Orient put the match away later in the second half as Stephen Pearson deflected a corner from Jan Kristiansen past Shovkovskiy inside the right post. David Poole then capped the 4-0 win as he deflected a cross from Steve Lee past the beleagured Shovkovskiy. Dinamo Kiev was fortunate to finish 2nd as Austria Vienna scored their only win in Group play when they upset heavily favored Lazio to keep the Italian side from moving on in Cup play.

[Faramir]

Champions Cup 2nd Round Pairings Announced

Leyton Orient will face off with fellow EPL foe Chelsea in the 2nd round of the Champions Cup Competition. Also facing each other are EPL clubs Arsenal and Tottenham. Other pairings include: Dortmund vs Rosenborg; Dinamo Kiev vs Milan; FC Bayern vs Real Sociedad; Juventus vs Deportivo; FC Copenhagen vs Shakhtar; and PSV vs Inter.

***

17.12.11

Manchester United (2) Leyton Orient (0)

Manchester United- S.Tuncay 1 A.Pirlo 83-P

Orient- None

MOM- Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United

Orient fell heavily as they were dominated by Manchester United in a 2-0 loss at Old Trafford. Manchester United got off on a flyer when Sanli Tuncay victimized young Ben Hutchinson. Cristiano Ronaldo made a dazzling left side run off the opening whistle and crossed to Tuncay as Lee Sims closed down on him. Hutchinson left Tuncay with too much room and he had an easy time ripping a volley past Sebastien Frey to give them the quick 1-0 lead. Orient was kept in check throughout the first half by the pressure of the Manchester United defense and managed only 2 shots in the first half- both good chances by Wayne Rooney and both over the net. Richard Carr was called on to make a couple good saves early in the second half, but Manchester United was finally able to clinch the win when Danilo Arrieta was yellow carded for holding Andres D'Alessandro in the area and Andrea Pirlo converted the penalty kick past Frey to make the final score 2-0 in favor of the home side.

"We looked a bit on the pathetic side today," grumbled Field.

"I think we looked tired. It might have been better to have given a few more players rest against Dinamo Kiev," replied Drabek.

"That might have helped, but still- if we execute- we could have beaten them."

"True, but it's past now. We just need to lock that one away and get back on track in our next match."

[Faramir]

26.12.11

Leyton Orient (2) Newcastle (1)

Orient- W.Rooney 39 J.Reynolds 53

Newcastle- C.Bellamy 9

MOM- Jan Evrard, Leyton Orient

Orient put forth a very haphazard performance, but thanks to a spark from Jason Reynolds was able to edge Newcastle 2-1 in a closely played match. Newcastle took the lead early in the match when Orient's Steven Taylor made a poor choice and completely missed a tackle on Craig Bellamy. Bellamy had loads of time to walk in and blast away. James Hicks got a good portion of the ball on Bellamy's blast, but it trickled behind him to put the visitors in the early lead. Orient's play looked disorganized through the early stages and there was a lot of groans in the crowd when Steed Malbranque, nursing a minor leg injury, was replaced by Jason Reynolds. Those groans changed to cheers several minutes later when Reynolds, showing wonderful vision, managed a long flick-on of a clearing kick and that put Wayne Rooney away free. Rooney drove a shot past Shay Given to score his 1st EPL goal of the season for Orient. Orient took advantage of an early counterattack in the second half to gain the deciding goal. Reynolds again motored up the pitch and outpaced the Newcastle backline. Given tried to come out and smother Reynolds' long dribble, but they both reached the ball at the same time and Reynolds' sliding chip went over Given and into the net for the match winning goal. Orient had to survive a furious Newcastle rally and Bellamy almost notched the late equalizer as he volleyed a brilliant cross from Yildiray Basturk off the outside of the left post. Aruna had a dazzling run in the waning moments, but Jan Evrard capped a fine effort with a well timed tackle to keep Aruna from breaking free in the area as Orient held on for the 2-1 win.

"Oh, it's pretty easy to see why we aren't dominating this season," stated a tired Drabek. "Just look at the fact that Wayne scored his 2nd goal of the season today- that explains a lot."

"It's been a good thing David (Poole) has been having a great season. Otherwise, we wouldn't have enough scoring up front."

"I wish I could figure out why Wayne is in such a funk. He is getting good chances, but just not scoring."

"A slump? I don't know, but his practices are still fine- he has never quit working."

"That's why I keep putting him out there- I feel he is bound to break out in a big way during the season. He is too good to be like this all season."

[Faramir]

28.12.11

Sheffield Wednesday (4) Leyton Orient (2)

Sheffield Wednesday- C.Dagnall 7,56,65,87

Orient- O.Oskarsson 16,42

MOM- Chris Dagnall, Sheffield Wednesday

It has been awhile since Orient was torched this way by a single player, but Chris Dagnall's 4-goal performance led Sheffield Wednesday to a 4-2 comeback win at Hillsborough. Dagnall's 1st goal was a matter of being in the right place and overpowering Titus Bramble as he drove home the rebound after Nigel Vaughan made a superb save on Elliot Grandin's initial blast. Orient answered that when John Turner whipped a pass in that Orri Freyr Oskarsson half-volleyed to even things at 1-1. William Flood, making a surprise start, sent a pass into the area. Chris Warner lost track of the ball and that allowed Oskarsson to reach it first and snap it past Andreas Isaksson for his 2nd goal of the match and 50th at Orient for a 2-1 halftime lead. Dagnall was back at work early in the second half as he again overpowered Bramble and deflected a cross from Derek Geary past Vaughan. Geary was the architect again as Sheffield Wednesday grabbed the lead. His pass was nicely placed for Dagnall, and Dagnall shook off the attempted tackle by Chris Sutton before blistering a low shot past Vaughan to cap his hat-trick. When Ryan Garry was sent off with his 2nd yellow card at 80 minutes, Orient was in deep trouble. That extra space was enough for Dagnall to cap a career performance as he again headed a cross from Geary past Vaughan, with Sutton again futilely trying to mark him to finish off the impressive 4-2 win for Sheffield Wednesday.

"That was a sad performance," sighed Drabek.

"We certainly did a lousy job of keeping Dagnall under wraps- even after talking about how we needed to pay attention to him defensively in the second half."

"I was also disappointed in Nigel Vaughan's work in net. He had a chance to come up with the save on both the last two goals, and just didn't."