The Bet

[Faramir]

ntfc- Thanks That's about the highest praise you can offer a writer in here- that his story was good enough to read all the way through

***

22.8.12

Newcastle (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Newcastle- None

Orient- M.Morris 22 J.Turner 60

MOM- Matt Morris, Leyton Orient

Newcastle and Leyton Orient battled in a rough match that saw five players leave with minor and not-so-minor injuries as hard tackling was the rule today. Despite the injuries during the match and those already incurred, Orient continues to demonstrate their resiliancy and depth. It was Matt Morris stepping in to replace Steed Malbranque today and he gave Orient the first half lead with his 1st Senior goal. Oliver Lorenzen keyed the goal when he outleaped Aaron Hughes on the right sideline and flicked a header back to Morris. Morris, who was unmarked, raced down the middle and then fired a well placed shot past Shay Given into the left side of the net. Newcastle desperately tried to battle back, but could not get their potent trio of Michael Owen, Michael Chopra and Yildiray Basturk free from the smothering Orient defensive coverage. The few shots they managed were policed up by Sebastien Frey. Orri Freyr Oskarsson, on for the slightly injured Lorenzen, was the cog in the clinching goal for Orient. Oskarsson outraced Sean Downes and then sent a centering pass for John Turner. Turner proved elusive to Jonathan Woodgate as he slipped his marking long enough to slide and hook the ball into the net past Given. With the lead, Orient was content to show their defensive scheme could keep up with anything the home side could throw at them and Frey recorded another clean sheet in the 2-0 win.

"Excellent defensive work- all that shadow play in training paid off today," commented Drabek.

"It was good to see Matt get that goal, another really good play by Lorenzen to set him up to walk in like that," replied Field.

[Faramir]

"That is one way to solve the problem," grinned Field.

"Pretty nice addition to help solve it- if I say so myself," smiled Drabek.

"Fox" Hunt Returns to England

Leyton Orient appeared to address their loss of David Poole with today's announcement that they had completed the transfer purchase of 21 year old English SC Richard Hunt from Mallorca. The reported cost of the purchase was 9 Million for the talented youngster. Hunt has never appeared professionally in England, having signed directly with Mallorca as a 16 year old. He had just begun earning some regular playing time on their Senior side in the last two seasons and had wowed opponents with his flashes of talent. Hunt is still out with an injured shoulder so it may still be a few weeks before Orient can feature him, but all expectations are that he will see a starting role in the depleted Orient front line.

[Faramir]

25.8.12

Leyton Orient (3) Chelsea (0)

Orient- O.Lorenzen 15,81 J.Rowe 75

Chelsea- None

MOM- Oliver Lorenzen, Leyton Orient

Despite the transfer rumours swirling around Oliver Lorenzen, he keeps showing a level head and a scorer's touch as he led Orient to a 3-0 win over Chelsea at Brisbane Road. Lorenzen, in the last season of his contract and uncertain whether to re-sign with Orient, has been the subject of rumours taking him to Italy, back home to Germany, or to one of the other EPL sides. He managed to shrug off all the speculation and produced another MOM effort to back the Orient win. Danny Byrne was the architect of the first goal as he sent a beautiful curling pass right onto Lorenzen's foot as he broke cleanly into the area. Lorenzen then whistled a shot past Marcos into the left side of the net for the lead. Chelsea came close to equalizing several times in the first half. Joe Cole saw his rising blast tipped over the net by Frey and then Meteja Kezman and Mike Zonneveld both missed inches wide on excellent chances. Orient was still clinging to the 1-0 lead when James Rowe capped a stellar debut by deflecting a corner from Daniel Fredheim Holm past Marcos to score in his debut. Rowe then managed to flick on a free kick from Andrea Rossi and Lorenzen was a shade quicker to the ball than Simone Padoin as he snapped it past Marcos for his 2nd goal of the match to cap off the 3-0 win.

"I was very impressed with James Rowe's play in his debut," stated Drabek thoughtfully.

"We knew he had enough talent to make Inter's starting lineup. I assume he will see a bit more time for us now as well," replied Field.

Drabek grinned, "Likely so."

[Faramir]

Villa Lands Lorenzen

Aston Villa triumphantly announced their transfer purchase of young German starlet Oliver Lorenzen from Leyton Orient. The reported transfer price was 7.5 Million. Lorenzen, who was in the last season of his contract with Leyton Orient, was pleased to move to Villa and showed his appreciation by scoring in the first minute of play as he moved directly into the starting lineup against Middlesbrough. It wasn't enough though as David Bellion scored 4 goals against Villa to ruin the high-profile debut as they dumped Villa 5-3 at Villa Park.

"Well, until we get healthier- we are definitely short forwards," commented Field.

"I have clubs throwing them at me- for exorbitant prices," chuckled Drabek. "Let's see how quick we can get Richard Hunt healthy and contributing before we do anything. Worst case scenario is we use Orri Freyr Oskarsson up front too."

***

"Well, Championship Cup Group pairings are out," stated Drabek.

"Whose in our first round Group?"

"Rangers, Partizan and Rosenborg."

"Should be a competitive Group then- everyone will be gunning for us."

***

"He's good," offered Field in assessment.

"Scouts think so- and Inter, Juventus and Manchester U- that's good enough for me," replied Drabek.

Orient Purchases Hughes

Leyton Orient today announced the transfer purchase of promising 21 year old English GK Jason Hughes from Crewe Alexandra. Hughes was the subject of intense bidding from Orient, Manchester United and several other major European clubs. The speculation with the addition of Hughes is that Orient will dispose of Nigel Vaughan- who appears to be on the outs with Orient manager Will Drabek.

[Faramir]

31.8.12

Newcastle (1) Leyton Orient (0) European Super Cup

Newcastle- Y.Basturk 45

Orient- None

MOM- Yildiray Basturk, Newcastle

For the second season in a row, Leyton Orient lost in the European Super Cup. Last season it was a loss to Inter, this time Orient lost to fellow EPL Newcastle in a closely played 1-0 match. The lone goal in the match came when Titus Bramble slightly deflected a booming 30 yard blast from Yildiray Basturk and that was enough to catch Sebastien Frey moving the wrong way as the ball skittered into the net in first half injury time. Orient tried to rally and equalize in the second half, but found an inspired Shay Given making big saves on Jason Reynolds and Orri Freyr Oskarsson to preserve the 1-0 win.

Drabek slumped back, "I guess it is time to really consider whether Johann (Torhallsson) has it anymore. He played a truly awful (3) match today."

"If he had exerted himself, he could have been a factor. Instead he was a complete non-factor. It was disappointing to see, because you and I both know how well he can play."

"Well, even though I named him on the Champions Cup roster- I suspect he will only see reserve time now. I may have made a mistake in asking him not to retire."

"It didn't seem a mistake at the time- I thought he could give us one more good year too. He hasn't played a really good match though this season."

[Faramir]

5.9.12

Sheffield Wednesday (0) Leyton Orient (1)

Sheffield Wed- None

Orient- R.Hunt 82

MOM- Richard Hunt, Leyton Orient

Richard Hunt made a sensational debut in Orient colours as he scored a dazzling goal to lead Orient to a very closely played 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. The home side had controlled much of the first half of play and their fans were treated to a seemingly endless string of corners and throw-ins as the Orient defense scrambled to keep coverage in support of keeper James Hicks. Mark Harding cleared a ball off the line and Georgi Peev drilled a shot off the post that was cleared away by Ryan Garry as Wednesday poured the pressure on and Orient had trouble breaking the ball out of their end. Orient rallied at halftime and began playing with more composure. The key to Orient's win was when Orri Freyr Oskarsson and Jan Kristiansen subbed on and gave a spark to the offense. Hunt had been one of the few Orient players that were effective, but Wednesday was still doing a good job covering him. Oskarsson sparked the lone goal when he took a quick pass from Danilo Arrieta (who subbed on to play the right wing) and then slipped a pass between two defenders to Hunt. Hunt burst past Kristjan Gilbo and then was in on Andreas Isaksson before Leigh Bromby could get over to challenge him. Hunt whipped a low shot past Isaksson to cap his fine debut with the match winning goal.

"I can see why the comparisons are there for Richard (Hunt)," smiled Drabek.

"He certainly reminds me of a young Michael Owen- the blistering pace, the dribbling skills- he is better in the air than Michael though."

[Faramir]

8.9.12

ENGLAND

Wales (2) England (5) World Cup Qualifying Group 3

Wales- R.Earnshaw 16 C.Bellamy 53

England- W.Rooney 9 J.Cole 21,40 S.Moore 35 D.Fox 66

MOM- Joe Cole, England

England offered a sparkling offensive effort as they rolled over Wales 5-2 at Millenium Stadium in their initial World Cup Group 3 Qualifying match. Wayne Rooney struck quickly to give England the lead as they pressured Wales from the opening whistle. David Fox stepped in front of pass from Paul John and his dribble was long, but Mitchell Booth was caught on the wrong foot as the ball skipped past him. Owain Fon Williams hesitated momentarily as the ball lay just beyond the six yard box and that was all that Rooney needed as he reached the ball and chipped it past Williams. The huge home crowd was quickly delighted as Wales equalized. Robert Earnshaw and Daniel Gabbidon played a neat give and go and Earnshaw whipped a rising shot over Richard Wright's shoulder to make it 1-1. Joe Cole moved England back in front with a booming 25 yard free kick into the right side of the net. Gabbidon made a huge mistake when his backpass went right to Stefan Moore. Moore broke into the area before slotting the ball to Rooney. John made a nice tackle to knock the ball from Rooney, but it went right back to the surging Moore and he had an easy time pushing it into the right side of the net. Cole capped the first half scoring with his 2nd superb free kick- this time curling another 25 yard blast off the inside of the right post to make it 4-1 at halftime. Wales regained a glimmer of hope when John whipped a long pass down the right side. Craig Bellamy collected the ball and then skipped past Ashley Cole- cautious with a yellow card already on the books- and drove a shot past Wright to make it 4-2. England capped off the scoring when David Fox deflected a cross from Joe Cole into the left side of the net to make the final score 5-2. In other Group 3 action, Poland routed Macedonia 5-0 at Warsaw and Denmark barely edged upstart Luxembourg 2-1 in Luxembourg.

[Faramir]

European Champions Cup Odds- Skybet

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

FC Bayern 4-1

Real Madrid 4-1

Arsenal 7-1

Milan 15-2

Manchester U 8-1

Juventus 10-1

Leyton Orient 10-1

</pre>

***

"More injuries," sighed Field.

"We just have to keep battling through them. At least Matt Morris' is only slight," replied Drabek.

"Danny Guthrie's wasn't. How long is he out."

"After surgery- four months at least."

"Well, at least we have some depth there, but it is getting thinner..."

***

12.9.12

Leyton Orient (2) Middlesbrough (0)

Orient- D.Arrieta 60 D.Byrne 67

Middlesbrough- None

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

After a first half in which they performed poorly in front of their restless faithful at Brisbane Road, Orient righted themselves and struck for two goals to win out over a determined Middlesbrough 2-0. The first half was spent largely in the Orient end as Middlesbrough did an excellent job stepping in and closing off the Orient passing lanes, while also cutting off Orient's attempts to dribble out of trouble. They couldn't find a way to score on Sebastien Frey though as the Orient backline played strong positionally. Orient came out much crisper in the second half and took the lead when Danny Byrne's cross slightly deflected off Daniel Fredheim Holm and bounced right to unmarked Danilo Arrieta- who smashed it into the right side of the net for his 1st goal of the young season. A terrific 50 yard pass from James Rowe picked out Byrne who was onside just outside the six yard box and he made a quick dip before rocketing a shot past Robert Olejnik to finish the scoring in the 2-0 win. Middlesbrough found themselves penned in after that as the Orient defense asserted itself to help Frey gain another clean sheet.

[Faramir]

15.9.12

Everton (1) Leyton Orient (2)

Everton- T.Atieno 3

Orient- D.Rowe 43 R.Hunt 53

MOM- Richard Hunt, Leyton Orient

Orient was forced to battle from behind to edge Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park. Everton struck quickly, breaking Orient's string of scoreless minutes that stretched to the start of the season, when Taiwo Atieno pounced on a rebound from Sebastien Frey after he lost the handle on a 20 yard blast from Jone Samuelson. After sputtering for much of the first half, Orient evened the match when Lee Talbot showed excellent vision with a pass that found David Rowe standing unmarked in the area. Rowe fired it cleanly past Richard Wright into the left side of the net for a goal to celebrate his debut. David Rowe then set up what turned into the match winning goal early in the second half when he nodded a pass from Jason Reynolds down the middle of the pitch. Richard Hunt, held quiet by Yobo until that moment, broke away from his marker and snapped a quick shot past Wright into the left side of the net. Orient then held to a conservative style and stymied the furious Everton rally attempts. When Fredy William Thompson was redcarded for a bad tackle from behind at 82 minutes- it ended the Everton rally and Orient went back home with a close 2-1 win on the books.

"I was very pleased with David Rowe's debut. He wasn't in awe and really worked hard to earn us the win," said a pleased Drabek.

"It is a good thing our young players are contributing this season- it really is helping us do well."

"The naysayers in the Press were having a field day about our unwillingness to go out and make major purchases. They even derided our purchase of Richard Hunt. It is very nice to keep winning and prove them wrong about our young talent and approach."

[Spav]

Congratulations to Faramir on the second birthday of "The Bet" - born 13 December 2003.

[Faramir]

Thanks for the reminder Spav- I had forgotten I had started this just after the awards two years ago...

***

19.9.12

Rangers (2) Leyton Orient (3) Champions Cup 1st phase Group G

Rangers- P.Lovenkrands 63 S.Hughes 82

Orient- R.Hunt 45,66 A.Rossi 71

MOM- Richard Hunt, Leyton Orient

The rising star of Leyton Orient's Richard Hunt shone more brightly after his brilliant performance led Orient to a 3-2 win over 'Gers at Ibrox in their first Champions Cup match. Dean Simpson, Rangers' keeper, had a dazzling first half- stopping John Turner, Daniel Fredheim Holm, Stephen Pearson and Steed Malbranque on excellent chances. Rangers were putting some pressure of their own and Sebastien Frey had to have quick hands to stop a rising blast from Paul Walker. Despite Simpson's heroics, Orient took the halftime lead when the heady play of Stephen Pearson as he volleyed a pass to the unmarked Hunt on the right side of the area. Hunt broke in quickly and before Jon Harley and Zurab Khizanishvili could close him down he snapped a low shot past Simpson. Rangers survived early Orient pressure in the second half and struck back for the equalizer when Martin Morley's good through ball found Peter Lovenkrands beyond Lee Sims and Titus Bramble. Lovenkrands blast went through Frey's hands and it was back to 1-1. It didn't stay that way long though as Hunt intercepted a pass from Harley and was off to the races down the center of the pitch. His blinding pace didn't allow Khizanishvili or Mark Moore to catch up to him and Hunt completed the highlight reel goal with a nicely placed chip past onrushing Simpson. Orient added another goal when Andrea Rossi outleaped two defenders to deflect a Fredheim Holm corner past Simpson. Orient needed that goal as Rangers rallied behind a booming 25 yard blast from Stephen Hughes that Frey couldn't get a hand on. Orient had to survive one more late scare to finish off the 3-2 win, as Ze Mario's strong header skimmed the cross bar in the closing moments. The win was dampened by the loss of Danny Byrne, who limped off in the second half. In other Group G action, Partizan beat Rosenborg 3-1 at Belgrade.

"Nice display on the national stage," offered a smiling Field.

"Richard (Hunt) was terrific today. We knew he had that exceptional speed and acceleration, but what I hadn't realized was that he has a pretty good scoring touch."

"He was a threat every time he had the ball today, you could see the 'Gers were having trouble coping. What's the word on Danny (Byrne)?"

"Terrible! Danny ruptured his achilles tendon. He needs surgery to repair it and will miss 6 months."

"Ouch! We seem to be in a run of bad luck on major injuries this season- many more bad ones than usual."

"True. It means we will be giving Richard White a lot more playing time- which could turn out OK if he has as much talent as our scouts believed."

[Faramir]

"Another one!" exclaimed Field.

"We seem to be rather unlucky of late."

"I guess it could have been worse, how long is Danilo (Arrieta) out?"

"Because of how many broken ribs, they think at least a month."

***

22.9.12

Leyton Orient (5) WBA (0)

Orient- M.Etherington 38 J.Reynolds 49,50,52 J.Rowe 69

WBA- None

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Orient was clinging to a 1-0 lead when the second half opened and the Jason Reynolds show buried visiting WBA. In the span of 4 minutes, Reynolds accomplished the amazing feat of scoring a hat-trick as he made certain Orient would win what had been a closely played match. Orient held the halftime lead thanks to a 25 yard curling free kick from Matthew Etherington that just snuck in off the inside of the right post past Russell Howarth. Reynolds, who had come on to start the second half for the slightly injured Davide Vanni, then provided the Brisbane Road faithful with an unmatched offensive explosion to settle the match. Reynolds 1st goal was opportunistic as Etherington broke into the area on the dribble and Cristofer Andersson made a good tackle- the ball bounced away and Reynolds was quickest to it and pushed it into the empty right side of the net. Chris Sutton triggered Reynolds' 2nd goal when his strong header at midfield went into space on the right. Reynolds raced on to collect the ball and then turned 17 yr old Andrew Marsh inside out before sliding the ball inside the near right post past Howarth. Reynolds completed the incredibly quick hat-trick when he took a flick on from John Turner and turned both Marsh and Graham Campbell inside-out on his dribble before slipping his shot past the diving Howarth. James Rowe completed the scoring in the match when his strong header on a corner from Etherington eluded Howarth's leaping lunge to finish off the 5-0 win. The loss cost WBA manager Steve McCLaren his job as he was sacked after the match.

"You ever seen anything like that?" asked Spencer Field.

Will Drabek smiled and shook his head, "Never. I have seen three goals in about the same amount of time, but never a hat-trick like that."

[Faramir]

29.9.12

Manchester City (1) Leyton Orient (1)

Manchester C- M.Ashikodi 57

Orient- M.Baros 76

MOM- Kasper Schmeichel, Manchester City

Orient gave themselves every chance to win at Manchester, but Kasper Schmeichel played superbly in earning a 1-1 draw for the home side. Manchester City didn't manage many chances in the match, but they took the lead when John Welsh played a superb pass to find Florent Malouda streaking down the left sideline. Malouda took the ball just into the edge of the area and then sent a sharp cross that Moses Ashikodi was able to deflect past James Hicks as he overpowered Robin Faber and Mathias Franz. Milan Baros, playing in his 1st Senior match in some time as he subbed on for Davide Vanni, then showed his veteran's heady presence as he slipped past Mikkel Bischoff and deflected Orri Freyr Oskarsson's cross past Schmeichel. Manchester City leaned hard on their keeper and he came up big as he stopped Jason Reynolds twice at point blank and then was able to smother a low shot from Baroa in the closing moments of the match to send Orient back home with a 1-1 draw.

[Faramir]

2.10.12

Leyton Orient (3) Partizan (0) Champions Cup 1st phase Group G

Orient- D.Fredheim Holm 26 S.Pearson 50 J.Torhallsson 86

Partizan- None

MOM- Daniel Fredheim Holm, Leyton Orient

Orient accomplished much more with its scoring chances than did visiting Partizan and that was the difference in the 3-0 win at Brisbane Road that gives Orient early control of Group G. Stephen Pearson's good flick on of a clearing kick by Partizan was all that was needed to put Daniel Fredheim Holm in free and he easily slotted the ball past Vladimir Lukic for his 1st goal of the season. Partizan came close twice, but both times Sebastien Frey ranged out of his net to smother the ball before the forwards could reach the long ball. Pearson added his 1st goal of the season when he blasted a 30 yard shot that changed direction when it glanced off Igor Duljaj and past off balance Vukic. Johann Torhallsson capped the scoring after subbing on for John Turner when he took the ball past two defenders and struck a low shot past Vukic to finish the win. In other Group G play, Rosenborg edged Rangers 1-0 in Trondheim.

[Faramir]

7.10.12

Leyton Orient (1) Arsenal (0)

Orient- A.Rossi 10

Arsenal- None

MOM- Chris Kirkland, Arsenal

Orient and Arsenal dueled in a very closely played match, but it was Orient that won out 1-0 in a key early season matchup. The lone goal came early in the match as Andrea Rossi put forth a goal for goal of the year when he struck a 30 yard volley after John Turner laid the ball back for him. The shot sailed past the outstretched fingertips of Chris Kirkland and gave the Orient faithful a celebratory moment. Arsenal's dynamic duo of Adriano and Thierry Henry tried to rally the visitors, but were blunted by the superb tackling of the Orient backline. Orient skipper Carl Laurie was especially effective as he two terrific tackles on Henry when he appeared to be breaking in free to the area. Lee Sims came up with a saving tackle against Adriano on the side of the net to prevent him from putting home a rebound late in the half. On the other end Kirkland was fantastic after the goal, and Orient forwards Richard Hunt and Turner were left shaking their heads. Stephen Pearson came close, but his curling blast bounced off the outside of the post. The final twenty minutes of the match was a roller coaster trip for both clubs as the play moved up and down the Brisbane Road pitch at a dizzying pace. Sebastien Frey blunted the last desperate attempt when he smothered Henry's close in shot in the waning moments to preserve the 1-0 Orient win.

[Faramir]

13.10.12

ENGLAND

England (2) FYR of Macedonia (0) World Cup Qualifying Group 3

England- S.Moore 3 D.Fox 6

Macedonia- None

MOM- Stefan Moore, England

England put on a thoroughly dominating performance in front of a pleased crowd at Wembley as they defeated FYR of Macedonia 2-0. It was clear from the opening whistle that England had the jump on their visitors. Macedonia showed little first touch control of the ball and quickly succumbed to English pressure. Wayne Rooney's hard work allowed him to outmuscle Robert Popov for a loose ball. Rooney's sent a short, sharp cross that Stefan Moore easily deflected into the far right side of the net to give England a blazing start. The pressure again caused a bad choice by Macedonia and Carl Laurie pushed their clearing kick to Steven Gerrard. Gerrard wheeled a long pass into Moore and he outleaped his defender to flick the ball back to the middle. David Fox had burst past his marker and drilled a rising shot into the upper right corner of the net to give England a 2-0 lead at the six minute mark. The remainder of the match saw England using Macedonia keeper Dejan Smilevski as a shooting gallery, but also saw them unable to score further on the acrobatic keeper. England's smothering play in the midfield limited the visitors to a single, long shot on Richard Wright that he easily saved enroute to another clean sheet in the 2-0 win. In other Group 3 action, Poland and Denmark battled to a scoreless draw in Warsaw. Wales easily defeated Luxembourg 2-0 in Cardiff.

[Faramir]

17.10.12

ENGLAND

Denmark (1) England (4) World Cup Qualifying Group 3

Denmark- T.Kahlenberg 74

England- W.Brown 5 W.Rooney 45,77 J.Pennant 90

MOM- Wayne Rooney, England

It certainly appeared that Denmark had jumped right back into the fray when Thomas Kahlenberg narrowed the margin to a goal, but Wayne Rooney had the answer for England as they ran out with a 4-1 win thanks to a pair of late goals. England got off to a great start when Wes Brown deflected a Steven Gerrard free kick past Kasper Schmeichel in the early moments of the first half. The play was very spirited throughout the half as both sides were gaining good scoring opportunities and Schmeichel and Richard Wright were called on for good saves. Both sides also missed inches wide in the first half. As the seconds counted out in first half injury time England struck again to move ahead 2-0. Joe Cole winged a pass that Magnus Troest leapt for and barely missed heading. Stefan Moore was alert and first to the ball as it went over Troest. As Denmark defenders scrambled to recover, Moore calmly crossed and Wayne Rooney struck a half-volley past Schmeichel for his 40th International Goal. A blazing leftside run by Johan Absalonsen was followed by a centering pass that Thomas Kahlenberg volleyed. The ball struck Jermaine Pennant and the change of direction left Wright stranded as the ball bounced into the left side of the net to the delight of the Danish throng. England didn't wait to answer and the substitution of Michael Owen for Moore paid immediate dividends when Owen picked Rooney out free with a good pass. Before the defense could close on Rooney, he whipped a shot that Schmeichel got a hand on, but wasn't able to keep out of the net for Rooney's 2nd marker of the match. Pennant capped the scoring in the match when his rightside run resulted in a loose ball after his centering pass was blocked away. Pennant pounced on the loose ball and fired it off the inside of the near right post for his 1st International goal to close out the 4-1 win. The win left England firmly in control of Group 3 following Luxembourg's shocking 6-2 win over Poland in Luxembourg. FYR of Macedonia and Wales battled to a 2-2 draw in Belgrade.

[Faramir]

20.10.12

Aston Villa (1) Leyton Orient (1)

Aston Villa- P.Wilkinson 85

Orient- J.Rowe 63

MOM- James McEveley, Aston Villa

Orient was very fortunate to escape Villa Park with a 1-1 draw as they played easily their worst match of the season. Orient never really showed much offensively in the match and it was only very good fortune for them that saw them score their lone goal. James Rowe's centering pass into the area was completely misjudged by Villa keeper Luke Daniels and when the lofted 50 yard pass settled just inside the right post it was a stunning disappointment for the home side. Still, they had the pressure on Orient through most of the match. Ex-Orient forwards Wayne Rooney and Oliver Lorenzen keyed their strong offensive effort. The Orient defense scrambled through the entire match and backstopped by Sebastien Frey it appeared Orient might steal all three points. It wasn't to be though as Darius Vassell flicked a ball on and young Paul Wilkinson drilled a volley past Frey for the dramatic equalizer and his 1st goal for Villa. Note- For those that followed my AFC Wimbledon story- this is the same Paul Wilkinson that played for AFC.

"That was a very poor showing," flatly stated a disappointed Drabek.

"Yeah, it was. Still, the way we got banged up so quickly with injuries hurt us. Losing Richard Hunt early on really crimped our offensive effort- especially with John Turner having another poor match."

"I just heard back from the physio that Hunt will miss a couple weeks. Neither James Rowe, John Turner or Jason Reynolds will be ready for our midweek Champs Cup tilt hosting Rosenborg."

"Ouch, that means we will have to use Orri Freyr Oskarsson and Johann Torhallsson up front- they are our only healthy forwards right now."

"We will be thin in the midfield too."

"I suppose we will have to just shrug off this draw- it could have been worse..."

"We deserved to lose- we didn't play anything like we have of late."

***

"Hmm, even that draw wasn't good enough for the Villa board."

Drabek looked up from his stack of papers, "Hmm?"

"The Villa board sacked Gordan Cowans today."

"That surprises me. He had Villa ready to play us- and they should have won."

"Wins matter, I guess he needed to win against us to keep his job."

[Faramir]

23.10.12

Leyton Orient (0) Rosenborg (1) Champions Cup 1st phase Group G

Orient- None

Rosenborg- A.Langkas 54

MOM- Espen Johnsen, Rosenborg

Orient disappointed a sold-out Brisbane Road when they fell 1-0 to Rosenborg in Champions Cup play. Orient outshot the visiting side 17-8 for the match, but visitors really controlled the tempo of play and Orient's shots were not the good chances they had been generating to this point in the season. Orient was clearly out of sync with only Johann Torhallsson and Orri Freyr Oskarsson available to play up front in the match. They frittered away many chances with poor passing- especially from their backline- and were content to blast away from outside of the area for much of the match. Rosenborg counter attacked with focused, limited efforts and it paid off in quality chances when they did attack. The lone goal of the match came when Azar Karadas flicked a ball on for Andre Langkas. Langkas overpowered Titus Bramble and ripped a low shot past Sebastien Frey for a superb team goal. Rosenborg did an excellent job of blunting the Orient wingers and forwards as they funneled Orient's attack into the middle- the strength of their club. Orient appeared set to even the match when Harald Lien tripped Oskarsson in the area. Lee Sims stepped up, but Johnsen saved his penalty. Sims got the rebound and blistered a half-volley off the outside of the post as the Brisbane Road faithful groaned in disappointment. In other Group G action, Partizan thumped the Rangers 2-0 at Ibrox to leave Orient, Partizan and Rosenborg tied atop the Group with 6 points as every club has beaten the Rangers and one other club at this point.

"We didn't click at all today. Nothing went very well offensively," muttered Drabek.

"It was hard to believe we really had that many shots, because it certainly wasn't us dictating the tempo of play out there," replied Field.

"With Partizan winning, now the Group becomes really interesting."

"I don't know that 'interesting' is quite the word I would use..."

[Faramir]

31.10.12

Leyton Orient (4) QPR (0) League Cup 3rd Round

Orient- M.Morris 21 J.Torhallsson 32,69 M.Baros 76

QPR- None

MOM- Johann Torhallsson, Leyton Orient

Orient shook off their lackluster performance against Rosenborg as they stormed to a 4-0 win over QPR at Brisbane Road in their League Cup matchup. Played in intermittently heavy rains, Orient took advantage of better passing- especially in the QPR area- to easily dump their visitors. Orient's first goal by Matt Morris was the direct result of a QPR defensive mistake. Gary Roberts mishandled a pass and the loose ball went right to Morris. Morris blasted away from 25 yards and though Kevin Stuhr-Ellegaard got his hand on the wet ball, he couldn't keep hold of it and it went in the net. You could sense the disappointment on the QPR side when they were awarded a penalty after Mark Harding tackled Phil Poole in the area. Poole stepped up and saw James Hicks parry his initial blast, parry his 1st rebound and then get a solid hand on his 2nd chance rebound shot to turn it past the post. Orient took advantage of a corner when the ball bounced of a defender and then Davide Vanni and out to the edge of the area. Johann Torhallsson showed his heady veteran's presence as he smashed the ball into the left side of the net from the edge of the area to make it 2-0 at halftime. Torhallsson and Matthew Etherington then showed perfect teamwork as they worked the left side of the pitch and Etherington made a superb touch pass to find Torhallsson free and he blistered a shot past Stuhr-Ellegaard for his 2nd goal of the match. Milan Baros, on for a soaked and tired Vanni, then capped the Orient scoring when Lee Talbot (on for Morris) slipped a pass by Clark Carlisle to find him in the area. Baros made no mistake in driving the ball home to finish the 4-0 win that moves Orient on in the League Cup.

"That was more like a vintage Johann (Torhallsson) performance," observed Field.

"It was a pretty impressive performance- and exactly the kind of veteran leadership we needed today," agreed Drabek.

"When James (Hicks) saved those three chances by Phil Poole on the penalty- well, you could see them faltering..."

"It was the key moment in the match. Despite being only 19 now, Hicks has really impressed me with his improved confidence and take charge attitude out there."

***

"Ah, he was robbed," chuckled Drabek.

"Who, what?"

"Andrea's (Rossi) goal against Arsenal was only runner-up for Goal of the Month award."

Spencer Field shook his head, "It was one of the best goals ever by an Orient player- that is for certain."

[Faramir]

3.11.12

Leyton Orient (3) Southampton (0)

Orient- J.Reynolds 2,49 J.Torhallsson 42

Southampton- None

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Orient continued their improved play as they bested Southampton 3-0 on a rain slick Brisbane Road pitch. Orient leapt into the lead when Johann Torhallsson lofted a centering pass and Jason Reynolds snapped his header past Robert Green to stake a 1-0 lead in the opening moments of the match. Southampton, led by October's Player of the Month- James Beattie- tried to rally, but found the Orient backline flowing to disrupt every chance. Beattie had a golden chance in fron of Sebastien Frey, but missed inches wide to the left side of the net with his shot. Reynolds returned the favor to Torhallsson just before halftime with an excellent pass that went just past Luke Young. Torhallsson made a brilliant chip of the ball and it looped over a stranded Green to make it 2-0 Orient at halftime. It was Wayne Routledge who threaded a pass through that allowed Reynolds to make a precision shot into the far left side of the net for Orient's final goal. Orient was content after Reynolds' 2nd goal (5th of the season) to help Sebastien Frey earn another clean sheet in the 3-0 win.

"Jason (Reynolds) sure showed a big burst of his talent today," stated Drabek.

"He has been practicing well- he really wants to earn more playing time," replied Field.

"He may well do that- he was impressive today. Both his goals showed a fine touch around the net."

[Faramir]

7.11.12

Rosenborg (1) Leyton Orient (6) Champions Cup 1st phase Group G

Rosenborg- A.Karadas 10

Orient- K.Langeland 9-OG J.Torhallsson 21 J.Reynolds 32,57,80 S.Pearson 65

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

The Rosenborg club that was so impressive in edging Orient at Brisbane Road was nowhere in attendance this time- much to the disappointment of their sold out home crowd. It was clear Orient was out to show Rosenborg that they were a better club than they had seen. Stephen Pearson made a good take away and made a hard run down the leftside of the pitch. His sharp cross back to the middle was deflected by Kenneth Langeland past Espen Johnsen for an own goal. Rosenborg hit back immediately to equalize as Azer Karadas shed Steed Malbranque's coverage to head in a centering pass from Andre Langkas. Jason Reynolds quickly showed that his match against Southampton was not an aberration with a run along the right sideline before he beat two defenders on the dribble. Reynolds crossed to Johann Torhallsson. Torhallsson saw his initial shot parried by Espen Johnson, but he whacked in the rebound to put Orient in front to stay with his 5th goal of the season. Steed Malbranque showed good vision with a pass that split two defenders and allowed pacey Reynolds to run onto the ball. Reynolds showed nice touch on the ball when he fooled Johnson by sidefooting a shot inside the right post past the surprised keeper. Stephen Pearson showed his own good vision by sliding a deft pass by Stale Aas to send Reynolds in free and again Reynolds fooled Johnson- this time by wrong-footing a chip over his shoudler as he tried to come out and smother the ball for his 2nd goal of the match. Pearson added a goal of his own when he deflected a corner from Daniel Fredheim Holm past Johnson. Reynolds then finished off the scoring by completing his hat-trick when he deflected a long cross from Matthew Etherington (on for Fredheim Holm) past a diving Johnson to finish off the 6-1 rout for Orient. In other Group G action Partizan crushed the winless Rangers 4-1 in Belgrade to stay even with Orient atop the Group.

Field laughed, "He wants to play- I told you that."

Drabek chuckled, "Well, given what I have seen from Jason in these last couple matches- we need to see a lot more."

"Did you give any thought to my suggestion of pairing him with Richard Hunt?"

"Yes, and I think we will, but it needs to wait until Hunt is fully match ready- and he isn't quite there after completing the physiotherapy."

[Faramir]

14.11.12

Bolton (1) Leyton Orient (1)

Bolton- K.Nolan 33

Orient- R.Hunt 12

MOM- Chris Howarth, Bolton

Bolton outplayed Orient Reebok Stadium and Orient was fortunate to escape with a 1-1 draw. Things were rosy early as the expected pairing of starlets Richard Hunt and Jason Reynolds produced immediate results for Orient when Reynolds took a good pass from Stephen Pearson and crossed to Hunt. Hunt easily redirected it into the open left side of the net to give Orient the early 1-0 lead. Bolton equalized when Kevin Nolan boomed a 30 yard free kick that Sebastien Frey uncharacteristically missed making the save on. Bolton seemed to take heart from being even with Orient at halftime and pressed hard on their visitors in the second half. Frey was called on for a pair of good saves on Giacomo Cipriani and Thomas Buffel to preserve the draw. Orient gave away the ball a lot in the second half with poor passing and by the time the final whistle sounded on the 1-1 draw it was a relieved Orient staff that strolled to the dressing room.

"We certainly gave a poor account of ourselves in the second half," glowered Drabek.

"Our backline struggled today. We weren't making a good first pass to the midfield, and that was causing all manner of problems.

"That's something we need to correct quickly."

[Faramir]

17.11.12

Leeds (0) Leyton Orient (1)

Leeds- None

Orient- D.Arrieta 56

MOM- Stephen Pearson, Leyton Orient

Despite not playing well offensively, Orient used another smothering defensive effort to edge Leeds 1-0 at Elland Road. Orient's offensive work was very spotty in the first half as there were many cases of passes too far in front or too far behind their intended targets. Orient kept control through much of the match because of the work of Stephen Pearson in the midfield. Pearson consistently was in the right place to keep Leeds from breaking out of their end of the pitch. Orient's lone goal came courtesy of the excellent work by Jason Reynolds. Reynolds used a burst of speed to make a nice take away from Fabio Paim and then when challenged by keeper Paul Robinson he slotted the ball across to an unmarked Danilo Arrieta, who had an easy time pushing the ball into the open net. Robinson was clearly frustrated by his lack of help on defense as he had come up with a big save on Reynolds minutes before after Reynolds had taken the ball away from defender Ian Harte and broken in cleanly. Robinson kept the home side in the match when he made a superb save on another Arrieta chance in the latter portion of the second half. Orient never allowed Alan Smith and Marco Borriello enough space to become factors in the match as they helped Sebastien Frey to another clean sheet.

"Pearson deserved the MOM honours, but Reynolds deserved them more," stated Drabek.

"It was great work on his part for both the first chance he had- and then the goal," replied Field.

"How bad is Johann (Torhallsson)?"

"Broken shoulder- out at least three weeks. Because of that and the fact that he has been homesick all season- I gave him a leave of absence to go to Iceland for a month."

"He might not come back..."

"I know that- and I respect his choice if he does so. He gave us help when we needed it in the early season. If he gets a coaching position over there, that would be Ok- he has had an illustrious career with us Spencer."

"That he has. I heard you sent Richard White for rehab- I thought he was only out a day or two."

"He keeps reinjuring that shoulder- I want him to get it taken care of for the rest of the season. We can shift Daniel Fredheim Holm to the right side and pair him with Matthew Etherington in the meantime."

[Faramir]

24.11.12

Leyton Orient (3) Portsmouth (0)

Orient- D.Vanni 36,76,89

Portsmouth- None

MOM- Davide Vanni, Leyton Orient

Orient was led by young Italian forward Davide Vanni as his hat-trick carried Orient to a 3-0 win over Portsmouth at Brisbane Road. Orient carried the play for much of the match, as is reflected in their 22-5 shot advantage. Vanni was the one who put the chances into the net for Orient starting with a pretty first goal. Orri Freyr Oskarsson, playing rightwing today, slid a pass into Steed Malbranque in the middle. Malbranque whipped the ball in for unmarked Vanni. Vanni never stopped the ball, just deflecting it slightly, and it was enough to catch the inside of the right post and deflect into the net for Vanni's 1st goal of the season. Portsmouth staged their rally to open the second half and James Hicks was called on for a pair of good saves on Amdy Moustapha Faye and Vincent Pericard to keep the lead for Orient. Vanni showed he has a nose for the net as he was in the right place to slam home the rebound after Matt Murray made a good stop on a long blast from Stephen Pearson. Vanni completed his hat-trick and clinched the match for Orient when he overpowered 38 year old Dejan Stefanovic to drive a shot past Murray after Oskarsson had flicked the ball into the middle on a header.

"Ok, so *that's* why all those Italian clubs were talking to us about him," grinned Field.

"Yes." said Drabek. "They could have had him too- if anyone had actually made a bid at his rated amount. They all wanted to give us a pittance for him though and I told them we weren't interested in selling him for that little."

"It was nice to see him finally score- he had been a bit unlucky."

"Once he scored- the floodgates opened."

[Faramir]

27.11.12

Leyton Orient (2) Rangers (0) Champions Cup 1st phase Group G

Orient- L.Sims 8 D.Arrieta 76

Rangers- None

MOM- Lee Sims, Leyton Orient

Orient played just well enough to ensure that the 'Gers remained winless in Group play due to the 2-0 win by Orient. Orient wasn't hitting on all cylinders in the match and Rangers showed they still have some fight and determination in them- despite their lack of success thus far in this season's Champions Cup play. Orient took advantage of an early 'Gers mistake as Zurab Khizanishvili was whistled for tripping Richard Hunt in the area. Lee Sims saw Adam Ogden make a terrific save on his penalty, but retained enough presence of mind to slide the rebound inside the left post to give Orient the lead. Rangers tried valiantly to rally and a nice passing sequence sprung Tom Carroll for a one-on-one with Sebastien Frey. Frey proved again why he is the bedrock on which the Orient defense is laid as he made a superb save to stop Carroll and Robin Faber managed to clear the rebound from harms way. Ogden was forced into his own heroics to keep the visitors close as he stopped Jason Reynolds and a curling free kick from Matthew Etherington to keep it 1-0. Rangers missed a golden chance early in the second half as David Gray drilled a shot inches wide after a great pass from Ze Mario. Orient scored the clinching goal after a scramble on a throw-in. Stephen Pearson threw in to Daniel Fredheim Holm from the right sideline. Fredheim Holm took the ball past Robert Malcolm but Ogden made a brilliant save on his shot as he pushed the shot into the post and it rebounded back out to the edge of the six yard box. Jason Reynolds leapt and headed the ball and Ogden again came up with a difficult save, parrying the ball away. Danilo Arrieta was playing sniper and as the rebound on Reynold's header hit the ground he hooked it into the open left side of the net to help quench the 'Gers hopes. Orient's win, combined with the scoreless draw that Rosenborg and Partizan battled to in Norway, means they have clinched qualification for the 2nd phase of Champions Cup competition.

"I don't think Lee (Sims) should take any more penalties," offered a relieved Field.

"Have to agree with you there," smiled a tired Drabek. "Although he did manage to rap home the rebound. We needed that goal badly."

"Might have been a different match if Sebastien (Frey) hadn't made that save on Tom Carroll."

"Likely you are right about that. It was a tough match all the way."

[Faramir]

4.12.12

Tottenham (2) Leyton Orient (0) League Cup 4th Round

Tottenham- H.Postiga 52 R.Keane 73

Orient- None

MOM- Tim Howard, Tottenham

Tottenham broomed Orient out of the League Cup with a strong performance as they scored two second half goals to move on with the 2-0 win at White Hart Lane. Tottenham had the advantage of going with their regular lineup in the match, while Orient was looking ahead to its Intercontinetal Cup match on Friday and featured only a few of their regulars. The first half featured spirited up and down play from both sides as Tim Howard and Sebastien Frey performed admirably to keep things scoreless. Tottenham broke through early in the second half when their skipper Mbulelo Mabizela jumped up into the offensive end and was inside the area when he he made a terrific short cross that Helder Postiga half-volleyed past Frey inside the near right post. Orient tried to rally, but Howard made the save of the match when he blocked away a point blank shot from unmarked Danilo Arrieta after a nice pass from Jan Kristiansen. Tottenham added to their lead when a good through ball from Jeremie Aliadere put Robbie Keane away and he took the ball around a diving Frey before scoring in the open net to make it 2-0. Tottenham reverted to their staunch defense at that point and Orient had little luck breaking it down as they fell out of the Cup on the 2-0 score.

"It was a solid effort, but we really didn't play well enough to win- especially here," commented Drabek.

"There were some bright spots, but we weren't terribly effective moving the ball into Arrieta and Milan Baros."

[Faramir]

7.12.12

Vasco (0) Leyton Orient (5) Intercontinental Cup

Vasco- None

Orient- Fredheim Holm 2 M.Etherington 22,45 J.Kristiansen 73 S.Pearson 76

MOM- Matthew Etherington, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient captured their 3rd consecutive Intercontinental Cup as they crushed Vasco 5-0 in front of sold out Yokohoma Stadium crowd. It was clear that Vasco was having problems from the opening whistle. Before the one minute mark was reached, Vasco keeper Fabio had to make a terrific reaction save on Johann Torhallsson, who had just returned from personal leave. He wasn't as fortunate a minute later when Daniel Fredheim Holm provided the highlight goal of the match. Fredheim Holm leapt and made a banana kick as he smashed a volley off a long pass from Lee Sims off the inside of the right post and into the net to give Orient a quick lead. Orient gave Vasco fits as Torhallsson and Jason Reynolds used their pace to pressure the back line, Matthew Etherington and Fredheim Holm swept up and down cutting off their passing and Sims and Robin Faber continually pinched in from their fullback slots to mopup loose balls from the long passes their backline was forced into. Vasco came into the match expecting to defend the precision Orient passing game, and instead Orient attacked off the dribble all night long and continually pierced the Brazilian defense. Matthew Etherington put Orient ahead 2-0 when he took the ball away from Guga and broke in before snapping a shot inside the near left post past Fabio. Orient capitalized on a throw-in late in the first half to make it 3-0 at halftime. Fredheim Holm slipped a pass to Torhallsson and after Fabio parried his shot, Fredheim Holm laid the rebound off into the middle for an unmarked Etherington to slam into the open net. Etherington then setup Jan Kristiansen (on for Steed Malbranque) to score his 1st goal of the season with a nice centering pass. Pearson then capped the Orient scoring when he headed in an Etherington free kick to finish off the impressive 5-0 win. Orient outshot Vasco 28-1 for the match.

"I didn't expect us to play *that* well," said an amazed Field.

"We executed the gameplan to perfection. Our scouts told us they were vulnerable to attacking off the dribble, and they were very right."

"Makes for a superb trip back home."

[Faramir]

12.12.12

Partizan (0) Leyton Orient (1) Champions Cup Phase 1 Group G

Partizan- None

Orient- O.Oskarsson 87

MOM- Vladimir Lukic, Partizan

Orient, despite featuring few of its regular starters, battled Partizan in a spirited match in Belgrade that was decided in the last moments of regular play. Partizan was hoping for at least a draw in the match to help ensure it qualified for the second round. The first half featured few chances for Orient as Partizan played a controlled passing game. The home side appeared set to move into the lead late in the half when Ryan Garry was whistled for tripping Srdjan Knezevic in the area. James Hicks prevented that happening by making a good save of Stefan Babovic's penalty kick to keep it scoreless at halftime. Orient showed more cohesion in the second half, but Partizan keeper Vladimir Lukic stopped them from taking the lead with good saves against Johann Torhallsson and Jan Kristiansen. Hicks was called on to make a huge save as he pushed aside a low blast from Borko Veselinvovic when in a one-on-one situation late in the second half. Orient then won the match when Richard White made a terrific pass to find Torhallsson free and scooting down the left side. Lukic made a good save on Torhallsson's shot, but the ball bounced back toward the right side of the net and Orri Freyr Oskarsson alertly knocked the rebound home for his 1st goal of the season to give Orient the close 1-0 win. Rosenborg failed to capitalize on Partizan's loss as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox by the Rangers as the Rangers gained their only point in Group play. With that draw, Partizan finished 2nd in the Group and will join Orient in the 2nd phase of play.

"That was another fine match by James Hicks- he deserved the MOM honours as much as Lukic," said a happy Field.

"I would have to agree with you, because without the penalty and his other big save, we don't win this match," agreed Drabek.

"David Rowe also played well in the midfield."

"For his first time against this level of competition- I thought he accounted for himself quite well."

"Hard to believe that was actually Orri Freyr Oskarsson's first goal of the season."

"Yes, that is unusual. But we haven't been featuring him as much this season and you can see he is starting to fade a little bit on his physical presence on the pitch."

***

European Champions Cup 2nd Round- 2012-13

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

Lazio vs Inter

Arsenal vs Real Madrid

Wisla vs PAO

Dinamo Kiev vs Manchester Utd

Juventus vs Tottenham

Real Sociedad vs Leyton Orient

Partizan vs VFB Stuttgart

Brondby vs Sparta Prague

</pre>

[Faramir]

15.12.12

Leyton Orient (5) Manchester United (1)

Orient- J.Reynolds 11 R.Hunt 18,50 R.Faber 21 M.Etherington 68

Man U- C.Ronaldo 64

MOM- Richard Hunt, Leyton Orient

Orient may have sounded the death knell on Fabien Barthez's storied career as the 41-year old keeper was victimized by Orient's lethal finishing in a resounding 5-1 win at Brisbane Road. Orient's young forward tandem of Jason Reynolds and Richard Hunt created immense problems for Manchester United. Reynold's put pressure on the backline with his dribbling, and though they blunted his first several chances he was in the right place to deflect a shot from just outside the area by Hunt and that sent the ball past a stranded Barthez. Orient took advantage of a loose ball and Steed Malbranque sent a pass into the area that Hunt reached first and blasted past Barthez to make it 2-0. The lead quickly moved to 3-0 when Robin Faber deflected a Matthew Etherington corner past Barthez. While Orient was surging, Manchester United was struggling, with only Cristiano Ronaldo really playing well for them. Orient kept Sidney Gouvou and Sanli Tuncay under wraps for the entire match. Hunt added his second goal of the match early in the second half when a good pass from Etherington put him one-on-one with Phillipe Mexes. Hunt easily outfoxed Mexes and then fired a midlevel shot into the right side of the net past Barthez. Manchester United's only highlight in the match was Ronaldo as Tuncay slipped him a pass with space and he fired a precision shot into the far right corner of the net past Sebastien Frey. Orient then finished off the scoring as whistled a curving 30 yard free kick past Barthez to finish off the impressive 5-1 win.

"Terrific match for Richard Hunt. He is going to get a lot of National attention now," stated Field.

"Both him and Reynolds really opened a few eyes for the National TV audience- they really gave the ManU backline fits."

"I still find it hard to believe that they continue to believe Barthez can be a truly effective keeper at 41. He really showed his age out there today."

[Faramir]

19.12.12

Leyton Orient (1) Liverpool (0)

Orient- C.Laurie 43

Liverpool- None

MOM- Carl Laurie, Leyton Orient

Last place Liverpool came to Brisbane Road seeking a win for their new manager Demos Nikolaidis, but despite a gallant effort left with another close loss on their slate as Orient edged them 1-0. Led by their skipper ex-Orient midfielder David Fox, they played an effective scrambling defense in their own zone, but except for Fox they had little impetus offensively and only managed 4 shots in the match. Orient generated more chances, but many of them were from long range as the visitors staunchly supported their keeper- Ross Flitney- in the area. Orient scored the only goal in the match when Carl Laurie showed a superb sense of timing as he leaped and deflected a corner from Andrea Rossi past Flitney late in the first half for his 1st goal of the season. Orient pressured Liverpool in the second half, but led by Carl Medjani, the Liverpool backline kept Davide Vanni and John Turner under tight marking and rendered them ineffective. Sebastien Frey had to make one good save to keep his clean sheet as he pushed a header from Sammi Hyppia over the bar on a late corner for Liverpool.

"I'm just happy we were able to get a win with our 2nd line, while resting our regulars for our showdown match with Tottenham at White Hart Lane," admitted Drabek.

[Faramir]

23.12.12

Tottenham (1) Leyton Orient (0)

Tottenham- J.Leko 64

Orient- None

MOM- Jerko Leko, Tottenham

The Sunday afternoon Telly viewers were treated to a terrific match between two of the top clubs in the EPL. When the final whistle blew, Tottenham and their faithful at White Hart Lane celebrated a 1-0 win that stopped Orient's unbeaten streak in EPL play at 27 matches. The win also boosted Tottenham back over Bolton into 2nd place in the EPL and they trail Orient by only three points as the clubs reach the midseason turn in the schedule. Tim Howard was brilliant in net for Tottenham and a main reason for the win. He stopped Richard Hunt twice in one-on-ones after Hunt revived the comparisons to a young Michael Owen by embarassing the Tottenham backline on the dribble. Hunt was forced to leave due to a minory injury at halftime and Orient's offense missed the high octane he adds to their engine as they seemed to lack the same explosiveness they had shown in the first half. Still, Orient had good chances on Howard in the second half and he came up with sensational saves on both Jason Reynolds and Daniel Fredheim Holm to earn his clean sheet. Tottenham's offense was focused around long shots from Jerko Leko and Stephen Appiah as their forwards were completely blanketed by coverage from the Orient backline. Leko earned MOM honours and a heroship from the crowd when he made a brilliant volley of a laid off pass from Robbie Keane and his shot snaked past a diving Sebastien Frey and clipped the inside of the left post as it went into the net. The win brings Tottenham fully into the race for the top spot versus Orient, with Bolton lurking just beyond them.

"Losing Richard (Hunt) really hurt us- they had little luck defensing him in the first half," muttered Drabek.

"It was a good match. If Howard doesn't play quite that well in their net, we might well have won this one."

[Faramir]

26.12.12

Millwall (0) Leyton Orient (0)

Millwall- None

Orient- None

MOM- Sebastien Frey, Leyton Orient

Millwall battled to an entertaining, but not particularly well played scoreless draw at The New Den. Both sides played a scrambling up and down the pitch that bore little resemblence to a well sculpted passing and shooting presentation. Millwall must have been watching tapes of Orient's match against Tottenham as they peppered Sebastien Frey with a series of long shots. Orient tried to attack down the center, but John Turner and Davide Vanni were tightly marked by Millwall defenders. Millwall seemed poise to go ahead in the opening moments of the second half when Mark Harding was yellow carded for pushing Joe Dolan on an inswinging corner from Zvonimir Vukic. Mark Quigley stepped up, but Frey made a terrific save on the penalty and then managed to block the rebound with his legs to keep the home fans disappointed. Turner came closest to solving Nicky Weaver, but Weaver made an excellent reaction save to Turner's volley of a pass from Steve Lee. With a Bolton win and Tottenham playing to a draw, both clubs now trail Orient by 3 points for the top spot in the EPL table.

"I am fed up with Mark Harding," flatly stated Drabek. "He has so much talent- but he still makes such bad decisions in the area that I am hesitant to play him. That is at least a half dozen penalties that he has cost us while here while making bad choices in our area."

"We were fortunate to take a point out of this match, our second line really didn't play that well today."

[Faramir]

29.12.12

Leyton Orient (2) Newcastle (0)

Orient- J.Reynolds 75 D.Fredheim Holm 84

Newcastle- None

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Orient's goal scoring draught reached almost three matches worth when Jason Reynolds finally broke through and helped power Orient to a 2-0 win over Newcastle. Reynolds was the catalyst for a pair of yellow cards handed out to Jonathan Woodgate that saw him on his way to the showers at the 10 minute mark of the match. Reynolds pace had caused both poorly timed tackles by Woodgate. Orient struggled to take advantage of their additional manpower, but veteran keeper Shay Given would have none of it in the first half. Given made several very good saves in support of his hard working 10 man side to keep things scoreless at halftime and leave Richard Hunt muttering to himself at missed chances. Newcastle came out playing dogged defense again to start the second half as they tried to earn the draw, but Orient finally took full advantage of space on the pitch when Jan Kristiansen headed a looping centering pass from Daniel Fredheim Holm to a streaking Reynolds. Reynolds broke in cleanly on Given and beat him with a well placed shot inside the far left post from a difficult angle to give Orient the advantage with his 10th goal of the season. Shortly after Fredheim Holm scored on almost a duplicate of Reynolds' shot after a flick-on from Danilo Arrieta (on for slightly injured Hunt). Orient was content to help James Hicks finish off another clean sheet in the 2-0 win.

"I really liked the way Jason (Reynolds) kept attacking after Woodgate got that first yellow card- he is a pretty savvy player for how young he is," commented a pleased Drabek.

"The second yellow card to Woodgate was the key to the match- they couldn't afford to attack after that."

"Of course we had to score to win, and I admit I was getting a bit worried after we squandered all those chances in the first half."

"It took a good shot to get us the goal."

"I talked to all the physios about Richard Hunt. After all the nicks he is getting- that we keep subbing for him early- I was worried that there was something underlying the problem."

"What did they say?"

"All of them said that he was just unlucky- that there was nothing to indicate any other kind of problem."

***

"Good news to celebrate the New Year with Spencer."

"How good?"

"Very good. The doctors have cleared David Poole to resume light training. It will take him a long time to rebuild his conditioning, but he should play this season."

"That isn't good news, that's great news!"

[sherm]

just finished reading your story faramir, excellent read. come on the orient

any chance of some screenshots of the tables?

[Faramir]

sherm- Thanks for the kind word

No chance of screen shots from where I am posting- because I am a year or two beyond this point and I don't have a save game from then. I will try to remember to take some at some point. I try to post the tables as the season winds down though- so you can get an idea on the top clubs.

***

1.1.13

Chelsea (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Chelsea- S.Moore 50-P

Orient- D.Arrieta 22,24,53

MOM- Danilo Arrieta, Leyton Orient

Danilo Arrieta celebrated a rare starting opportunity as he scored a hat-trick to lead Orient to a 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Orient took advantage of Simone Padoin's mistake to score first. James Rowe whipped a pass into the area and Padoin misplayed the header as it bounced past him. Davide Vanni reached the ball first and found John Terry caught as he had been trying to come over and had left Arrieta unmarked. Vanni sent a well placed Cross and Arrieta headed it into the left side of the net. Less than 3 minutes later Richard White sent a perfectly placed cross that Arrieta collected and snapped past Marcos for his 2nd goal as Terry could only hang his head for missing the key tackle on Arrieta. Chelsea drew a goal back when Ben Hutchinson, making his first appearance of the season after recovering from surgery, was called for a handball in the area. Stefan Moore calmly converted the penalty kick past Sebastien Frey to make it 2-1. White was again the architect as Arrieta completed his hat-trick. A good ball from White gave Arrieta enough space to make a quick stop and dribble past Terry before he made an excellent shot over Marcos right shoulder. Orient was then content to soak up the Chelsea pressure as they tried to rally and they forced Chelsea into a string of long shots that Frey had little trouble handling in finishing up the 3-1 road win.

"Great to see Danilo (Arrieta) take full advantage of a starting opportunity," said a pleased Drabek.

"I think it was being paired with Vanni- they read each other very well."

"Don't forget Richard (White). He hasn't played all that well this season- but I am confident as he grows into our system he will become a force similar to Beckham in his younger days."

***

"He certainly is talented, but why now?" asked Field.

"Because we are not even close to getting another contract with Daniel Fredheim Holm. My thinking is to get him into our training system now- maybe play him a little bit as the season goes along- and then he will be ready to be a part of the lineup next season after Fredheim Holm leaves," answered Drabek.

"OK, that does make sense. I didn't realize we were so far apart on Daniel."

"I have opened discussions with his agent three times- they want Cristiano Ronaldo level wages- and I am not willing to pay him that much."

Orient Drafts Davidson

With their negotiations in re-signing winger Daniel Fredheim Holm apparently at a standstill, Leyton Orient seems to have decided to preemptively address his departure as they reached a transfer purchase agreement landing them Dave Davidson from Preston for a reported 6.5 Million fee. Davidson, the 19 year old ML who has been drawing a lot of acclaim for his play on the England Under-21 side and who had been one of the top players in Division 1 for Preston, was pleased to join the powerful Orient side. Davidson is expected to see only sparing play this season, but will be prepping for a more significant role next season.

[Faramir]

5.1.13

Leyton Orient (3) Bolton (1) League Cup 3rd Round

Orient- D.Vanni 7 L.Bowler 55 D.Arrieta 75

Bolton- R.Wilkie 70

MOM- Danilo Arrieta, Leyton Orient

The best match in the 3rd round of the League Cup was the matchup between the first and second place clubs in the EPL as Orient hosted Bolton. Orient proved poor hosts as they moved on the Cup play with their 3-1 win. Orient struck early to take the lead. Matthew Etherington slipped a pass into Danilo Arrieta and though Chris Howarth got a hand on the shot, he couldn't control the rebound and Davide Vanni was waiting right in front to slam the ball into the net. The rest of the first half was closely played and it was still 1-0 at halftime. After Steed Malbranque left with a seperated shoulder, Lee Bowler came on and he earned his first goal at Orient with a nice pass that gave Daniel Fredheim Holm enough room to manuever down the right side before crossing back. Bowler deflected the sharp cross in to give Orient a 2-0 advantage. Bolton drew a goal back when Ryan Wilkie blasted away from just outside the area and the ball deflected off Titus Bramble and past James Hicks. Orient quickly answered to regain their two goal lead as Vanni crossed to Arrieta and he slipped the ball underneath Howarth as he attempted to slide out and smother the chance. Hicks sealed the 3-1 win with more good save on Wilkie to close out the match.

"How long is Steed (Malbranque) out for?"

"At least a month."

***

"Uh, Will- you might want to take a look at this. I have a feeling the press will be at our doorstep soon on it..." offered a hesitant Spencer Field.

Hughes Lashes Out

Leyton Orient keeper Jason Hughes, apparently very unhappy about his lack of playing time since arriving at Orient, spoke out in an exclusive interview with this reporter today....

"Hmm, well I can understand why he is unhappy, but I also feel he hasn't proved enough in training time to warrant the 'annointment' he feels he should have. Does he really believe he is more qualified to start here than Sebastien (Frey)?" asked Drabek rhetorically.

"Would you like me to have a private word with him?"

"Please do Spencer. I don't really believe this is such a big deal- unless he continues to blow up in the press."

[Faramir]

"Well, we have him now," stated Drabek.

"It may take him some time to develop, but I agree he is a good addition," confirmed Field.

"He certainly is a promising right back. I am hoping that he will learn a lot from Lee Sims and Carl Laurie."

Orient Lands Lee

Leyton Orient announced the signing of 17 year old rightback Ian Lee today. Lee was signed off an unprotected contract with the Wolves, who will receive 800K in settlement for Orient's signing. Lee has been rumored to be considered for a spot on the National Under-21 side and has stated he hoped to move to a major club to enhance his chances of securing that spot. He is not expected to see any Senior time at Orient this season.

***

9.1.13

Wolves (0) Leyton Orient (1)

Wolves- None

Orient- J.Reynolds 9

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Orient survived a determined effort from a Wolves side that was still upset about Orient plucking away promising youngster Ian Lee. Heavy rains made the pitch very slick and it threw off both sides' offensive efforts. The lone goal of the match came when Matt Morris picked the pocket of Alex Saunders and then made a short pass to Jason Reynolds. Reynolds, again showing flashes of the brilliance that caused Orient to splash out to bring him from Newcastle, deftly slipped pass the sliding tackle attempt of Michael Ball and then raced down the pitch. Reynolds reached the area still unhindered and made a neat dipsy-doo move before firing a shot past venerable Conejo Perez inside the right post. The Wolves had plenty of fire in them today and it was only their poor execution that kept them from earning a more favorable result. They pressured the Orient backline, but the steady play of stalwart Sebastien Frey proved a key component in the 1-0 Orient win. Florent Sinama-Pongolle left the Molineux faithful wondering about his ability as he missed two open nets in the late stages of the second half. Frey was also called on to make a sensational one-on-one save of Sinama-Pongolle's low blast after the Orient backline left him unmarked in the second half extra time. Orient's Richard Hunt had also seen some good work for naught as Conejo Perez had made three very good saves against him as he roamed past the Wolves backline on the left side.

"I am not very happy with our backline play Spencer," stated Drabek.

"Understandably so. They certainly didn't play as a unit today."

"Ben (Huthinson) was extremely disappointing. I know he was eager to play again- but Spencer, he was roaming all over the pitch chasing the ball!"

"It wasn't a very enouraging performance for Ben today. Simon (Campbell) seemed to help more when you put him in at halftime."

"Ben has come up through our system- one of the first good youth players we have produced. But, unless he starts showing he understands that our backline play has to be as a unit, well- he won't see much time."

Field paused, "I wonder why the Wolves stick with Conejo Perez?"

Drabek shrugged, "Well, there are a lot of clubs sticking with elder keepers- but still you would think they would be considering developing one of their younger keepers over a 39-year old."

[Faramir]

13.1.13

Leyton Orient (3) Sheffield Wednesday (2)

Orient- D.Vanni 12,29,84

Sheffield Wed- D.Blake 20 A.Harrison 68

MOM- Davide Vanni, Leyton Orient

Orient barely edged relegation bound Sheffield Wednesday as it took Davide Vanni's finish to his hat-trick to give them the late match winner in a close 3-2 win at Brisbane Road. Orient grabbed the early lead when James Rowe snapped a quick through ball that Davide Vanni reached first and flicked past Andreas Isaksson for his 5th goal of the season. Jason Hughes had a less than stellar debut and Wednesday equalized when Danny Blake fired the ball past Hughes after Hughes mishandled a loose ball at the edge of the six-yard box. Orient took the lead again when James Rowe flicked on a pass from David Rowe and Vanni outmuscled Richard Wood for the ball inside the area before blasting a rising shot over Isaksson's right shoulder into the upper left corner of the net. Wednesday, currently desperately trying to gain ground to avoid relegation, fought back bravely in the second half and after several close calls evened the match at 2-2. Georgi Peev whipped in a cross from the right sideline and Andrew Harrison outleaped Danielle Rossi and Chris Sutton to deflect the ball past Hughes. Orient wanted the win and put together a fine passing effort for the deciding goal. David Rowe zipped a pass into John Turner. Turner made a nice touch-on of the ball and found Vanni who slipped past his marker and Vanni blasted a sharp-angled shot past Isaksson to complete his hat-trick and give Orient a late 3-2 win.

"Jason (Hughes) was rather unimpressive," observed Field blandly.

"I noticed. He did have a couple good saves in the second half- but the two goals they scored were both ones he could have stopped."

"At least Davide (Vanni) completed his hat-trick."

"He deserved it- after barely missing wide to open the second half and then seeing Isaksson make that good stop on him."

"They had little luck marking him all match."

[Faramir]

16.1.13

Middlesbrough (0) Leyton Orient (5)

Middlesbrough- None

Orient- L.Talbot 10 J.Reynolds 23,44,49 R.Garry 67

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

It was the Jason Reynolds show for Orient as they rolled over Middlesbrough 5-0 in front of a disappointed sold out Riverside Stadium crowd. Orient showed they were really ready to play today when Matthew Etherington took the ball past Stuart Parnaby on the left sideline and then crossed sharply to Lee Talbot. Talbot struck an angled header back to the left side of the net that caught Robert Olejnik moving the wrong way for his 1st Senior goal. Talbot then sent a perfect outswinging corner that Jason Reynolds flicked inside the right post to make it 2-0. Talbot and Reynolds then demonstrated an ESP-like connection as they repeated that goal with Talbot hitting an inswinging corner from the left side and Reynolds again flicking it inside the near post for his 2nd goal of the match. Reynolds then left Olejnik completely frustrated in the opening moments of the second half when he took a beautiful curling cross from Richard White and blasted it through Olejnik's hands as it trickled into the net to complete his hat-trick. Orient then added insult to injury as they converted their 3rd corner of the match when Ryan Garry snapped a header past Olejnik on a corner from Jan Kristiansen to complete the 5-0 rout.

Field chuckled, "You have difficult decision coming up."

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do when David Poole gets healthy again? Jason (Reynolds) has been the best player in the EPL- even in limited action. The dynamics between him and Richard Hunt are excellent."

"I have been thinking about that. I know that this may seem an unorthodox solution, but I may put Reynolds in the midfield- to take over the role that David Fox had."

"Well, I don't know how comfortable he might be there- but I guess it couldn't hurt to try. Still we have been getting good work out of Matt Morris and David Rowe so far."

"Adequate work. Unfortunately neither one is particularly strong or sturdy. I think it might work and if it does we have a lot of dynamic offensive options in the lineup."

***

"Is there something you aren't telling me?" stated Spencer Field, slightly accusingly to Drabek.

"No Spencer. I just feel that we need to try and keep the top young English talent where it is- in England. That is why I have been bidding and adding some of these promising youngsters."

"Well, I can't deny they add depth to our reserves and Under-19 squads, but it still looks curious given the fact our first line players aren't all that old."

"You have to build the flow of young talent Spencer. We haven't quite gotten our youth program to spit out players like the other big clubs, so a judicious purchase here and there works best for us for now."

Orient Buys Another Byrne

Leyton Orient today announced the transfer purchase of promsising young DC Paul Byrne from Telford for a reported 400K. Byrne was the subject of intense interest (and offers) from Arsenal, Everton, Schalke O4 and Bologna. Byrne was pleased to accept a contract from Orient and stated, "It is a pleasure to join such a successful and well finananced club."

[Faramir]

19.1.13

Leyton Orient (3) Everton (1)

Orient- D.Vanni 26,30,37

Everton- A.Gilardino 48

MOM- Davide Vanni, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient knocked off struggling Everton 3-1 at Brisbane Road behind another strong performance from developing young Italian forward Davide Vanni. Vanni added another hat-trick to his stat sheet in the space of 12 minutes of play in leading Orient to the win. Orient continued their run of terrific results from corners with their 4th goal in the last two matches when Vanni deflected a Matt Morris corner past Richard Wright. Vanni showed an excellent sense of the flow of play when Scott Parker made a nice sliding tackle on James Rowe- only to see Vanni swoop in and pick up the loose ball before blasting a twisting 20 yard shot past Wright for his 2nd marker of the match. Morris then stripped Parker of the ball with a nice tackle and flicked a pass that found Vanni moving past Joseph Yobo. Yobo wasn't able to prevent Vanni from rifling a shot inside the right post from the edge of the six yard box to complete his hat-trick. Everton managed to regain their comeback hope when Albert Gilardino took advantage of Titus Bramble and Jan Evrard (just back from injury) to find space behind them and Lee Sims missed the tackle on him before he boomed home a 25 yard blast past Sebastien Frey to ruin Frey's clean sheet. Orient stood firm with the 3-1 lead and didn't allow Everton any more close in chances as they closed out the win.

"Davide (Vanni) is really blossoming now," offered a pleased Field.

"Easy to see why several Italian sides were interested in purchasing him before the season," agreed Drabek.

"He is off the market now though, right?"

"Yes. Off the market completely. With Davide, David Poole, Jason Reynolds and Richard Hunt- we have a great core group of young forwards."

"I have heard a few rumblings on the squad. Some players are getting upset with Reynolds' showmanship."

"They will have to take it in stride for now. I am not going to put too tight a rein on him at present."

***

"How long will Ryan (Garry) be out?" asked Field.

"Well, the original estimate was a week, but Tony Chamberlain thought we should send him to be looked at- and I did- the specialist thinks he should be out a month to try and prevent a recurrance this season."

***

Drabek snapped the phone shut, "We won't be getting a look at Paul Byrne this season."

"What happened?"

"Accidental collision during corner drills. He hit the post with his thigh. They thought it was a bruise at first, but the exam showed muscle tissue damage. He is going to surgery tomorrow and will be out until summer."

[Faramir]

26.1.13

Leyton Orient (4) Crystal Palace (0) FA Cup 4th round

Orient- J.Torhallsson 2-P,21-P J.Kristiansen 37 J.Reynolds 55

Crystal Palace- None

MOM- Johann Torhallsson, Leyton Orient

Orient was never troubled from the opening moments on of their 4th round FA Cup match against Division 1 Crystal Palace at Brisbane Road. Jason Reynolds caused the most trouble for the visitors as ex-Orient defender Mitchell Booth triggered both of Orient's first two goals on pushes of Reynolds in the area. In almost clonelike fashion, Johann Torhallsson converted both penalty kicks into the same spot in the left side of the net as Orient quickly moved ahead 2-0. Orri Freyr Oskarsson's whiplike pass picked out an unmarked Jan Kristiansen and he added to the lead with a well placed shot into the right side of the net. Orient finished off the scoring in the second half when Torhallsson ran down a ball on the left and crossed smartly to Reynolds. Reynolds smashed a shot past Paul Bell to close out the 4-0 win.

[Faramir]

30.1.13

Blackburn (1) Leyton Orient (0)

Blackburn- L.Moore 49

Orient- None

MOM- Tommy Lee, Blackburn

The return of David Poole wasn't enough for Orient as they couldn't solve ex-mate Tommy Lee in falling at Blackburn 1-0. Poole showed the rust of playing his 1st match of the season as he missed inches wide on two shots that he usually doesn't miss. Lee was doing yeoman work in the home net as he stopped Davide Vanni on his doorstep and tipped a rising shot from Matthew Etherington over the bar to ensure the match was still scoreless at halftime. The lone goal of the match came when Paul Konchesky took advantage of the momentary confusion from a loose ball after a free kick. Konchesky showed good vision in picking out Luke Moore, on for injured Giampaolo Pazzini, out on the wide left. Moore took the ball in and then slipped past pursuing Lee Sims and Titus Bramble before slotting the ball home underneath Sebastien Frey. With the lead, Blackburn doggedly defended Lee and kept Orient from any good close chances, while they cleared away several dangerous rebounds to help hand Orient only their 2nd loss in League play this season.

"A bit rough around the edges today in our execution," sighed Drabek.

"Well, it is going to talk David (Poole) a small amount of time before he is totally back in the flow."

"Davide (Vanni) didn't do as well playing on the offside- it is clear he is more comfortable when on his natural side."

***

"Nice to see us finally healing up again."

"It will be good to get Steed Malbranque back. With him and David (Poole) we are getting our veteran leadership back at a good point in the season."

[Faramir]

2.2.13

WBA (1) Leyton Orient (2)

WBA- L.Guy 45-P

Orient- D.Arrieta 59 J.Reynolds 81

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Orient came from behind at the Hawthorns and took away a 2-1 win thanks to a late goal by wunderkid Jason Reynolds. The first half was closely played and Orient was having difficulty with the hard working homeside as they seemingly draped a blanket of coverage over the Orient midfield and forwards. In first half injury time, Richard White was whistled for tripping Thomas Gaardsoe in the area on a corner and Lewis Guy stepped up and converted the penalty kick to send WBA to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead. The arrival of Danilo Arrieta in the lineup to replace injured Richard Hunt seemed to invigorate Orient and Arrieta quickly made the switch pay off when he took a deft interior pass from Reynolds and chipped over John Wilson for the equalizer. Orient then showed much more effort than previously and began pressuring WBA in their zone. A late corner was the match winner for Orient as Reynolds showed exquistite timing in outleaping Tiberiu Ghioane before deflecting the corner from William Flood past Wilson. Orient staved off the last WBA rally with Sebastien Frey making a key save on Feli Condessa in the dying moments to preserve the 2-1 road win.

"It looked like we were dead in the water until Danilo (Arrieta) came in," commented Field.

"We *were* dead in the water. No offensive flow, no passing, no openings- but Danilo cracked the match open for us. He even earned that late corner we scored on."

"True, he almost scored himself- but Wilson managed his fingertip save that put the ball just wide of the post."

"The bad news is that Sebastien's (Frey) hamstring is badly tweaked. He will need a couple weeks rest."

"Ouch. Well, at least James Hicks has looked up to the task this season. Will Frey be back for our next Champions Cup match?"

"They think so."

[Faramir]

6.2.13

Leyton Orient (2) Manchester City (0)

Orient- S.Malbranque 22 T.Bramble 68

Manchester City- None

MOM- Steed Malbranque, Leyton Orient

Though David Poole and Jason Reynolds weren't able to solve Kasper Schmeichel, Orient edged their visitors from Manchester City 2-0 in a well played match. Orient used the speciality situations to find a way past Schmeichel as Steed Malbranque proved what a deadly free kick taker he was with his 1st goal of this season on a 20 yard free kick after Poole was pulled down just at the edge of the area. James Hicks gave Orient steady work as Manchester City challenged him with a series of accurate shots from just outside the edge of the area. Orient added to their lead when Titus Bramble flicked a header past Schmeichel on an inswinging corner from Matthew Etherington. With the 2-0 lead, Orient was content to control the midfield and stifle the attempted rally by Manchester City in closing out the 2-0 win.

"All that practice time on corners is paying off," wryly observed Spencer Field.

Will Drabek just grinned, "It didn't hurt to have Steed (Malbranque) back to take the free kicks either.

"I will be sorry to see Steed leave after the season."

"Well, I did just offer his agent another one season deal- we may have him that long if they accept the offer."

"That would great! We could use his tutelage for one more season with our young midfielders."

"Not just that, but I want to keep him for our Champions Cup matches too- he is a steadying influence out there."

[Faramir]

9.2.13

Arsenal (3) Leyton Orient (1)

Arsenal- Adriano 11,19 A.Cole 43

Orient- D.Poole 63

MOM- Adriano, Arsenal

Orient was left wondering what happened after a bad first half saw them victimized and trailing 3-0. The sold out Ashburton Grove crowd was clearly delighted with the home side as they manhandled Orient in the first half. Adriano showed some precision shooting as he hit two brilliant swerving shots past James Hicks in the first 20 minutes of play. Ashley Cole followed with a dazzling 30 yard shot curving shot that will surely be viewed for the Goal of the Month competition. Orient tried to rally by pressing the home side more in the second half. David Poole scored his 1st goal of the season after he slipped his marker and Lee Talbot sent him an excellent through ball. It appeared that Orient was right back in the match minutes later when a Talbot corner was deflected in by Jason Reynolds. The goal was waved off when it was ruled that Reynolds pushed Chris Kirkland in the air on the corner. Orient couldn't manage to right their ship after that call and Arsenal was left celebrating a huge 3-1 win that pulls them into 2nd place behind Orient in EPL play.

"James (Hicks) was clearly overmatched today," sighed Drabek.

"It was a learning experience- they aren't all pleasant," agreed Field.

"We didn't help ourselves much in the first half. Titus Bramble missed key tackles on both times that Adriano broke into the area to score."

"It might be time to consider a smaller role for Titus. I love him like a son, but he hasn't played with the same steadiness we have seen from him in the past."

"I don't agree on that. I think Titus is still one of the key components for our defense."

[Faramir]

13.2.13

ENGLAND

South Africa (1) England (0) Friendly

South Africa- M.Mabizela 28

England- None

MOM- Mbulelo Mabizela, South Africa

South Africa took full advantage of an English lineup that was featuring several new faces to win 1-0 at Johannesburg. The lone goal in the match came when Mbulelo Mabizela made a sensational volley off a pass from Gift Leremi past Stuart Taylor. England offered little offensive cohesiveness in the match, which featured first Caps for the 32 year old keeper Taylor, 22 year old Fullback Gareth Higgins, 24 year old Midfielder James Rowe, 22 year old Forward Richard Hunt, 21 year old Forward Jason Reynolds and also 26 year old Tom Huddlestone. Plenty of mistakes were made by both sides in the match, but South African keeper Brian Baloyi made a pair of saving stops on David Poole and later Wayne Rooney to help preserve the clean sheet in the win.

[Guest]

I have read this story from the start until here and it is really great and I enjoyed it. Good job Faramir, thank you

[Faramir]

Thanks Corwin You must have a bit of stamina if you managed to read the whole thing

***

"Bad news Spencer," sighed Drabek.

"What now?"

"George Burley (Scottish National Coach) just gave me a courtesy call. Stephen Pearson tore his calf muscle in Scotland's win over Serbia. He is sending him directly to our Doctor, but the initial estimates from their medical staff are that he will be out at least a month with a torn calf muscle."

"Damm!"

"I agree on that. It is going to put a crimp in our plans for European competitions."

"Well, at least you added James Rowe to the European roster. He is the best alternate for the spot."

Drabek nodded, "I wish he had more experience though."

"Guess he will have to learn the hard way," chuckled Field.

[Faramir]

16.2.13

Leyton Orient (3) Tottenham (0) FA Cup 5th round

Orient- C.Laurie 12 D.Poole 21 D.Fredheim Holm 43

Tottenham- None

MOM- Daniel Fredheim Holm, Leyton Orient

Orient used a well executed game plan to score three first half goals and then defended well to defeat Tottenham 3-0 at Brisbane Road in their FA Cup match. Orient's success with corners of late continued as they took the lead when Carl Laurie showed superb timing in deflecting a corner from Daniel Fredheim Holm past Tim Howard to give Orient a quick lead. Fredheim Holm was also the architect for the second goal with a stellar pass that was perfectly placed for David Poole past Matt Hill. Poole showed he is rounding into form with a blistering low shot to the left side of the net past Howard. Poole returned the favor with an excellent lay off pass that gave Fredheim Holm enough maneuvering room to fire a shot past Howard into the right side of the net to cement his selection as MOM for the match. With the commanding 3-0 lead, Orient was content to defend in the second half and help James Hicks conclude a clean sheet in the 3-0 win that knocks Tottenham out of the competition.

"Great match by Daniel (Fredheim Holm)!" exclaimed Field.

"He showed he is class again," agreed Drabek.

"Did you have any luck with negotiations with him?"

"No. I tried. I made several offers- including one that would make him one of the highest paid players on the club. No dice though."

"It will be a loss to the club when he leaves."

***

EPL Standings- 10 Matches Remaining

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

1- Leyton Orient 67 pts (+40) (15 goals allowed through 28 matches)

2- Arsenal 56 pts (+28)

3- Bolton 55 pts (+25)

4- Tottenham 50 pts (+17)

5- Blackburn 45 pts (+16)

6- Chelsea 45 pts (+6)

</pre>