We R Da Yoof v Cheltenham "Promotion Candidates" Town (LOFC v CTFC)

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Teddy Mezague
Callum Kennedy
Nigel Atangana
Michael Collins
Sammy Moore
Gavin Massey
Paul McCallum

What's that list of players? Why, it's a list of senior pros Leyton Orient will have available for selection. Seven. We have seven. Three of those are central midfielders, so only six will play. Six senior pros and five youth/ recent youth graduates.

In the words of the youth, SIK WUN.

0-2

 

[E10rifle]

Kennedy and McCallum are carrying knocks so might not be available.

0-3

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Analysis of the team that started the game at Whaddon Road in August:

GK: Alex Cisak - Transfer listed and frozen out.
RB: Shaun Clohessy - Frozen out, released.
CB: Yvan Erichot - Injured, seemingly at one stage was frozen out.
CB: Tom Parkes - Was transfer listed, then taken off the list, now injured for the season.
LB: Sandro Semedo
RM: Gavin Massey
CM: Nigel Atangana
CM: Robbie Weir: Injured for the rest of the season.
LM: Harry Cornick: Injured, returned to Bournemouth for treatment. Refused to return any calls to the clubs management team until his loan expired.
ST: Ollie Palmer: Sent packing to Luton.
ST: Jordan Bowery: Sent packing to Crewe.

Subs:
Callum Kennedy: Was transfer listed, now taken off it.
Liam Kelly: Five games of his suspension left.
Dean Cox: Don't even go there.
Nicky Hunt: Second game of a two game suspension.
Sam Sargeant: Will start.
Josh Koroma: Will start.
Armond Gnanduillet: Sent packing to Blackpool.

Honourable mentions:
Jay Simpson: Transfer listed, taken off the list, sent packing to Philadelpia.
Scott Kashket: Banned from playing, sent packing to Wycombe where he's set them alight.

 

[The Terminator]

 

[E10rifle]

When you consider all that, it's a miracle that we're still only 3 points behind Cheltenham and the promotion race.

 

[Si Robin]

Our record against those around us is shocking.

I can see us losing this, despite the issues Orient are having.

 

[CTFCfan99]

Should be a completely different game to the one at Whaddon Road as our team has changed a lot too.

GK Griffiths - loan ended in January
RB Suliman - barely played after first few games, loan ended January
CB Parslow - loaned out in January
CB O'Shaughnessy - will probably play, either at CB or LWB
LB Jennings - barely played, loaned out
RM Rowe - will probably start in CM
CM Pell - will start
CM Whitehead - barely played, loan ended
LM Morgan-Smith - loaned out in January
ST Wright - not played much recently
ST Holman - struggled with injuries, will probably be on the bench

Fortunately unlike yourselves we're not having to use youth team players to replace all those that are gone, and if you really only have 5 or 6 senior pros playing then *hopefully* we should be good enough to get three points...but you never really know with this team.

 

[E10rifle]

if you really only have 5 or 6 senior pros playing then *hopefully* we should be good enough to get three points...

This isn't kidology. We really do only have five or six senior pros available.

 

[K-Win]

Reminds me of our legendary 2013 club calendar. By 8th January 2013 we only had 3 of the pictured players left at the club - Mr March, Mr May and Mr August.

 

[NolansOrient]

1-1 draw. If we don't win we are down 100%.

Even if we do win I expect administration to send us packing.

RIP.

 

[The Terminator]

The reality is, tomorrow we will only have one recognised CB in Teddy Mezeague, who will be partnered by Aaron Pollock who is 18 and has just recovered from injury or Callum Kennedy again like last week, who is naturally a LB. We didn't cope too well with this last week against Notts, which ultimately meant we lost the game - Thats if Kennedy isn't injured as well.

For all our good football we play, we're too reliant on Gavin Massey to make things happen for us, we need to take our chances early to have any hope of getting anything from the game.

The ages of our likely starting XI tomorrow is:
Sargeant - 19
Judd - Turned 18 today!
Pollock - 18
Mezeague - 26
Kennedy - 27
Massey - 23
Collins - 31
Atangana - 27
Semedo - 20
Dalby - 17
McCallum - 23

We've also made zero subs in our last two games - Last week I believe it was again because of injuries, but it cost last week IMO as we needed fresh legs which Notts brought on to change the game for themselves. Plymouth also did the same thing but we somehow beat them.

Even if we do win, we haven't got enough bodies to make a difference to get us out of the mess we've been left in.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Turns out Parkes only had bruising. Ha.

 

[NolansOrient]

Somehow its 0-1 to Cheltenham. They've been clearly second best and took a well taken, if fortunate, goal. Sums up our season, playing all the football for none of the results.

 

[E10rifle]

Somehow its 0-1 to Cheltenham. They've been clearly second best and took a well taken, if fortunate, goal. Sums up our season, playing all the football for none of the results.

Come off it. We've only started playing decent football since Webb took over. Carbon copy of last week - Cheltenham are literally incapable of stringing three passes together, but are leading 1-0 thanks to our inability to defend a hoof straight up the pitch.

 

[NolansOrient]

Come off it. We've only started playing decent football since Webb took over. Carbon copy of last week - Cheltenham are literally incapable of stringing three passes together, but are leading 1-0 thanks to our inability to defend a hoof straight up the pitch.

Upon reflection (I.e. The half time whistle) I take it back; we're dire. The ref even gifted us the softest penalty I've ever seen and we still cant score. I fucking hate supporting this shit, conference - bound team

 

[Vanni]

C'mon Orient ffs.

Sorry LOTAL, didn't work today

 

[mowgli]

Can we have Scott Brown back from his loan spell please Cheltenham?

 

[The Terminator]

Similar performance to all our home games since the youngsters have been thrown in, play well enough first half - But don't punish teams, we had enough chances in the first half to lead before Cheltenham scored a well taken goal. But in the second half we run out of steam it seems, very much second best and Cheltenhams extra nouce helps them to see out the game. They should've killed us off as well.

The penalty was soft but I thought it was the correct decision myself. After we missed it, all the confidence from the team went to pieces. We pushed, but had no idea how to break Cheltenham down. Today showed how badly we miss Liam Kelly and Nicky Hunt. Massey had a quieter game than usual - Just shows how much we rely on him, but he is a right winger and not an out and out striker.

Thats our 14th home loss of the season, unless Webb can work a miracle on the road the writing is on the wall for us. Our youngsters haven't got the nouce and our seniors are losing their heart.

Quick word to our youngster Michael Clark who came on at half time to make his debut, thought he did really well. Looks a better prospect than Aron Pollock.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Upon reflection (I.e. The half time whistle) I take it back; we're dire. The ref even gifted us the softest penalty I've ever seen and we still cant score. I fucking hate supporting this shit, conference - bound team

Blatant penalty to be fair, most ridiculous foul I've seen in ages in terms of the absolute needlessness of it. Orient were the better side in the first half, had the chances to score. This came about through Cheltenham's inability to defend the right hand side, it was too easy to pass around Barthram and Onariase was extremely uncomfortable in wider areas so there were numerous easy entries into the area from that flank - Brown was way too routed to his line but in fairness he's made a number of good reflex saves from the crosses so it worked for him.

Cheltenham's game plan was to get the ball over the top for Waters to run onto but I think they'd have offered more if they didn't have the lead and Davis at LWB looked a real threat, gave Judd a right lesson.

After the penalty miss Orient didn't offer much, but I think it was less about confidence and more the introduction of Storer who shored up the midfield a little bit for Cheltenham and the injury to Koroma. Dalby + McCallum doesn't work and Liburd doesn't work. From then on Cheltenham - despite Orient pressure at the end - were fairly comfortable and I don't think Brown's had another real save to make.

I thought Parkes was probably Orient's best player but Clark did very well when he came on, few criticisms here and there but in the main a good solid promising debut. Be interesting to see how he does against a more physical presence than Waters mind. Koroma impressed me and Massey still carried a threat I thought and caused Cheltenham a number of problems.

Overall both teams were poor and I can see why Cheltenham are near the bottom. 6 points clear now though, you'd back them to survive. I think really it's going to come down to Orient, Hartlepool and Newport. Kelly's return is the main hope that we have really.

Also interesting to watch Webb's body language, glances every couple of minutes up towards the director's box.

 

[Si Robin]

I only listened to the first half-hour or so and it really did sound like it would be a matter of time until Orient scored. Followed the rest of the game on Twitter, and it was only in the last 10 mins or so did it sound like we were even in the game.

So, again, we were shite against a team around us, only this time we managed to nick a goal and not concede. Hopefully, this will be enough to see us stop up, but I won't be counting my chickens.

 

[E10rifle]

That second half was proper shite. Laughable that 20 year old Semedo with his 30-odd senior appearances wasn't even in the bottom five for inexperience today.

Ps. 'Nous', Rob, 'nous'.