da stake casino： The start of another League One season is only days away and whilst it seems only weeks ago that we were screaming at poor refereeing decisions or moaning about the horrible weather on a cold Tuesday evening, fans of football league clubs can finally look forward to a new campaign full of optimism and hope. One club doing just that is League One side Leyton Orient.
da 888casino： Last season was one of surprising highs. The O’s earned a seventh-placed finish and enjoyed an FA Cup run that included wins against two newly promoted Premier League teams and an amazing draw against Arsenal. Equally impressive was that Orient did all this playing attractive passing football rather than the long ball ugly game that often weighs down the lower leagues. There is a strange feeling of expectation around Brisbane Road. As many fans know this is of course a very dangerous feeling and needs to be balanced with a dose of realism due to the unpredictably of the lower leagues.
But in the euphoria of football returning after the summer break, I am going to preview the O’s season with a new sense of expectation. Pre-season has gone well for Russell Slade’s side. We remained unbeaten until a visit from Premier League Tottenham and Slade has brought in a number of new faces that add depth and experience to a relatively small squad.
Most crucial though is that we have kept last season’s stars together. Finding a lower league gem is hard enough but one good season often sees your best players snapped up by bigger teams. Jamie Jones and Jimmy Smith in particular were out of contract and look destined to move on but yet somehow both stayed and signed long-term deals with the club. Key men like Charlie Daniels and Dean Cox faced the inevitable whispers of them looking to move on yet both remain in East London for the new season. Keeping a set of players that are driven by a good spirit and great understanding of each other’s play is a great advantage for Slade.
And then we come to the manager himself. Not often do Orient bosses get head hunted by higher league sides but this summer the O’s looked on the verge of losing their most important asset to Championship side Barnsley. But Russell stayed and whilst it seemed like a case of chairman Barry Hearn slamming the door shut on any potential move, all parties seem happy and ready for the new season.
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Orient kick off the new campaign against Walsall this Saturday before facing local rivals Southend in the cup. With a slightly bigger squad at our disposal I believe we have the team to challenge in both competitions and early wins would set up the season well. But what about our other competitors? Who is going to be the danger team next season?
Despite experiencing a disastrous campaign last season I expect Charlton to do well. They have added to the squad wisely this summer and if they can make a good start, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make their long-awaited jump back up the leagues. Under the leadership of new boss Uwe Rosler and in the wake of some impressive signings, Brentford would be an outside bet for a play-off push next term. The clubs that were relegated from the Championship last season (Preston, Scunthorpe and Sheffield Utd) also have a good chance of making an impact in the third tier of English football.
Whilst on paper the league looks weaker after the departures of Peterborough, Brighton and Southampton (and the long-term losses in previous years of ‘big teams’ like Norwich and Leeds that used to improve the league), League One promises to be another exciting campaign. The unpredictability of the lower leagues means its hard to say whether Orient can go one step better than last season but to be honest, come next May, I would be happy with another top ten finish.
How do you think Orient will do next season? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5