A game in which... Orient abandoned their previously unsuccessful tactic of playing reasonably well and then losing in favour of playing absolutely abysmally and winning. The first 60 minutes were woeful, a footballing spectacle only marginally preferable to trying to trim your own toenails with a chainsaw. The last 30 minutes were better, thanks solely to the introduction of on-loan midfielder Paul-Jose M'poku. The Belgian U19 international reminded his forgetful Orient teammates that passing, dribbling, running and shooting are often useful weapons to deploy when trying to win a game of football.
Moment to savour... Hartlepool, it should be noted, were equally as dire as Orient, but did have one notable attempt at goal in the second half - a header which reserve goalkeeper Lee Butcher acrobatically turned over the bar, indicating he could prove to be a more than able back up to Jamie Jones.
Head in hands moment... Ben Chorley's lung-busting 70-yard run towards the end of the game, which took him from deep in the Orient half into Hartlepool's penalty area. Is he going to blast it into the net? Is he going to cleverly lay it off for Scott McGleish to score? Oh, he's passed it straight to the opposition and has to run all the way back again... Shame.
King for a day... Only one candidate really: Paul-Jose M'poku. Introduced with half an hour to go, he gave the Os some real impetus going forward, continually beating men and causing trouble around the edge of the box. Presumably he'd been watching the game very closely from the bench, because he opted to shoot from every free kick rather than pass to a fellow red shirt, no matter how far away from goal he was. Clever.
Boo boy... Dean Cox, who gave an outright JJ Melligan of a performance. In the first 15 minutes he bizarrely opted to deftly chip the ball back into this own penalty area into the path of an onrushing Hartlepool player, and it went downhill from there. Even his trademark squaring up to an opposition player seemed half-hearted this week.
In the dug out... Let's give Big Russ the benefit of the doubt and assume that, despite the loss of Stephen Dawson to injury, he left M'poku on the bench for match-fitness rather than tactical reasons. Still, there was a fair degree of heckling from the West Stand over his reluctance to make any substitutions until the final half an hour, and the manager's apparently unending in faith in his first-choice eleven despite Orient's league position is a bit dubious. And what's James Walker done to upset him? Pissed in his cap?
What would Martin Ling have done? Claimed in the post-match press conference that Paul-Jose Mpoku's performance was one of genius, then gone on to leave him on the bench for the next match in favour of JJ Melligan. "JJ's been really committed in training this week and he deserves his chance," he'd say, defiantly.
Going down? Well, we're out of the relegation zone, but it's going to take a lot more than a 1-0 win over a hopeless Hartlepool side to salvage something from this season. Still, keep the teenage Spurs loanees coming in and we might just stand a chance of staying up.
Showing posts with label James Walker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Walker. Show all posts
16 October 2010
11 September 2010
Leyton Orient 1 Huddersfield 2, 11/9/10
A game in which... Orient, like a male porn star who's lost his mojo, just didn't have any penetration. And while the performance against a classy Huddersfield side wasn't totally flaccid - the Os showed remarkable adeptness at repeatedly passing the ball sideways along the halfway line, for example - the ongoing inability to turn possession into chances is going to make the season a long, hard one.
Moment to savour... Incensed that a Huddersfield wall was standing much nearer than the required 10 yards at a free-kick, midfield pygmy Dean Cox paced the distance himself on behalf of referee Andy D'Urso. Admittedly it took his little legs about 35 paces to cover the 10 yards, but he was indeed correct.
Head in hands moment... Huddersfield's second goal, which had something of the school playground about it. The ball popped around the box, spooned off a knee or two and then fell to Huddersfield's Jordan Rhodes, who put the ball in the net via a deflection and to the sound of Orient defenders accusing him of goal-hanging.
King for a day... That man Dean Cox again. His goal was a screamer of a half-volley and he nearly salvaged a point for Orient when his skilful turn and cross in the area crept inches away from the marauding Alex Revell. A bit like a JJ Melligan who can actually cross, or a Shane Tudor who doesn't just run into defenders and fall over, Cox could be the goal-scoring midfielder we've been craving since the days of Alan Comfort.
Boo boy... Ok Jimmy Smith, we know you're playing out of position and everything, but that doesn't really excuse your inability to find an Orient shirt whenever you pass the ball forward. Who do you think you are, Alton Thelwell?
In the dug out... By his reluctance to make substitutions, Big Russ apparently has little faith in his anyone excpet his first-choice eleven. Mike Cestor, for one, must feel pretty aggreived that, despite being the only fit left-footed player in the whole club, he still can't get a game.
You're supposed to be away... To be fair, the travelling Huddersfield support has tended to be one of the best to come to Brisbane Road in recent seasons. Maybe they like us because we let their much-loved striker Andy Booth score in his last ever game?
What would Martin Ling have done? Responded to Orient's growing defensive injury crisis by converting Brian Saah to a left-back, pleading 'Give the lad time' after the opposition's right winger scores six goals in the subsequent match.
Going down? The current league table certainly makes it look that way, and while losing to Huddersfield is no disgrace, the Os have to start picking up points somewhere. Still, if the return of James Walker is a sign that Big Russ is looking to bring back former Orient loanees, then perhaps we can look forward to the likes of Richard Garcia, Simon Church or Gary Hooper helping us to stave off relegation. Probably give Sam Parkin a miss though, eh Russ?
Moment to savour... Incensed that a Huddersfield wall was standing much nearer than the required 10 yards at a free-kick, midfield pygmy Dean Cox paced the distance himself on behalf of referee Andy D'Urso. Admittedly it took his little legs about 35 paces to cover the 10 yards, but he was indeed correct.
Head in hands moment... Huddersfield's second goal, which had something of the school playground about it. The ball popped around the box, spooned off a knee or two and then fell to Huddersfield's Jordan Rhodes, who put the ball in the net via a deflection and to the sound of Orient defenders accusing him of goal-hanging.
King for a day... That man Dean Cox again. His goal was a screamer of a half-volley and he nearly salvaged a point for Orient when his skilful turn and cross in the area crept inches away from the marauding Alex Revell. A bit like a JJ Melligan who can actually cross, or a Shane Tudor who doesn't just run into defenders and fall over, Cox could be the goal-scoring midfielder we've been craving since the days of Alan Comfort.
Boo boy... Ok Jimmy Smith, we know you're playing out of position and everything, but that doesn't really excuse your inability to find an Orient shirt whenever you pass the ball forward. Who do you think you are, Alton Thelwell?
In the dug out... By his reluctance to make substitutions, Big Russ apparently has little faith in his anyone excpet his first-choice eleven. Mike Cestor, for one, must feel pretty aggreived that, despite being the only fit left-footed player in the whole club, he still can't get a game.
You're supposed to be away... To be fair, the travelling Huddersfield support has tended to be one of the best to come to Brisbane Road in recent seasons. Maybe they like us because we let their much-loved striker Andy Booth score in his last ever game?
What would Martin Ling have done? Responded to Orient's growing defensive injury crisis by converting Brian Saah to a left-back, pleading 'Give the lad time' after the opposition's right winger scores six goals in the subsequent match.
Going down? The current league table certainly makes it look that way, and while losing to Huddersfield is no disgrace, the Os have to start picking up points somewhere. Still, if the return of James Walker is a sign that Big Russ is looking to bring back former Orient loanees, then perhaps we can look forward to the likes of Richard Garcia, Simon Church or Gary Hooper helping us to stave off relegation. Probably give Sam Parkin a miss though, eh Russ?
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