Bang, bang! You're down.

[Kinky Gerbil]

Another one of the FLs fit and proper chairman......

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

Reason this annoys me, is when we had the international break I went to Crawley v Orient, as it's quite close. I saw a bunch of kids who hadn't been paid outdone in every way by a hoofball Crawley team 3-0.

I saw grown men crying signing 'Orient Till I die' and I spoke to their fans and they ALL wished us luck, 1 had even donated half his wages to the save the club fund.

If we can't relate to that, then get me off the bus, football is dead.

 

[Bwian]

Obviously I wouldn't want to see them go bust - same for any club. At the time, however, I don't remember a great deal of sympathy from anyone from Orient for our plight. Their chairman, Barry Hearn, campaigned to have us expelled from the football league. Their players regularly goaded our fans before and during games. They had some idiotic fans, epitomised by that bloke Buono, who used to be on the PA system at Brisbane Road and played YMCA before kick off when they played us, just to get the homophobic chanting going. Through the lens of our own success and with the passing of two decades, it's easy (and better) to 'be the bigger person' and wish them well, but some of the posts on this thread are a little sanctimonious.

Good response to this thread.

Anybody who went to our away games at Orient will remember one whole stand taking great delight in what we were going through. Aided and abetted by that cjtc Buono. Orient going down is nowhere near as terminal as it would have been for us-they still have their ground. They just need to get new owners.

 

[Hotchilidog]

At least the OP has shown some contrition so i'll let that slide. For me what has happened at Orient this season has been the greatest hidden scandals of the season. The owner has got them relegated pure and simple. It is a disgrace that the FL still fail to properly vet people who want to take part in their competition.

I really feel for the O's fans this season, an absolute nightmare for them. I can only hope that their club changes hands soon and that they can claw themselves back. If it's any consolation the National League is a pretty decent competition these days and may be more enjoyble than L2.

it is very sad looking back on what was an enjoyable but short lived rivalry. Good luck to them next season.

 

[Bakero]

I would be sad to see the demise of a small London Club like Leyton Orient drop out of the Football League. Them Charlton, Barnet and Millwall are the only London clubs where they can boast a solely local fan base which hasn't been bought and paid for by them being on TV every week.

Brentford too

 

[Simster]

Whatever you think of Leyton Orient, the complete failure of the governing body to do it's job protecting football clubs from being asset stripped or grossly mismanaged is the issue here. Hearn had his critics, but he proved for several years that he was at least competent in managing that club and he's now sold it to people who have absolutely no interest in the well-being of LOFC.

It is shameful that this has been allowed to go on. Plus ca change. When people like Greg Dyke pull their hair out at the fact they can't ever change anything in the FA, because proposals are always overruled by 70 year old white men who won't change anything all the while they are getting their free cup final tickets, it is time to sit up and take notice. It is time the government were involved. If the FA can't implement a functional fit and proper test that protects the clubs from potentially unscrupulous owners, then the duffers running the national game need to be forcibly removed by law.

 

[whitelion]

I should want it to happen to Palace more but West ham going down would be effin brilliant.

I know the Olympic Stadium has its downsides but surely a trip to a 'new ground' would be a great away day.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Obviously I wouldn't want to see them go bust - same for any club. At the time, however, I don't remember a great deal of sympathy from anyone from Orient for our plight. Their chairman, Barry Hearn, campaigned to have us expelled from the football league. Their players regularly goaded our fans before and during games. They had some idiotic fans, epitomised by that bloke Buono, who used to be on the PA system at Brisbane Road and played YMCA before kick off when they played us, just to get the homophobic chanting going. Through the lens of our own success and with the passing of two decades, it's easy (and better) to 'be the bigger person' and wish them well, but some of the posts on this thread are a little sanctimonious.

I feel sorry for thier current fans and hope they manage to do a Brighton and come back stronger.

For those too young to remember, here is a link to a snap shot of those dark days. Thankfully we have put those times behind us.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/pitch-invasion-could-be-brightons-death-knell-football-1272020.html

 

[Martlet]

I wish we could delete this thread, it doesn't do us any favours at all. No matter what the rivalry (and McGleish is still a ), I've always thought they are a decent club, and enjoyed visits to Brisbane Road. They've had a rough end of the stick against local "bigger" teams - not least West Ham around the whole stadium debacle. I've enjoyed seeing some of our former players and managers (Cox, Jakey, Slade etc) have success there.

What's happened since has been terrible - it could easily have been us. No insinuations (yet), but Barry Hearn's role needs to be monitored as well, there's a lovely bit of real estate to be realised when the club disappears...

Totally different story if Orient had over spent, gone bust and 'phoenixed' (a la Portsmouth, Palace etc). I wish them and their fans well.

 

[attila]

Did a fundraiser for them in Walthamstow after the Blackburn game. Fans just like us, angry beyond belief that some scheister could destroy their club while the FA stood there and did nothing. Nothing but goodwill for BHAFC. £1500 raised for their regeneration fund. Yes, Buono their PA guy and a few of their fans were ********s in 97, but the heart and grass roots of the game beats at Orient as it does here. 100% support.

 

[gripper stebson]

I wish we could delete this thread, it doesn't do us any favours at all. No matter what the rivalry (and McGleish is still a ), I've always thought they are a decent club, and enjoyed visits to Brisbane Road. They've had a rough end of the stick against local "bigger" teams - not least West Ham around the whole stadium debacle. I've enjoyed seeing some of our former players and managers (Cox, Jakey, Slade etc) have success there.

What's happened since has been terrible - it could easily have been us. No insinuations (yet), but Barry Hearn's role needs to be monitored as well, there's a lovely bit of real estate to be realised when the club disappears...

Totally different story if Orient had over spent, gone bust and 'phoenixed' (a la Portsmouth, Palace etc). I wish them and their fans well.

Anyone coming in and reading this will just think.... oh there is one Brighton fan acting like a c**k - the rest told him where to go.

We need to get ready for a lot more tossers representing us online next season...

 

[BBassic]

Not nice to see any club go bust but godamn it Orient, you've knackered my Impossible Bet. Though, to be fair, so have we so I can't be too mad.

 

[1234andcounting]

I am genuinely sad for Leyton Orient as I am for any club being screwed over by their owners - Coventry, Blackpool etc, etc. Added to that my cousins support the LOs, now a four generation family following. Absolutely none of the family have defected to West Ham, Spurs or Arse. The latest recruit had his photo taken with Dean Cox last season (not much different in height tbf). They deserve better than what has happened to the club since the summer of 2014, and they are also genuinely thrilled at Brighton's success because they understand where we have come from.

 

[SK1NT]

Brentford too

Wimbledon


I was speaking to a few friends about the rivalry with orient back in the day and they didn't have a clue. 20 years is a looong time in football. Feels like a different lifetime. I hope Orient can survive, but i fear the worse. No hard feelings they were just playing the panto villain.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Had some great away trips to Orient and I feel nothing but sadness for them now.

Me too. Great awayday and a 'proper' football club.

Re 1997, the biggest 'tool' was Hearn trying to get us thrown out the league, as I recall after that game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bold Seagull]

Dropping out of the Football League isn't what it once was.

The Conference National is pretty much 100% professional, and enjoys decent enough sponsorship and attendance. The Conference North and South are probably now more comparable to what the old Vauxhall Conference was.

Plenty of your old school Football League clubs have bounced up and down in recent years. It is far from a drop into the void, and we really shouldn't be referring to National sides as 'non-league' anymore, not in any traditional sense.

 

[The red pepper kid]

Sad days, loved our rivalry back in the day. My favourite away trip in those days.

blimey went there 3 times in one season and we lost them all !
that included that cup game when they gave us the entire side of the ground -spent the match standing on the wooden chairs --orient was the closest rival we had (in the same division ) What a difference a season makes cos the next one was graced by BZ crikey made them look stupid and scored wonderfully.
those days we used to love signing--theres no-one there, theres no-one there, theres no-one there --and there wasn't !.
they are part of our recent history and need saving ..............

 

[Rogero]

Agreed ,idiotic post. We should take no joy from the demise of a club like Orient. Hopefully they will bounce back like Luton ,Bristol Rovers etc.

 

[northstandsteve]

Sad demise of a good local club, I wish them well, except Scott McGleish who has never owned up on goading the North Stand in 1997. Probably the angriest I've ever been at a game..

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

Dropping out of the Football League isn't what it once was.

The Conference National is pretty much 100% professional, and enjoys decent enough sponsorship and attendance. The Conference North and South are probably now more comparable to what the old Vauxhall Conference was.

Plenty of your old school Football League clubs have bounced up and down in recent years. It is far from a drop into the void, and we really shouldn't be referring to National sides as 'non-league' anymore, not in any traditional sense.

Indeed, and when the dust is settled the away following tend to have a good day out visiting a few new grounds and (usually) getting back to winning ways.

It'll affect them financially though via corporate and advertising though.

The presence of an historic team like Orient (that's what I've always called them) is the filter down to smaller clubs that will see them as a cup final visit thus generating a bit of cash. Also a debut in the FA Trophy will also filter down, a good example is South Park, a tiny little club near Reigate, that Peacehaven took 4 points off last season, got drawn away to Tranmere. The publicity this raised locally was priceless.