Leyton Orient have taken the bold step of sacking head coach Carl Fletcher after less than a month in the job. The former Plymouth Argyle boss was appointed on October 16, becoming the first permanent successor to the late Justin Edinburgh. However, the O’s confirmed this afternoon that Fletcher had been removed from the role with immediate effect.
Carl Fletcher Sacked After One Month at Leyton Orient
Tough Gig
Filling this role was always going to be tough, regardless of who took it. Justin Edinburgh effectively had hero status at Orient after he guided them away from danger in the National League in 2017/18 to then go and win the title in the next season. Edinburgh passed away in the summer following a cardiac arrest, with his assistant, Ross Embleton, taking the reigns on an interim basis while the search for a new manager commenced.
Fletcher, who was selected from a large number of applicants, never had the full backing of the Orient faithful and found it difficult from the start. They didn’t win any of their matches under his guidance, despite the 4-0 win at Grimsby Town technically coming after his appointment (Embleton remained in charge for that game while Fletcher watched from the stands).
Fair Dismissal?
After having such big shoes to fill, many may feel that sacking somebody after a month, without much time to implement their own style and get the players on side, is unfair. However, Orient were going backwards under Fletcher. All the good work that was put in during Embleton’s stint was undone in the space of a month, taking the O’s back to the shaky-looking side that had started the League Two campaign.
Next in Line
Former MK Dons boss Paul Tisdale currently tops BetVictor’s list of candidates for the job. Tisdale was removed from his post at the Dons last week after a terrible run of form saw them drop into the League One relegation zone.
His record in League Two, though, is undisputed. He won promotion with MK Dons last season and had previously done so with Exeter City, where he had previously spent the majority of his career.
His defensive style will no doubt stop the leakage of goals that had ensued under Carl Fletcher. However, many MK Dons fans, particularly in the first three months of the League One season, claimed that his style was far too boring and rigid. Maybe a fresh start, though, would bring different rewards.
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