Sing when you’re Winning

Leyton Orient (1) 2 Luton Town (0) 1

Nelson; Oji, Saah, Mkandawire (Capt), C Daniels; Thornton, Chambers, P Terry, Demetriou; Boyd, Barcham (sub Echanomi 59).

The Muse has been silent for a while now. A five-game losing run did not make for a Happy Christmas and New Year, nor did it produce anything to inspire. Selection problems there clearly were but, at that stage, the Cobra was loth to take issue with our manager for whose experience and skill he has far too much respect. However, with a five-game unbeaten home streak now in place, the Lady is stirring and two consecutive home wins, impressive in their way, yet posing many questions still, call for some attempt at analysis of what are clearly still awkward, if not unwelcome, problems in selection. The proximate spark, however, came from a chance and unexpected meeting outside the Supporters Club with an old acquaintance and one of our most notorious fans, none other than the Rector of St Matthew’s Church, Bethnal Green, one of the spiritual homes of the Cobras of yesteryear. The Rev Kev, as he is better known to the present generation of East-Enders, bemoaned the absence of the Cobra’s pennings, and made gentle efforts to revive the somnolent goddess. Another home win, in which we made very hard work of what might have been an easy task against a really quite impressive side, was thus sufficient to provoke the wordsmith into a review of the current situation.

Nothing is black and white in football. That said, experience suggests that there are a few hard and fast rules from which it is very unwise to depart, except in the most extenuating circumstances. One of those is that you should always play your strongest side. That, of course, begs the question. The point is, and even here not everyone will agree, that, in this current Orient side, Sean Thornton and Adam Chambers are head and shoulders above the pack. Previous experience alone should suggest as much, although Wayne Gray, too, of course, has played in the Premiership. Now Adam Chambers has been almost ever-present. Sean Thornton, by contrast, has missed ten out of our twenty-nine League and FA Cup games, almost one-in-three, and sat one out as a non-playing sub. Now his playing record (including games in which he came on as a sub) is little different from his non-playing record (if you will), at least in percentage terms. Played 18 Won 8 Drawn 5 Lost 5 versus Not played 11 Won 4 Drawn 5 Lost 2. Doesn’t seem to prove a lot. More victories (44% vs 36%) when Sean is playing but more defeats (28% vs 18%) as well. Interesting that our overall League and FA Cup record (and here I am supposing both Bristol Rovers Cup games to have been draws) comprises 41% wins, 31% draws and 28% defeats. So Sean’s presence makes absolutely no difference to the number of games we lose! But he does seem to make a slight difference in turning draws into victories. And this is actually the point at issue. The Northampton and Swindon draws could possibly have turned out differently had he not been suspended/injured. But he was, actually, not available! However, he sat on the bench for seventy minutes of the Yeovil 0 – 0 draw when his presence could well have made all the difference. On the bench again (and not used) at Hartlepool. And out of action for 70 minutes of the Gillingham game, too, another draw which could so easily have turned out differently. If any two of those games had been won, we should have been in second spot. For the moment, this lesson seems to have been taken and we must hope there is no further inclination to waste his talents.

But the selection problems now take a different turn. For, with Paul Terry playing at his best, Sean is left to fill a wide spot and this is causing two distinct problems. First, Sean is again wasted. He is not a wide midfielder. Second, we lose width on the park, even with the presence of a Jason Demetriou on the other flank, because Sean inevitably wanders in (as does Jason, though less so) to see more of the action. Orient played some of their best possession football for many moons on Saturday but it was largely conducted in the middle of the park and took the form of close, one-yard passes between a tight circle of players. Luton, by contrast, were perfectly capable (which we are not?) of making long, sweeping passes acrossfield direct to the feet of a wideman. Now whether or not we are capable of so doing (and Sean, for example, probably is while Adam perhaps is not) is open to debate. But without a wideman, the question, the tactic, does not arise!! So we are sacrificing a strategic asset -- width -- in order to fit Sean somewhere into our side.

But even this isn’t the real point. The real point is that, with Sean Thornton and Adam Chambers in central midfield, we have arguably the most powerful combination in the Division. A combination which could really boss the game, would keep us on the front foot, maintaining pressure which would surely lead to a goal against even the most defensive and negative of the Yeovils and Gillinghams of this world. How to resolve this issue? Not for the Cobra. The manager is paid to select. But one thing is clear. Sean must play in central midfield. We see a couple of options. Adam can certainly play at full-back. A waste, maybe, but tried and tested before and, all-in-all, making for an even stronger side. Paul Terry, too, can play at full-back, less satisfactory, it has to be admitted, given that Adam has the greater speed, but well-worth a try. So, first priority: bring Sean inside and play a wideman wide. Then? Try Paul Terry at full-back first for a couple of games, just to see the effect of playing Sean and Adam together in central midfield. If that creates more problems than it solves, then try Adam at full-back for a while. None of this is to denigrate either Sam Oji, who did commendably well on Saturday as a centre-back playing full-back, or our Captain. It is simply an attempt to live by the (almost) invariable rule that you should always play your strongest side.

Oh, and the game? A good side, Luton, who, but for their ten-point deduction, would be in mid-table challenging the Yeovils, Swindons and Brightons of this world. Adam Boyd was roundly jeered by the visiting hordes of Hatters in the East Stand and responded in the only way possible by scoring one and laying on the other. We seemed to have the better of a first twenty minutes in which few scoring chances were carved before giving up the whiphand either side of the half-hour. Historically, this was typical Orient. Dominate, don’t score, give up, concede. Not the present bunch, however. The hiatus was no more than that. A breathing space. Reculer pour mieux sauter, as they say. And mieux sauter we did, coming back into the game for the final ten minutes, with a peach of a goal. Luton break down the right. Captain-for-the-day Tammy clears to Adam Chambers who gives long. Hatters clear. Tammy puts out for a throw five yards from the flag. Chambers in with a tackle. Barcham in with a challenge, Oji with the final clearance. A fine, cross-field build-up follows. Sam to Tam to Sean and back to Brian Saah. On out to Charlie Daniels, to Jason D and overlap to receive a great through-ball. Goalkeeper Dean Brill comes out to the edge of the box to deal with the threat, fluffs the ball and leaves Charlie Daniels to give the perfect square-ball from the bye-line for Adam Boyd to tap joyously into the net. Rarely has the schadenfreude been tastier as the Hatters fans, who earlier were singing the prowess of Adam’s wrist, were now left speechless as he took the plaudits in the grand fashion for opening our account.

The second half began uncertainly. An early header from twenty yards is wide and high. Nelson finds Demetriou, via Boyd, and Barcham is put in, only to be fouled on the edge of the box. Referee Armstrong, whose performance was increasingly inconsistent, signals no infringement. Captain Chris Perry is booked for kicking away. Several minutes of Luton pressure; clearly theirs was the more rumbustious of the half-time talks. A cross from the left. Tam up, Terry out. Luton resurge. Daniels fouls Calvin Andrew and Hatters have the free-kick, five yards inside the halfway line. Tammy clears and, with great accuracy, finds Adam Boyd in the middle of the park. Top-class control, as ever, Adam slips a brilliant through-ball for Andy Barcham whose lightning speed takes him past two defenders before slipping the ball over, round and/or past the hapless Brill for Orient’s second. 2 – 0, home and dry. But nothing is ever so certain in this division and Luton began their recovery, cynically, one might think, by taking Andy Barcham out. Literally. Another cross, another clearance from the mighty Tam. Andy goes up with Chris Perry to head. They clash. Andy goes down. Now referee Armstrong either saw the incident at close quarters and adjudged Perry blameless or he missed the incident entirely. The Gallery view was the less charitable of the two. Maybe he realised that a second yellow card would have seen the dismissal of Perry who had already seen yellow. But many of the cognoscenti thought it a straight red card call in any event!! Perhaps there was merely a clash of heads; but in that case Perry was surely reckless at the very least! We should recall that Sean Thornton was dismissed the field at Elland Road for what many saw as nothing worse than this. But many saw this as a direct elbow to the face, in which case a red card was mandatory. Armstrong chose not even to talk to Perry. Yet he awarded a free-kick! Barcham is helped off, looking distinctly groggy, surely not the result of a mere clash of heads! Efe Echanomi replaces.

Now another of the Cobra’s minor moans revolves around Efe’s appearances as a substitute. Rarely do we see him for any length of time. Rarely does he get the chance to excel. Today would be different. Sean Thornton curls the free-kick just wide of the left-hand post with Brill less-than-well positioned. Hatters make a double-substitution, removing Robinson and Andrew. They break down the left and cross (always down the left!). Brian Saah completely misses the ball and Stuart Nelson is left to deal with the shot from point-blank range. Now Tammy is injured, a foul, clearly, but not given. Luton with a throw on the left. Adam Boyd is floored. Sam Oji in with a brilliant tackle. Back to Nelson under pressure and he hoofs into the East Stand in panic. From the throw, Daniels wins a goal-kick. Bell, much abused by the FantasticOs for his antics in the first-half, goes down, apparently injured, and receives much further abuse (verbal) from the fans. Boyd receives the goal-kick, wins a throw, which Daniels takes. Luton recover. Another big cross, again from the left. Nelson tips over the bar for a corner. Corner from the left. Massive melee. Nelson up but fails to punch and can only push the ball out. Keith Keane returns with a well-placed lob/volley over the pack and into the net. 2 – 1 and everything to play for!

Efe now much involved in centre-park. To Chambers. Intercepted. Luton clear. Daniels returns long and it is lost. Hatters a long crossfield ball to the left again. Oji out. Luton again. Chambers in and to Daniels and Demetriou and a perfect through-ball for Efe who is up and away. He rounds ‘keeper Brill with ease but oversteps and hits the bye-line, turning to shoot but finding the angle now too narrow. The shot is deflected for a corner. Gilt-edged chance. Blown. Daniels’ corner, clearly a practised set-piece, is angled back for Terry, outside the penalty area, who completely misses the ball (or was this a ploy??!!). It moves on to Chambers who delivers a rasping, low drive. This is blocked and deflected out. Luton clear and break down the left again. A cross which Tammy clears for a corner on the left. A repeat of the last disastrous effort but Nelson this time is able to fist the ball out successfully to Adam Boyd. Boyd to Thornton and back to Nelson to keep possession. Luton clear the kick. Daniels repels to Demetriou who is floored, Hatters still very much the more physical of the two sides. O’s free-kick ten yards beyond the halfway line. Demetriou takes quickly. Crossfield and through to Adam Boyd who controls well and has Brill alone to beat. In almost a carbon copy of Efe’s earlier mishap, Boyd beats the ‘keeper, over-runs and fails to shoot. Nowhere to go, he passes across the box but no-one is there to receive and another golden chance is blown away. The Cobra is reflective. Tranmere finished 3 – 0 and flattered us. This could have been 4 – 0, 4 – 1 and would not really have flattered us, certainly not on chances.

Half-hour gone. Luton again and Spring with a huge drive from all of forty yards. Nelson does well to get to it and palms out for a corner on the left. Déjà vu. Again. Substitute Furlong gets in a shot but Stuart holds safely. Long goal-kick finds Efe on the edge of the box. He is brought down but Armstrong turns Nelson’s eye to the incident – again! Hatters with a cross from the right. Tammy clears. Luton again from the left. Nelson holds the cross. Thornton breaks wide on the right. Oji crosses, Brill holds with Efe in close attendance. From the kick, Luton break down the middle. No offside is flagged and the defence appears AWOL. Stuart Nelson comes bravely out to dive at the feet of the opposing striker and save the day. End-to-end play for several minutes until Efe breaks out again and shoots from a narrow angle. The ball is deflected out. Thornton narrowly fails to connect and the ball is cleared.

Emanuel replaces Goodall for Hatters. Luton break with five minutes to go. Daniels plays Talbot onside. A curling shot which looks to be all the way. Nelson makes a late, flying dive and palms the ball over for a corner on the left. Spectacular. Orient clear. Luton return. A huge shot which hits Sean Thornton and deflects back to Nelson. Thornton goes down and the over-worked Lewis Manning is on the park yet again. Five minutes are added and are not without incident as Stuart Nelson is left to punch clear a last-minute free-kick from outside the box on the angle. He is felled as Luton remain “competitive” to the end. Orient have the free-kick and the game is safe!!

So, three points at home, again! A good result against an impressive, if quite physical side. But we made such hard work of it, as much through blowing two absolute sitters as through conceding a stupid goal when we were in the driving seat. It is to be hoped that Efe will be given another decent-sized substitution in order to make amends for today’s gaffe or, rather, to build on the experience thus gained. Let us hope, too, that we can continue the process of “continuous improvement”, as the Management scientists have it, and strive to find our “strongest” combination. If the squad is as well-bonded as their body-language suggests and the manager tells us, then players will understand the need for further experiment. On the other hand, perhaps we shouldn’t worry about the quality of the performance, provided we take the three points. Maybe we should just leave well alone and simply Sing when we’re Winning.

COBRA