Leyton Orient’s preparations for their first season back in the Football League were halted in their tracks by such a gut-wrenching tragedy that it almost seems remiss of me to write about on-field matters at this time.
But on the other hand to completely ignore it would be to do a disservice to the memory of Justin Edinburgh, who sadly passed away aged just 49 on June 8th.
A decorated player who had no qualms about starting his managerial career at the bottom of the non-league pyramid, Edinburgh will always be remembered in East London as the man who transformed The O’s from a club at its lowest ebb into champions in just 18 short months.
You only need to read a handful of the hundreds of tributes being posted on social media from people who have worked alongside Justin to get a sense of what made him so successful as a manager.
Players spoke of his stern but fair attitude and an unrelenting work ethic, but also of his deep sense of care for not only the players and staff themselves but also for their families. All of this helped foster a winning mentality inside the club.
Therefore it’s fitting that on Wednesday the club confirmed that Edinburgh’s three closest lieutenants will continue his legacy and lead Orient into their first season back in the Football League since 2016/17.
Ross Embleton makes the step up to interim head coach, where he’ll be assisted by Danny Webb, with club captain Jobi McAnuff taking his first step into coaching, in a role he’ll balance with his responsibilities as a player.
This is a decision that feels eminently sensible and Martin Ling, as well as the board, deserves great credit for it. As you feel an outsider coming in would have had an almost impossible job on his hands, given the circumstances and pressure involved.
The rational thought gone into this decision continues with the fact that all three of these roles are interim, meaning in a worst case scenario should the trio not be suited to their new jobs they can always step back to their original positions from last season, with a more experienced head coach coming in.
Unfortunately though, following Macauley Bonne’s move across London to Charlton, Embleton will be without at least one key member of last season’s title-winning side.
Rumours continue to circulate that Bonne won’t be the only one of last season’s stars departing Brisbane Road this summer
Certainly, no one could begrudge Bonne his move to a higher level – having scored 49 goals in his two seasons in E10 – and I’ll have no doubt he’ll flourish under a great up and coming coach in Lee Bowyer at The Valley.
The only question mark you could have would be the relatively low £200k fee, but when you consider that buyout clause was a stipulation of the Zimbabwean signing a new contract last August and that had he not signed a new deal he would have in all likelihood left for free this summer, it once again looks like prudent business from The O’s hierarchy.
Rumours continue to circulate that Bonne won’t be the only one of last season’s stars departing Brisbane Road this summer. Josh Koroma has been strongly linked with the likes of Huddersfield and Sunderland in recent weeks, whilst Dan Happe is also believed to have been catching the eye of newly promoted Norwich.
Both are a couple of years younger than Bonne and therefore hopefully will not be in such a rush to progress to a higher level, especially as a strong season in league football could see their respective reputations and values sky rocket.
Another bit of business the club have got right is they’ve been able to successfully negotiate new deals for every player out of contract this summer that they wished to keep, with the exception of James Dayton whose acceptance of a new deal I would expect to be announced in the coming weeks.
They’ve also been swift in adding new blood to the squad with a couple of new faces already being brought in.
Josh Wright will be as desperate as anyone to succeed this season, as he revealed on social media and in the press how close he was to Justin Edinburgh. The former Gillingham man will go down as his mentor’s last signing after penning a two-year deal from Bradford.
The 29-year-old struggled at Valley Parade last season as the Bantams finished bottom of League One, but hopefully the central midfielder, who grew up near Chigwell, will return to form with a move closer to home and form a successful partnership with last season’s player of the year, Craig Clay.
Conor Wilkinson has also been brought in for a nominal fee from Dagenham and Redbridge. The 6ft 3in striker scored an impressive 12 goals in 23 games last season at Victoria Road, with many Daggers fans crediting him for their clubs National League survival.
The move was confirmed just hours after Bonne’s departure, although little I’ve seen or heard about him so far suggests that he’ll directly replace last season’s top scorer in terms of style of play.
Wilkinson seems to fit in the ‘good feet for a big man’ bracket and will look to score with his head as well as with powerful strikes in and around the box, quite the opposite of the more poacher like instincts of Bonne.
One player that could be available to Orient who possesses similar qualities to Bonne is Matt Stevens of Peterborough. The former Barnet man is a strong athletic striker who has struggled for playing time at London Road. He has however been banging them in for their reserve side for some time now, scoring 22 in 17 games last season.
I’d imagine he’d be available for a pretty small fee and is surely worth a punt given he’s still only 21 and was linked with the likes of Swansea, Crystal Palace and even the two Manchester clubs just four years ago. He’s also followed on Twitter by O’s chief scout Steve Foster if you want to read anything into that.
Ultimately though whoever the club decides to sign in the next few weeks will be afforded the fan bases’ full support over the difficult but exciting coming months.
Personally, despite the absolutely tragic circumstances, I’ve never been prouder to support this club. From the supporters, to the staff, to the boardroom, everyone surrounding the club has handled themselves and this horrendous situation with the utmost sensitivity and class and I can only hope that we as a club can play a small part in maintaining Justin’s legacy by continuing to do so, whilst also achieving success on the pitch.
You can follow me on Twitter @BrendanPitcher, you can also find my own personal blog here: https://lofc1881.wordpress.com/
