#RiseAgain (Again) – New Beginnings #FM17

Football Manager 2017 is officially out! And this year I decided I wanted to write about my experiences, good and bad (mostly bad) of what will hopefully be my main long-term save for this year’s exceptional edition of FM. That save is gonna involve lots of trials and tribulations, starting from way down low and trying to achieve something magical over a long period of time.

Here’s the backstory to the save:

In July 2014, a billionaire Italian investor by the name of Francesco Becchetti completed his takeover of my beloved Leyton Orient FC, with the outgoing owner, Barry Hearn, ambitiously claiming that “West Ham should be frightened of this man”, and Becchetti had O’s fans thinking of the Premier League, especially having only missed out on promotion to the Championship on penalties a month before.

Unfortunately for everyone at Brisbane Road, it would not pan out that way. A catalogue of errors in management by Frankie B followed, from the giving of an ultimatum to and eventual sacking of Russell Slade, the manager who had masterminded the promotion campaign, and the following departures of senior club officials who knew how to run a football club, to the appointments of 8 different managers over the ensuing 2 seasons – including one relegation and a failed bid to reach the play-offs in League Two, and interference from Becchetti on who is or isn’t allowed to play each week. This all culminated in a lack of stability throughout the club and hostility amongst fans. There’s more detail to the issues Orient have under Becchetti, but I won’t go further.

Many Leyton Orient fans have had enough.

So, after surveys among fans trusts and many long discussions, Leyton Orient Fans’ Trust (LOFT) decided to take matters on and follow in the footsteps of AFC Wimbledon, forming a new football club: AFC Orient. The major repercussions of this decision was for the new club to have to restart completely; dropping down to the doldrums of English domestic football. But, as a spokesperson for LOFT stated, “At least we have our club back”.

[AFC Orient’s logo and kits for the 2016/17 season; the famed white home kit with red V returning. Kit credit: @DanCroft99 on Twitter]

AFC Orient will play their home games at Leyton Cricket Ground – to be renamed Leyton Recreational as part of the move – where Leyton Orient played pre-season friendlies when the club was in it’s infancy, a mere half-mile from Brisbane Road. There were rumours that LOFT would look to move the club back to Clapton, but they decided to stay in E10 stating that, “while their love for the club had waned quickly under Becchetti’s reign, their love for the area had not.”
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Thanks for reading that. Not sure how regular the updates will be yet, but the next post will probably be a squad and tactical overview, identifying strengths/weaknesses and new transfer targets. So possibly a long rambly one! Feedback appreciated as always.