I'm one of a few that can say I didn't want him in the first place, can't see what he brings to the table, thinks he lacks the leadership and managerial skills to be a manager and also needs to learn more about his audience.
Granted he got off to a flyer, hoodwinked us that there was more to come throughout September , but has been absolutely poor since.
This squad of players we have, even with injuries to Cox & McCallum, should be top three. Any experienced manager worth his salt could do it. The team practically picks itself. There is no need for tinkering, stupid tactics and stomach-turning sound bites.
An Ian Holloway inspired team playing a 442 would walk this division. It really is so poor.
To be fair, we shouldn't be surprised at all. This is what a Barnet supporter posted on a forum:
In reference to Hendon signing new players, when he was in charge at Barnet in season 2009/10 and the team was starting to slide down the table, Hendon signed a number of players on loan such as Craig McAllister and Callum Butcher, a young defender from Spurs but they only stayed for a handful of matches and were very ineffective; McAllister didn't score a single goal. Later in the season, he started signing players on short term contracts such as David Livermore who was useless and then a lot of fuss was made about a new Zealand international called Chris James who then only made a couple of substitute appearances. Lee Sawyer, who did look good, was promptly released after a couple of games. Ben Wright who joined on loan in April came on as a substitute once. The only really decent player he signed during this spell was Ed Upson from Ipswich who did look very good but he was often on the bench too. His recruitment that season was awful.Furthermore, I believe I have a theory as to why Hendon is disliked by so many in such a short space of time. Read on my avid listener.
On 1 December 2009, we drew 1-1 at home to Bournemouth, who were promoted at the end of the season, and we were very unlucky not to win and I think that we were 6th or 7th at the time. From then until Hendon was sacked after losing at Accrington in late April, we won 4 league games and lost 15. We won on the last day of the season, two weeks after Hendon was sacked, and stayed up (just).
The posters who have said that Hendon is tactically poor are spot on. At the start of the season, when we were doing really well, a lot of the play was coming through our two wingers, Albert Adomah and Yannick Bolasie (yes pretty good players at that level), but after a while the other clubs sussed that our only tactic seemed to be to give them the ball and let them run at defenders and cross the ball for our strikers (John O'Flynn and Paul Furlong) to get on the end of them. The teams started heavily marking Adomah and Bolasie and the service dried up and Hendon didn't have a plan B and the team plummetted down the table.
Given the players we had at the club at the time, there was no way we should have been down the bottom of the table. Hendon was agreat player and captain for the Bees and started really well as a manager but when things start to go wrong he doesn't have a clue hw to turn things round. I cannot see any way that he will get Orient out of League Two. Unless it's to go into the National League! If it were up to me, I'd get shot of him now.
This is a story about bending the truth
Purely by chance (because I'm waiting for the new Stephen King book for Xmas) I'm reading a book about football management throughout the football league. It's called 'Living on the Volcano' by Michael Calvin (who has backed the O's several times and in his previous book 'Family' offers an amazing insight into Alan Dunne). The book opens with a fantastic chapter on Martin Ling, mentions Dean Smith and also speaks of the ridiculous situation that Russell Slade got caught up in with Becchetti last season. But I digress from the person I want to quote.
Sean Dyche:
If you want me to be brutal, if you're going to BS people, you'd better remember your BS. But if you're going to be honest, you don't have to remember anything because you've told it how you see it. That's why I won't project to my players about honesty or authenticity without delivering it. I don't spin. I'm not trying to work an angle.Simply put, Dyche has nailed it. Be honest, show integrity and don't mess people around. Yeah some will love you, some won't but at least you're genuine and people know where they stand.
Now I can't prove that Hendon is lying. But something's just don't add up to me and time after time it does appear that Hendon is trying to cover his tracks.
From day one the appointment was a bit odd and shrouded in mystery:
- Club announce at 22:28 on a Thursday evening that Hendon is appointed (that's just odd and not 'Orient')
- No details of the deal mentioned (length of contract)
- Position is Head Coach (not manager)
- Extensive recruitment process - http://www.leytonorient.com/news/article/leyton-orient-name-ian-hendon-as-new-boss-2474875.aspx
- In regards to the recruitment process Becchetti has since mentioned he appointed Hendon because Ian approached him directly and had a short chat
- Can't start until a month later (bizarre)
Jobi McAnuff:
- Jobi spent the summer playing for Jamaica and got them to the finals of a cup where he was playing against Messi. He was a star player.
- After reporting on his exploits throughout the summer, the club offer him a squad number for the season, then tell him not to bother to turn up for the team photo.
- Hendon hopes Jobi will move - http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/13599780.Orient_boss_Hendon_will_try_to_help_McAnuff_move_to_Championship_club/
- Hendon open to sending McAnuff out on loan - http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/13754492.Orient_boss_Hendon_may_consider_sending_McAnuff_out_on_loan/
- Hendon happy with McAnuff - http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/leyton-orient/hendon_hails_mcanuff_s_commitment_1_4339961
Dean Cox:
- Cox's nose was put out when he was told he weren't in the squad for the Morecambe game. He sat in the stands.
- Why not tell him before he travelled? Was he lied to? Whatever, it's just petty.
Banning the Guardian Series:
- Banning them from talking to the players - http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/13877018.Leyton_Orient_boss_Hendon_bans_Guardian_Series_from_speaking_to_players/
- No, actually it was all a misunderstanding - http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/13877419.Leyton_Orient_release_statement_over_post_match_player_interviews/
Hotelgate:
- Failing to mention it to anyone at all. Until the DailyMail picked up on it. Then it all went a bit.. 'it's just a group of lads getting to know each other, happens all the time thing..' - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3324144/Go-room-Leyton-Orient-s-stars-forced-week-long-stay-100-night-hotel-suffering-defeat-Hartlepool.html
- If we'd have known, nobody would have cared. In fact it was a pretty decent idea.
Amazing Players:
- In one of Ian's programme notes, we were to be amazed at the players we were trying to sign.
- We didn't sign anyone and Ian whinged that nobody good enough would drop down to League Two. We then get beat by Hartlepool by a youngster. On loan. Who'd they'd signed that week. From Crystal Palace. Round the corner.
Dagnall:
- Ian is going to speak with the owner about Dagnall - http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/14133814.Orient_boss_Hendon_to_speak_to_owner_about_possibility_of_bringing_Dagnall_back_to_club/
- Really Ian? With your track record should you have said this?
January Transfer Window:
- Ian is going to speak with the owner about players coming in in January - http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/leyton-orient/hendon_timing_of_scunthorpe_goals_was_key_1_4349763
- Really Ian?
After the Scunthorpe defeat:
- “I need to pick those players up. It is not the end of the world. We have lost a game of football. Yes it was a massive prize, but we have Yeovil on Saturday and it has always been about trying to get promoted.”
- Oh dear
Harry Lee:
- After threatening to make changes to the team after the Accrington defeat, Harry Lee was recalled from his loan at Welling
- Lee sits on the bench for the Staines match
- Lee is sent back to Welling on loan
- Team reverts back to normal
Jay Simpson:
- Jay is going nowhere
- Jay is available at the right price
To sum it all up
I think from day one Ian Hendon was brought in as a yes man and has to constantly toe the line. Yeah funds are available, the owners backing me to the hilt, everything is rosy. It isn't fine and dandy Ian and stop treating us mug punters like fools. We can see something isn't right.
It's obvious from the above points that you've tied yourself up in knots and now have to lie to cover previous lies. Practically every report i read is contradictory. It don't matter what you do now, you're being ridiculed because we don't trust you.
That's why you've lost me, most of the supporters and also the players too looking at the last few games.
It's why you've come across as unlike-able from the first day. Because it's dishonest. We can see through it all now. Did you really want a small squad? Did you really want Jobi gone? Did you really want the Dover job that much? Did you really tell the players not to talk to Guardian newspapers? Were you as honest with Coxy as you could've been? Were you trying to bring in amazing players? Why do you only seem able to sign players from West Ham, Gillingham and live in Kent / South London? Are you playing the pals act?
Even if you told me the answers to these questions i wouldn't believe you.
Look around you, look at your peers, young managers are humble, appreciative of their surroundings, learning their trade, picking up knowledge, building contacts. You've basically done the polar opposite, claimed we're aiming for the top three, thought you knew it all and when the going got tough you square up to people, we've seen you do it. Alternatively you send little Hess to speak with the press.
Every week someone else is to blame, you can only do that once you've earned respect and achieved.
So there it is, the Orient house of cards is falling down. A house built on bending the truth.
