NO DREAM START FOR BOSS NO.8
THE revolving door at Brisbane Road may have been operational again this week but it was more of the same for Leyton Orient as they slumped to a disappointing home loss against high-flying Portsmouth.
Christian Burgess settled the contest on 57 minutes with a header from a corner and allowed Portsmouth to take all three points as Leyton Orient’s newest manager inherited the poisoned chalice; Alberto Cavasin was a mere helpless spectator.
Italian Cavasin is the eighth man to take on the manager’s role since president, and countryman, Francesco Becchetti took over the east London club in July 2014.
But he could not arrest a worrying sequence that has seen Orient win just once in eight matches in League Two.
Cavasin said: “The match was decided by a corner situation. We could have done more.
“The main positive was that our team gave everything it could under the motivational aspect so I’m happy about that.
“It’s a team that needs to find itself a new structure, a new identity. The main problem that our team has is in midfield.
“My idea of going to sign up another player was not my first idea. My first idea was to develop the players that we have here.”
The opening 45 minutes was a period of half-chances, although Pompey did have the ball in the net but Conor Chaplin's first-time flick was ruled out for offside.
Orient felt they should have had a penalty when Paul McCallum went to ground after 12 minutes, but referee Christopher Sarginson waved away their frantic appeals.
Having fallen behind, Orient were unable to break down a wellorganised Portsmouth side who almost doubled their lead when O’s full-back Nicky Hunt headed a cross against his own post before the ball was scrambled clear.
Portsmouth manager Paul Cook said: “You just want your team to go out and play what you want the game to be played like.
“I felt we have done that. I thought that was a typical Paul Cook team away performance – trying the best to be good in possession, the best to dominate the ball and create chances and restricting Orient. “We haven’t got going away from home. I’m really pleased for the lads. You know they don’t half work hard our lads and that’s why we are so fit. “We’ve got to have an appetite for the game. That was clearly evident – that was one of our best performances of the season. “It’s not about the opposition for us it’s about how we play as a team. If we play as a team and it’s not good enough so be it.”