CARL STEERS THE ORIENT EXPRESS
New boss bids to continue Edinburgh’s work
CARL Fletcher is determined to build on Justin Edinburgh’s Leyton Orient legacy as he steps into the dugout for the second time.
The former Bournemouth and West Ham midfielder, below, has been chosen by the O’s to take over as their new manager with interim head coach Ross Embleton reverting to his former position as assistant coach.
Embleton had taken the reins following the tragic loss of Justin Edinburgh in the summer. The former Tottenham defender led Orient to the National League title last term before his death from a heart attack at the age of 49.
Ex-Wales international Fletcher, who has signed a deal until the end of next season, told
The FLP: “The club deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve conducted themselves since Justin’s death.
“It’s brought them together and made them a strong and close-knit team. I didn’t know him personally but peo“You ple who did know him only had good words to say about him. “I’m never going to be him and it would be wrong for me to try, but I’m going to work really hard to try to carry on the good work he did here. We are never going to forget him and it’s important we keep trying to improve on what he started.” Fletcher had a previous stint as a manager with Plymouth from 2011-13. With the club in financial strife, he exceeded expectations to keep them in League Two in his first season, but was sacked at the start of 2013 after a poor run of results. Since then he’s held several different positions at Bournemouth, including coaching the U18s and U23s and being loan player manager. He believes he can draw on all those experiences as he takes charge of the O’s, who were 17th in League Two heading into the weekend. The 39-year-old said: “Looking back, and hindsight is a wonderful thing, I had the knowledge without being able to deliver it at Plymouth. I probably didn’t have the experience to make the most of it.
“On the flip side, if it had gone well I wouldn’t be where I am now. I have learned a lot since then. When you get sacked in your second season, you have to use that experience. If you want to get back, you have to go and learn your trade.
“A lot of managers have done their apprenticeship in the younger age groups. You can gain experience and make mistakes away from the spotlight.”
Experiences
Bournemouth manager Howe is one of the most highly-rated young managers in the game and has hailed his former colleague Fletcher as a ‘born winner’. Fletcher returns the compliment.
“I’ve been very lucky to work with Eddie,” he said. “You don’t get the success he’s had without working hard and doing things the right way. I’ve learned a lot, but not just from Eddie – there are good coaches in the academy, too. You can pick up things from the U11 manager through to the first team.
have to take all your experiences, roll them around and find what works for you.”
Fletcher can also draw on the experiences from his successful playing career. He played in the FA Cup final for West Ham against Liverpool in 2006 and enjoyed play-off success with both Bournemouth and the Hammers. He also captained Wales and made 36 appearances for them.
“There were always better players than me, but I made the most of what I had,” he said. “I played at every level, from international to Conference, and I had some great experiences. I’ve been lucky to travel around Europe and the world playing football.
“I saw the dark side of football – there were times in administration at Plymouth when we didn’t get paid and people couldn’t afford to get into training.”
Fletcher was due to take a watching brief at Grimsby yesterday and his first match in charge is, ironically, set to be Tuesday’s trip to Plymouth.
He added: “When you get a new manager during the season there’s a period of transition and assessment, but we seem to have a good mix of youth and experience in the squad – and people who want to get better.”