Mooooo..nej

A heading which makes sense in Swedish only, nej meaning no. This being almost like the surname of that surprisingly prolific striker of ours. 

Whatever, this is the place where articles from the Leyton Orient section of Svenska Fans (click this link to visit that beautiful part of the web) go to die. Where I shine and polish those nuggets of Swedish Oriental wisdom into my version of the English language. This then is the thing I wrote following defeat to Peterborough. 

This wasn't great from Orient. Peterborough knew they were up against a team with goals in it. So to counter that they played a 5-3-2. Worked brilliantly. Especially in the second half when the guests without a doubt were the better team.

Considering the amount of postponed games in League One having a playable surface was quite an achievement by Orient. But it wasn't perfect, especially bits along the West Stand was dodgy. The wind, just like at Rotherham, played a part as well. Both teams avoided the soggy part of the pitch which was unfortunate for Orient since this kept Moses Odubajo out of the game in the first half. This being the part of the 90 minutes when the home side at least showed glimpses of what they are capable of.

David Mooney's headed goal from a Lloyd James free-kick came against the run of play. But teams at the top often seem to ride their luck and snatch wins even when they're not playing that great. Even though Peterborough had been searching for a goal since the restart, it felt like Orient were riding their luck.

When Britt Assombalonga far to easily headed in the equalizer the feeling still was one of; OK one point still mean we'll be in the top two. That's fine!

Up until the Rotherham game Orient had barely conceded a single goal in the last ten minutes of games.   Now they've dropped points in two consecutive games by not counting the clock down and closing the game out. This time around it was Romain Vincelot that tried to dribble an opponent to start an Orient attack instead of just taking an easy pass. He lost the ball that eventually found its way to Tommy Rowe. Who from the edge of the penalty area hit a shot that Shwan Jalal pushed into his own net.

Jalal, the second debutant goalkeeper in two matches for Orient, had a decent game otherwise. But the second goal falls on his, and Vincelot's, shoulders. Maybe harsh but that was the general feeling afterwards. The pessimists among the Orient fans quickly pointed out that this was the first time all season that Orient have lost two games in a row. I am not one of those guys but I had a really sinking feeling when that Rowe finish hit the back of the net. Because there are problems.

Goalkeeping problems. I think that among the fans one solution is obvious. Bring back Eldin Jakupovic. The suspension for the Hull number one is served. Bring Eldin back. Being asked about Ben Alnwick after the game Russell Slade had nothing new to add. He is out - for how long no one knows. Asked about Jakupovic Slade didn't respond with an outright NO! Enough for some to interpret  that he could return. Jalal had a good game according to Slade. But as a manager that often speak about the group, the importance of team spirit and getting the right characters in the squad. Having a goalkeeper that's trusted by the players, one that minimizes his own mistakes, should be high on the list. Jakupovic proved in January that he is that kind of player. Alnwick and Jalal still have that do to. The question is if Slade feel he has time to wait for that proof.

Russell finished with an interesting comment. Orient's next goal is 75 points which guarantee a play-off spot. After that they'll see how many games there are left to shoot for a spot in the top two. On Tuesday  that postponed game from New Year's Day against Bristol City is to be played. A win means three points off that 15 point playoff place goal. A win means putting pressure on Brentford and Wolves. It will be interesting to see who wears the keeper jersey for Orient.