Match Thread Away v Exeter City @3.00pm Sat Aug 7th

Possibly, although I still think we need one more up front who can actually challenge Cook for a starting spot.

 

Last summer was supposedly all toxic on the Twitter hashtag with some pointing out the frailties of the club and its recruitment policy, some believing in promotion by Christmas and others intent on reacting to anybody less than positive by insults in public and in private. After the opening day defeat of Bolton in the League Cup one of those tweeted something along the lines of they hoped that result would show the toxic onion picklers that the club was right all along and they should crawl back under their rock. I might have paraphrased that so don’t quote me.

We all know how the season went from there for Bolton and for City.

My point is it wasn’t a great result on Saturday but it wasn’t a bad one either, but I don’t think it’s enough to write off either club’s chances or conclude it’s all doom and gloom.

I still think we’re a player or two short though.

 

Yes @Park bantam is always on about it.

 

Something I was always taught, don’t bet on the opening 6 games of a season they throw up all kind of results, sadly I rarely listen to that advice.

 

Yeah. If DA can make us better than the sum of our parts then we've a shot at the automatics but I wouldn't bet the house on it without a few upgrades.

 

That’s key, can’t agree with you more. Considering the majority of the starters at the weekend were the starting XI last season, DA has his work cut out. Let’s hope he succeeds, Sparksy is doing the right stuff off the field it seems so AdamsS has the tools he needs.

 

Very true, I've watched football for over 50 years and have never known a team be awarded the title or win promotion on that first day. The most startling thing about this post is we have had nine promotions and seven have been in my lifetime, yet someone on here was writing our chances of going up this year off because we have only been promoted once this centuary.

 

Absolutely. I was disappointed we didn't win on Saturday but I'm not going to despair over it in the same way I wouldn't be saying 'give us the title already' if we'd won. Cheltenham lost 12 and drew 10 on their way to winning the league last season, yet some seem to think we've blown our chances of promotion this year already by only coming home with a point from Exeter.

 

No Petrov, no! You're making me suffer the flashbacks again! Back to the therapist...

 

As many Orient fans pointed out and as his career stats point out.
Be stunned if he hits double figures this season

 

Eh

 

I was pulling your leg to this post from @StaffordBantam :

In our 9 promotion seasons our first away league match results read LOST, DREW, DREW, LOST, LOST, LOST, DREW, LOST, LOST. There have been numerous occasions when we have won our first away match, none have led to promotion.

Another weird fact: Exactly 101 years ago this month, we won our opening league fixture 4-1 away at Burnley. The following week we won 2-0 at home to Burnley. We ended up 15th that season, whilst Burnley, who lost their first three matches, then went on a 30 match unbeaten run (a record that stood for over 80 years) as they ran away with the league, losing only the one home match (that opening day fixture against us). A perfect example that the league season is most definitely a marathon, not a sprint.

 

Aye I was only a young un then

 

Damn, I miss that match day experience. Well done Sparks and his team, I thought that was a cracking watch. Thanks for posting it @Kevin1954

 

That's fantastic, how come they're allowed to show so much of the game, is it because it's away?