Jamaican international insists players are to blame for lack of victories
Leyton Orient midfielder Jobi McAnuff is determined to get the wins he feels head coach Ian Hendon deserves, starting when Exeter City visit this weekend.
The Grecians will come to Brisbane Road on a high after holding Premier League outfit Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday.
Orient were without a match and by the time Saturday comes, they would have enjoyed a two-week break without a game.
The O’s are currently ninth in the table heading into the match after dropping down one spot last weekend after Mansfield Town beat Stevenage 2-1.
Last time out they could only manage a 2-2 draw against Boro at Broadhall Way and the travelling fans called for Hendon to leave after the full-time whistle.
But with Orient just two points off the play-off positions, McAnuff is eager for him and his team-mates to ease the pressure on their head coach by beating Paul Tisdale’s Grecians.
He said: “I think the chants at Stevenage are 100 per cent unfair towards the gaffer. Obviously me being one of the senior players, we are all saying the same thing in the changing room. I actually feel sorry for the gaffer because the chants are massively unfair.
“We are the ones on the pitch. He can’t go out there and head a ball clear as much as I am sure he would like to. We have to take 100 per cent responsibility.
“If you ask any player in the changing room, we feel we should have beaten Stevenage – simple as that. We got in a good position to do it and we didn’t, there is nobody else to blame except us.
“The manager always gets the stick, but from our point of view it is wholly unfair. We are all right behind him and hopefully we can get the wins that he deserves.”
McAnuff insists there needs to be more perspective taken, when looking at Orient’s position in the table.
The O’s have drawn five of their last eight league matches, winning two and losing the other.
It means they have dropped out of the top seven, but with 21 games to go in the campaign they have enough time to get back in there.
This month they have three fixtures at Brisbane Road, starting with Exeter on Saturday, and they need to make their home a fortress again in 2016.
“For me the biggest thing is perspective,” added McAnuff. “I know the expectation levels were raised at the start of the season.
“But once again I have to emphasise the job the gaffer has done by building a new squad in circumstances where he has got new players and a new way of playing.
“We can put a run together, we know we can, but we have just got to go out and do that because then we are within striking distance. We just need to keep picking up points and hopefully get a few more wins.”
Orient owe Exeter after they halted their stunning start to life in League Two in September.
Hendon’s men lost 4-0 at St James Park, having triumphed in their opening five matches in the division to sit top of the pile.
Wins have been harder to come by since, but Exeter might have one eye on their FA Cup replay at Anfield, so it could be a good time for O’s to face them.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here