It was a strange night at Meadow Lane. The O's weren't just aiming to win to add three points to the board, they were playing for their manager's job. Under such pressure a draw was a respectable result in the end.

The man, who was named joint League 1 manager of the year last season and was a penalty shoot-out away from leading Orient to the Championship just four months ago was on the brink of losing his job, just ten games into the new campaign.

In some ways Russell Slade is a victim of his side's success last term. He delivered an incredible unbeaten run at the start of the league season and sustained a challenge for promotion, a target the O's came agonisingly close to achieving. The 2013/14 season has clearly raised expectations for the new season in E10.

However, the key factors leading into last season, which have been missing this time around, were continuity and stability. This summer two first team regulars in Moses Odubajo and Jamie Jones left the club, the takeover brought upheaval and new signings were delayed as a consequence.

Seven permanent additions have been made and many (if not all) of them are capable of making a contribution to the first team, but as many people in football will tell you, new signings take time to become fully integrated into a squad. Unfortunately, injuries and issues with fitness have meant that the likes of Darius Henderson, McAnuff and Jay Simpson haven't had a run in the side. The more playing time they get with each other and their new teammates, the better they are likely to perform.

Recent developments suggest that time will be in short supply for Russell Slade, but given the progress that the O's have made during his tenure, particularly in the last campaign, more time is what Russell Slade deserves. Orient have made slow starts to previous seasons under Slade, but Barry Hearn was patient and supported his manager and he rewarded the chairman with cup runs, challenges for the play-offs and one of the best seasons in recent memory.

Francesco Becchetti is an ambitious man who seemingly has the financial resources to take the club further and his impatience would be more understandable if the O's had shown no promise at all this season, but that has not been the case.

There have of course been some poor performances this season, most of which have been in the three games at Brisbane Road. Russell Slade is not perfect and there are obviously areas in which he and his side need to improve. Breaking down stubborn defences at home for example has been a problem and that issue was highlighted again against ten-man Colchester at the weekend. He may also have to be more willing to leave out regulars from last season if they are out of form.

However, there have been signs that Russell Slade is still capable of taking the club forward. Orient have suffered just two defeats in ten games in all competitions this season and are unbeaten in their seven away games so far. If Orient can turn one or two draws into wins, it could spark their season and lead to a good run of form that would propel them up the league. They came close to defeating Fleetwood Town at a time when they were top. The fact that the O's hit the woodwork on two occasions in that match shows the small margins separating them from a victory instead of a draw.

One league win to date is less than ideal, but Orient's results in the cups show that they are capable of winning games. They then put in a strong performance at both ends of the pitch against high-flying Peterborough in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and progressed to the next round.

To me, the result at Villa Park in the League Cup was the biggest indication that Slade can get it right. Paul Lambert made changes to his side, but Villa's line-up still contained plenty of players with experience at the highest level and Slade also shuffled his side on the night. To cause a cup upset away at a Premier League side is a significant achievement and Orient approached the game in the right way. They were disciplined and frustrated their opponents, restricting Villa's opportunities, but also enjoyed spells of possession and built attacks throughout the game.

As is often the case with upsets there was an element of fortune, Darren Bent wasted a couple of chances for example, but overall Orient executed Russell Slade's game plan effectively, which suggests to me that O's boss is capable of drawing better performances out of his players.

In a similar vein, in the match against Notts County the players appeared to be fully behind the manager. The first half had echoes of the opening 45 minutes against Colchester. Orient had good spells of possession and pressure without really creating clear cut chances in open play. After the break the O's looked much more lively going forward and this response, as well as the players' reactions after the final whistle, suggests to me that Russell Slade hasn't lost the dressing room.

Nor has he lost the support of the fans it seems. The travelling fans were very vocal in their support for the manager throughout the night. There seems to be a feeling amongst supporters that Russell has been treated badly and that the hierarchy at the club have handled the situation poorly. I think most supporters want to see Slade succeed at Brisbane Road and are willing to give him more time.

However, there is a bigger issue than Russell Slade's future. The situation has raised concerns that there is a culture of short-termism amongst the decision makers at the club and there are many examples where frequent managerial changes have had a negative impact on football clubs. In football in general a 'quick fix' approach seems to be increasingly common, but in my opinion stability is important.

Although Russell Slade looks set to remain in the Orient dugout, there is a sense that it is a stay of execution rather than a ringing endorsement of his management of the club. A new era has begun at Brisbane Road, just not in the managerial sense. It's just a matter of time.