January, contrary to the general consensus can be an optimistic time for football fans, writes Fan’s View columnist Peter Ranger.

The transfer window provides managers with a chance to bolster or improve their sides to help challenge for promotion or fight their way out of a relegation battle.

And until recently I’m sure Leyton Orient fans were hoping that a couple of new faces would be coming in to help get us out of trouble.

Unfortunately, with no money and even less information coming from the chairman about his future involvement, we are looking at fighting a relegation battle with a squad of players who have struggled with the task so far.

I don’t wish to put the blame entirely at the feet of our chairman, Francesco Becchetti, he certainly can’t be blamed for poor marking or some of the other frankly awful defending we have seen this season.

However, when Andy Edwards says the squad is light on wingers and with Jay Simpson’s departure leaving us a 17-year-old who has started one league game as our most natural finisher you can’t help but look back on the petty, arrogant and shameful treatment of Dean Cox and Scott Kashket.

I admit I did not see Kashket having anything close to the impact he has had so far at Wycombe Wanderers and wonder what Becchetti felt he gained and what the club gained from his actions in these matters. But it certainly didn’t save him any money.

I also doubt anyone could argue that we wouldn’t be better off with Cox still in the side. Even the short time he’s been at Crawley Town suggests he hasn’t felt much of a hangover from the knee injury that kept him out for most of last season.

And this is without mentioning that Sean Clohessy’s bizarre departure has thrown an 18-year-old right-back in at the deep end of a relegation battle.

These are all decisions made by the chairman that have directly affected the playing side of things.

As I’ve mentioned previously, it is not Becchetti’s fault that the players don’t pick up their man or struggle to consistently pass to each other.

And Edwards will prove himself to be quite the manager if he does turn things around and keep us up.

However, the contradictory, confused and condemnable manner in which Becchetti has run the club has led us into this situation.

But if he’s unwilling or unable to make the changes that would improve things then he should put the club up for sale.