O's fan's view: 'It seems as though the transfer window is here to stay' (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Leyton Orient fan Rowland Lyons shares his thoughts

5:10pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Sport By Rowland Lyons

January can be classed as ‘fair to middling’ bordering on the ‘inconsistent’ if you look at where we started and finished the first 31 calendar days of the New Year.

After hitting the dizzy heights of Page One of Ceefax, we ended the month a single position higher than where we began after the first of two scintillating wins over Graham Westley XIs – so all is not bad on the western front!

Like the abolition of the much-loved back pass nearly 20 years ago, it seems as though the transfer window is here to stay.

With the long-awaited emergence of Marc Laird and the arrivals of Dean Leacock, Syam Ben Youssef and loan-signings Soloman Taiwo – you must remember him from his Dagenham & Redbridge days? – and a useful looking Adam Chicksen, the gaffer has made great strides to bolster the squad.

So shocked – but not wholly surprised – might be the average Orient fan’s take over skipper Stephen Dawson’s departure up to South Yorkshire after less than two years down south. After all, he did start his spell in England at Leicester, but then dropped down the divisions, with the O’s as “Daws’” fourth stop in a burgeoning career this side of the Irish Sea. So, far from us being bitter, we should wish arguably our best midfielder since Steve Castle, good luck and thank him for his efforts in the Orient engine room. Who knows, a spell in the Championship might eventually lead to full international honours.

One man doesn’t make a team, but Dawson’s industry, drive and no little skill will be a great miss. However, with Freedom of Contract and the player at liberty to negotiate with whomever at the end of the season, what else could the club do? After all, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo having left Manchester United a few years back, who isn’t a selling club?

What does February hold in store for us? Tough fixtures are par for the course, and with the mouth-watering clash against Jordan Rhodes’ Huddersfield Town thrown in, who knows why we can’t go on another run and at least put some pressure on the play-off pack? Time to make Brisbane Road a fortress.

Keep the faith.

Up the O’s.