I have tried to take a step back from the rumours and daily articles about the crisis at Orient in order to get some perspective. Change is challenging. In his limited public appearances on television, Francesco Becchetti seems to believe that the problems are down to the transition to a new regime.

It’s hard to know at this stage whether he is just making some mistakes as he becomes familiar with the club, or whether there are major problems on the horizon.

Here are my thoughts:

Communication: This is an issue at every level of the club. At its most basic, it’s an issue of the manager needing team talks translated as well as communicating to players on the pitch during matches. However, it is also communication with the fans.

Orient fans were arguably spoilt over the last few seasons, not only with on-pitch performances, but also excellent club communications that filtered from the top down, spearheaded by a chief executive and fan, Matt Porter and an excellent head of communications in Jonny Davies.

The vacuum that has replaced it has been filled with rumours and insinuations appearing on forums, social media and media outlets. Despite claiming his door is open, Mr Becchetti does not seem to want to communicate at all, rejecting all offers of meetings from fan groups and most media outlets thus far.

Staff turnover: The bedrock for progression is staggered and careful change management. Becchetti instead decided to rapidly replace virtually all tiers of the old regime or at least created a climate that encouraged staff to look elsewhere: Porter was asked to leave, the goalkeeping coach Kevin Dearden left for Luton, fitness coach Lee Southernwood followed former boss Russell Slade to Cardiff, physiotherapist Joe Sharp moved to Scunthorpe and press officer Jonny Davies also moved on.

This rapid change is personnel has clearly unsettled the squad and can only be seen as appalling change management, which should have happened more steadily and progressively.

Squad upheaval: One of Orient’s major strengths was the harmony among the players. Nobody was earning above £2,500 a week and there was a sense of equality and unity about the dressing room. This pay structure ensured sustainable outgoings at a manageable level for many years.

With Becchetti’s arrival, the pay structure was effectively smashed, as Darius Henderson, Jay Simpson, Jobi McAnuff, Andrea Dossena and Gianvito Plasmati all arrived on contracts thought to be above £7,500 a week. This has created a real division between most of the existing squad on old contracts and new players, which has not helped foster any of the team spirit that was so evident last season.

Fitness and injuries: Injuries have been a critical factor all season. The fitness and conditioning at Orient seems to be an ongoing issue. Players appear to be slow and tired and injuries are a constant problem.

The fact that Orient signed a number of 30+ year old journeymen may also be one of the reasons why the rate of injuries has been higher this season. It is clearly another area that needs sorting out as there are too many senior squad members who have spent more time off the pitch than on it. 

Seasonality: Many teams that lose in a playoff final typically struggle the next year, as it is hard to raise the same levels of motivation. Mix in staff and player upheaval, communication issues and injuries and it’s not that surprising that the club is struggling.

Confidence: Losing creates negativity in the dressing room, and constantly losing has resulted in nervous performances and a lack of confidence in games. Winning is a habit. So is losing and it’s a tough cycle to break.

Not all of these issues are Becchetti’s fault. Some may have been an issue anyway, and have been amplified by defeats, but it is clear that poor change management including questionable hires (Mauro Milanese, current manager Fabio Liverani) are having a negative impact on the club that is directly reflected in Orient being near the foot of League One.

The hope is that Becchetti is learning from his mistakes. After all, this is his first shot at English football, but it will be hard for fans to have any questions answered until some sort of communication channel is established or results improve to the point where less explanation about on field failings is needed.

So far, chief executive Alessandro Angelieri and owner Becchetti have remained aloof from the fan base, deferring all communication to those below them. And this is something that needs to change.