Having been dumped out the FA Cup on Tuesday night by Scunthorpe United, focus returned to the league with the visit of struggling Yeovil Town on Saturday.

Expectations of getting three points were high.

However, once the game kicked off and as the first half progressed it became apparent there was something lacking.

The worst half of the season was lacklustre in a very subdued atmosphere at Brisbane Road.

Players looked lethargic with few runs being made and the O’s devoid of ideas and low on confidence against a team they should have taken to the cleaners.

Salt was rubbed into the wounds with Jack Payne’s injury and the now customary defensive lapse in concentration seeing Yeovil take the lead.

The fans voiced their frustration and annoyance at the players and in particular Ian Hendon as chants of “Hendon out” rang round the ground.

Then in the 74th minute, out of nowhere, Jobi McAnuff provided a moment of magic which papered over the cracks as he struck the ball sweetly into the top left corner from some way out to salvage a draw we barely deserved on the basis of our first half performance.

The full time whistle went and more boos and ‘Hendon out’ chants rang out across Brisbane Road.

Hendon is under immense pressure but we need to stick with him.

Lots of fans want him gone but who would they realistically prefer who the O’s could get?

Ian Holloway, Paolo Di Canio and Gary Bowyer are all names mentioned by fans. But would any one of them realistically come to manage the O’s?

John Still is available and would be the most obvious choice if Hendon was to be sacked but does Francesco Becchetti even know who John Still is? Doubtful.

Give Hendon time and he will come good, he needs at least a season to get his ideas across and to stabilise the club in these tricky times that we are facing.

One key factor in our declining season is Hendon has been very unlucky to see his debut season at the O’s rocked by injuries to two key attacking players.

Dean Cox was picking up assists and scoring goals for fun in League Two and was cruelly ruled out for six months.

Paul McCallum had made a promising start to his O’s career and was just starting to form a partnership with Jay Simpson before he was injured at Northampton Town.

Add Sammy Moore to this injury list and potentially Payne, who was injured on Saturday, and that is one hell of an impact gone from your team.

Apart from the first five games we all know this season has been disappointing but we need to stick together.

We aren't losing games but we are drawing too many of them. If we can cut out the silly mistakes both in attack and in defence we’ll be fine.

Do any fans really honestly believe we will be relegated from League Two this season? There is no chance of that. Look at the League table – we are three points off seventh place.

As we mentioned in our Christmas Special, Hendon can take some of the pressure off himself by communicating more with the fans and trying to improve his image at the club.

Many fans were surprised to see McAnuff on the bench on Saturday which gave fans the perfect excuse to get on his back when things weren't going our way. But had he explained to fans before the match he was being rested then there would have been less scrutiny.

Lots of fans have a bad impression of him so how can this be improved? Maybe another meet the manager at the supporters’ club? Maybe an interview with our podcast?

Whatever the answer, if he can reach out to the fans there is no doubt that some of his detractors will warm to him and then his job will become slightly easier.

Hendon and his team now need to focus on getting the players ready for the upcoming festive period that could make or break his season.

Beating Portsmouth on Boxing Day could prove to be the perfect tonic that will invigorate our season. Follow that up with wins at Bristol Rovers and Stevenage and we will most certainly be back in the play-off spots.

Merry Christmas and up the O’s!

  • As always, keep calm and listen to the Orient Outlook Podcast, and our new episode (54) contains interviews with club captain Matt Baudry, Sammy Moore, Lloyd James and Dean Cox. You can listen on soundcloud.com/orient-outlook & iTunes.