They say that a week is a long time in football, well Leyton Orient's visit to Stadium MK almost a year ago seems like a lifetime ago.

On the final day of last season the O's fans were in a buoyant mood as they watched their side prepare for the play-offs with a comfortable 3-1 win over MK Dons. On Saturday MK Dons had the game wrapped up inside half an hour, but Orient's humiliation didn't stop there as the hosts were 4-0 up at the break and went on to record their second 6-1 home win of the season.

It probably doesn't help to look back at last season, but the contrast between the two games is a stark reminder of how far we have fallen. Jay Simpson's consolation goal and his promising performance was the only thing close to resembling a positive.

It is worth pointing out that MK Dons have managed a number of high-scoring victories this season, Crewe lost 6-1 away and 5-0 at home, Colchester lost 6-0, Oldham lost 7-0. Karl Robinson clearly has a strong team who are in fine form.

Orient's task was always going to be difficult and their trip to Milton Keynes was likely to end in defeat, however the manner in which they lost was unacceptable. The O's barely laid a glove on their opponents on Saturday.

Orient lacked intensity and allowed MK Dons too much space and time. Of the hosts' six goals only Rob Hall's stunning strike for the fourth goal seemed to be unstoppable. At the very least fans would have expected their team to be fighting for survival but sadly it didn't look like that was the case. Orient's task wasn't impossible, after all, out-of-form Port Vale managed to hold MK Dons to a goalless draw earlier this month.

There has been much debate over who is to blame for Orient's predicament, but the truth is no one who has been at the club this season is blameless.

Following Fabio Liverani's arrival in December, I expressed concern that owner Francesco Becchetti had taken a gamble in appointing a manager with limited managerial experience and little if any experience of English football. Currently, it doesn't look like that gamble is going to pay off.

While it was clearly a difficult situation for Liverani to be thrown into, he has struggled to draw much out of his under-performing squad. It is hard not to look at what Tony Mowbray has done with Coventry City recently, or Gillingham's improvement under Justin Edinburgh, or even the dramatic transformation that Steve Cotterill has overseen at Bristol City over the last 16 months without wondering what might have been for the O's had Becchetti taken less of a risk.

The players must also take responsibility. They have underperformed under four different managers this season and most, if not all of them are capable of playing better.

It is probably a bit too soon to think about next season considering we don't yet know our fate, but it is clear the squad needs work over the summer. Orient looked lethargic as they struggled to keep up with MK Dons' young talents.

I can't help but wonder whether Orient would be better served to add some young, hungry players to the senior ranks for next season, particularly after the Orient Under-18's league win. An injection of youth and exuberance around a core of experienced players could make a big difference.

For now though it is up to our senior players to show their desire to keep Orient up. Throughout this season we have heard players and managers talk of the importance of issuing a positive response following some disappointing defeats, but rarely have we seen those words put into action on the pitch.

The O's need to give everything in their remaining games for the sake of the club and the fans that have supported them all season.

Liverani and some of his players have apologised for the defeat. While they deserve some credit for that, accumulating enough points for survival is all that matters now.

At the time of writing Orient have three games to beat the drop. Points from those matches and confirmation of a place in League One for next season come 2pm on Sunday, May 3 would be the best way to apologise.