BARRY Hearn has revealed that while he would have loved to have secured the services of former Wimbledon boss Joe Kinnear when he was looking for a successor to Paul Brush last year, he is more than happy with the way things have worked out under Martin Ling.

The Guardian had heavily linked ex-Luton Town manager Kinnear with the vacant O's post in October, but following the appointment of Ling the club have always remained silent on the names that topped their short-list. However on taking over as the new Nottingham Forest boss last week the 57-year-old Londoner revealed that Hearn had begged him to get back into management at Brisbane Road following an unhappy split with Luton.

"I'll put my hands up and say I was so disillusioned I was thinking of calling it a day, because the whole Luton scenario had left a bad taste and I thought that's it for me," Kinnear told the Press Association.

"But then Barry Hearn rang me and said 'Come on, Joe. Get yourself back into it, the job's yours, come and win me promotion at Orient'.

"So I met Barry, talked things over with him and then decided I would have loved to have got back but, and I mean no disrespect to Barry or Orient, I was looking for a bigger opportunity. I didn't want to walk into Orient and then walk out again."

However in respect of that revelation, O's supremo Hearn believes that decision could have been a "blessing in disguise" following the success of Ling in transforming the east Londoners from a team fighting relegation into one that still has a chance of making the play-offs.

He said: "I have got total respect for Joe Kinnear both as a person and as a football manager. At the time it would have been nice if he had come and joined us, but any disappointment on that front has been put in the shadows with how pleased I am with the job Martin Ling and Ian Culverhouse have done.

"I know it is still early doors yet, but I think everyone around them including the fans will agree that we have unearthed a top class management team.

"So I am very pleased that they have come to terms with the job that was in hand very quickly and it may well turn out that it was a blessing in disguise that Joe turned us down."