'Weak' Orient players wasted year of career - Wellens

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens has issued a scathing attack on his own players, accusing them of wasting a year of his managerial career.

The O's escaped relegation from League One on the final day of the season after securing a 2-2 draw against Burton Albion.

However, Wellens was in far from a celebratory mood and said his players had been "serving up rubbish".

"I've come out a couple of times and had a go at our supporters in the past. I'm going to apologise for that now. I'm going to tell you the reason why I've done it," he told BBC Radio London.

"We've got a weak group - really, really weak, OK? And when our supporters give them criticism, I try and take the criticism off them.

"So I come out and say the atmosphere wasn't great and then supporters come at me.

"I don't feel that my protection of them, or going on the verge of ruining a relationship with a group of supporters I've got an unbelievable relationship with, is worth it.

"Week in, week out - especially the past six or seven weeks - they get served up with rubbish.

"There are too many players that have wasted 10 months of their career and wasted my time. I've had one year of my management that has been wasted by the players.

"And then they have wasted the supporters' time. They have not given them enough days to turn up to.

"There's not enough people at this football club with the mentality to win."

Wellens criticised his players for playing for a draw against Burton in the closing stages,in the knowledge that relegation rivals Exeter were losing to Bradford, and then celebrating on the pitch after confirmation they had stayed up.

"Clap the fans because they've earned it," he added. "They've paid their money all season to come and watch us home and away, and they deserve to be clapped.

"But then don't be celebrating with your family. Get off the pitch, it's been an embarrassing season."

The Orient boss, who guided the club to promotion in 2022-23 and to the play-off final last season, promised wholesale changes at the club in the summer.

"The ones that have got contracts are going to be struggling to get a new contract and then there will be players that are out of contract that we want to move on," he said.

"We need more athleticism in our side and more character.

"We need to be better in our recruitment. Last year, we went to Spain for our pre-season. I took eight youth team players and about three trialists.

"Every season, we are behind the eight ball and after five or six games we're always near the bottom. And that's one of the reasons why."

However he could give no guarantees that leading scorer and League One player of the year, Dom Ballard, who he excluded from his criticism, would not be sold on.

"Do we want to keep him? Absolutely," said Wellens.

"But then if someone comes in with a figure that is acceptable to David (Gandler, majority shareholder) and Nigel (Travis, chairman), then we will have to see."