LEYTON ORIENT: Five Managers Who Could Take Charge Of The O's

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When Leyton Orient appointed Kenny Jackett as manager eight months ago, many saw it as a big coup for the League Two club.

Jackett's repuatation, combined with a strong start saw Orient become one of the early promotion contenders, but it did not stay that way.

Having lost four on the spin and only gained two points from their last ten, the former Portsmouth manager was let go, with former O's striker Matt Harrold taking the reins for the time being.

While we cannot rule him out of contention, here are five candidates that could take over at the Breyer Group Stadium...

Jonathan Woodgate

Jonathan Woodgate's time in management has been mixed so far, starting off rough with a poor spell at Middlesbrough, before being thrust into the manager's role at Bournemouth, a day after being hired as a coach.

He was able to get Bournemouth to the play-offs but they would fall short to the eventual promotion winners Brentford.

Woodgate is certainly committed to playing a modern style of football, with a focus on possession and a high tempo, as shown from his time at Boro, where he remained dedicated to his style despite clearly not having the players for it.

This could be seen as naïve, and Woodgate has appeared to learn some lessons from his time on Teeside, and a drop down the leagues could be the perfect opportunity for him to prove himself as a manager.

Neil Lennon

After a rough end to his time at Celtic, Neil Lennon is looking to bounce back into management and could have an opportunity with Leyton Orient.

Heavily linked with the O's, Lennon will bring a wealth of experience, and will look to translate some of the success he had at Celtic over to the League Two side.

While this would be a step down for the Northern Irishman, he has struggled to establish himself as a manager away from the Bhoys, with spells at Bolton Wanderers and Hibernian both falling flat.

Lennon will certainly have a chip on his shoulder from the end of his time at Celtic and his experience of guiding Celtic to trophies could be the winning mentality that Orient need right now.

Luke Garrard

There aren't many managers in non-league with a higher stock then Luke Garrard at the moment.

A fantastic FA Cup run alongside a strong league season thus far, has left many impressed by the Boreham Wood manager, and you would assume that a fair few boardrooms in the EFL have been keeping an eye on his progress.

Garrard has built one of the strongest defences outside the EFL, which was proven in their FA Cup upset against Bournemouth, but also by the fact they've only conceded 17 goals in 27 games, the lowest in the National League.

Compensation may be an issue, and whether Garrard would want to leave Boreham Wood to move up to League Two is an unanswered question, but there's no harm in trying.

Lee Johnson

Having been let go last month by Sunderland, it is no surprise that Lee Johnson is an outsider for this job.

Despite being third in the league, the former Bristol City manager was sacked by Sunderland following a tough 6-0 defeat away at Bolton.

Clearly a decent manager, as shown by his time at Bristol City, Johnson is capable of creating a formidable outfit, but there are doubts about his ability to win promotions with teams.

Johnson would be a huge coup for Orient but we wouldn't be writing this article if their last managerial coup went well, and it is hard to see Johnson taking a step down the leagues so soon after his last role.

Steve Evans

While this will certainly be the least popular option on this list, Steve Evans is a manager that can get teams winning at this level and this could be an option for an Orient side desperate to avoid any form of relegation battle.

Having done well at Rotherham, and better than expected at Leeds, Evans has since not done so well at Mansfield and Gillingham.

A controversial figure with perhaps a slightly abrasive managerial style, the Scotsman may not make many friends on the touchline, but his aggressiveness and desire to win could be something that Orient may need currently.

The reaction if Evans was to become Leyton Orient manager would not be particularly favourable, and considering the O's have got it wrong a fair few times in the past couple years, we would doubt that he will be the right man for the job, but you never know.