Ranking Leyton Orient’s 8 worst players from modern times – Gary Taylor-Fletcher 5th | OneFootball

Leyton Orient fans have been lucky enough to watch some great players in modern times, such as Dean Cox and Jobi McAnuff.

But they have also been made to watch plenty that were not good enough, sometimes despite success at other clubs.

Here, Football League World ranks eight of Orient’s worst players of the 21st century.

8 Alan Dunne

Alan Dunne was one of those that arrived at Leyton Orient with a decent reputation, having played over 300 times for fellow London club Millwall.

Having been sent off several times for the Lions, it came as no surprise that Dunne was shown a red card in one of his eight League Two games in the 2015-16 season.

In 2016-17, the Irish defender was only selected for two league fixtures, unable to make his way into a team that finished bottom with 87 goals conceded.

7 Frank Nouble

The signing of Frank Nouble summed up Orient’s disappointing 2021-22 League Two campaign.

Having not scored in 19 league games for rivals Colchester United, the striker joined the East London club on loan for the second half of the season.

He played eight times for the O’s, without finding the back of the net, and it was not like he offered much in the way of pressing or playmaking either.

6 Jens Janse

Jens Janse came through PSV’s academy before playing in Spain, Georgia, and Italy.

Those experiences did not help him in East London, however, as he was sent off 14 minutes into his debut against Plymouth Argyle.

Like Dunne, Janse played just five league games as the O’s were relegated to the National League.

5 Gary Taylor-Fletcher

Gary Taylor-Fletcher’s inclusion will be a surprise to many, but it is fair to say that he really struggled at Brisbane Road.

He signed from non-league club Northwich Victoria after impressing in an FA Cup tie against the O’s in 2000.

However, the striker failed to adapt in his first taste of professional football, scoring two goals in 24 appearances - his career took off at Lincoln City in the 2004-05 season.

4 Joe Dolan

When O’s fans saw the club had signed a Chelsea academy graduate with first team experience at Millwall, they must have thought it was a coup.

Yet, central defender Joe Dolan was released midway through the 2005-06 season after making just two appearances under then-manager Martin Ling.

His only 90 minutes came in a 3-2 defeat to Bristol Rovers, in which he was bullied by their centre forward from start to finish.

3 Scott Fitzgerald

Scott Fitzgerald was a very good semi-professional striker, whose goal record for the likes of Northwood and Wealdstone is impressive.

Having said that, he did not belong in League Two, and Orient made a mistake in giving him an opportunity to prove otherwise.

On loan with the O’s, the striker was shown a red card for violent conduct on his one and only appearance.

2 Adrian Patulea

Adrian Patulea showed promise at Lincoln City, where he scored 11 goals in 31 League Two appearances, but the step-up to League One was not the right decision for all parties concerned.

The Romanian played 27 times for the O’s in all competitions, mostly as a substitute, netting just three times.

It was not until Patulea returned to Romania with second division side Farul Constanta that he started scoring again.

1 James Scowcroft

James Scowcroft arrived at Brisbane Road with serious pedigree, having scored goals in the Premier League and Championship for Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Coventry City and Crystal Palace.

It remains unfathomable to Orient fans that a player with that background could flop so badly in League One.

The former England under-21 international never found the back of the net in 30 appearances for the O’s in all competitions.