Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens wanted to ask Pep to go home and stay a little longer
08/02/2025
Leyton Orient FC, London, UK
08/02/2025
Leyton Orient FC, London, UK
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00:00Richie, did you enjoy that today?
00:03Well, I didn't enjoy the result, because ultimately we got beat and were disappointed,
00:07but I think the biggest disappointment was the two goals,
00:09we didn't have anybody on the edge against a team that can score from distance,
00:13and it's an unlucky deflection.
00:15And the second goal is something that we've tried to stop all week,
00:18when the ball goes out to the wing going, no, De Bruyne are folding,
00:21whoever it may be in that position makes that run,
00:23and we just didn't shift the cross quick enough.
00:26But I'm pleased at the intensity, the passion that we've shown,
00:29the quality at times, I think at 1-0 we had a couple of chances
00:33where the ball was going across their box,
00:35and we just didn't quite get on the end of it inside their full-back.
00:38But you have to give them credit, they never panicked,
00:41they kept moving the ball, and they're top, top players.
00:44But in terms of our work ethic, the position, I thought tactically we were very good,
00:49it was causing a problem after about 15 minutes with the two wingers staying wide,
00:53so we had to change to a back five with our wing-back standing on them,
00:56which helped, it didn't help us in terms of the possession,
00:59but it helped us stop arriving in the 18-yard box as often,
01:03but they're a top team, so to give them a slight scare was obviously a proud day for the club.
01:08What was the feelings when Jamie Donnelly hit that from about 40 yards out?
01:12Yeah, I just told them, I was literally just past him on the stairs,
01:15so it's a shame that it's gone down as an own goal, I don't think that's deserved.
01:18I don't think Ortega wants it either, so there's one thing seeing it,
01:22there's another thing executing it, the lad has talent,
01:25Spurs have been great with us, one of their best young players,
01:28and we think we've developed him really well over the last six months.
01:32And if he carries on with the same attitude, the same intensity and the work ethic and mentality,
01:36then he might be playing against them week in, week out.
01:44I've no idea, Tony, what we've seen in a lot of under-21s football,
01:48you've got qualities, goals and assists, numbers were very, very good.
01:51When he first came to us he took a little bit of time to get used to the second balls,
01:54the duels, the intensity of the game, but you look there, I think we've won more duels today,
01:59and it's an important part of the game.
02:01Have we got as good a football as him? We haven't.
02:04But when he was a 50-50 duel, I think the majority of the time we came out on top
02:08and that gave us a good foot in the game.
02:10Pep was very complimentary to your team, he said they're outstanding in every department,
02:16and he was glowing, wasn't he, in every level?
02:21It is nice, I have to say, the way that he is, we've just had ten minutes there,
02:26and what an unbelievable guy.
02:29I actually want him to go home, just stay for a bit longer, the way that he talks...
02:34I compliment him on his tan, he's been to Abu Dhabi for a few days, he looks really well.
02:40But what a man to speak to, he speaks to you with passion, he's not just coming up for a drink
02:46and he's like, time for the bus, leaving, he's speaking in detail tactically about his experiences as well,
02:53and what an unbelievable guy.
02:55You speak about giving City a bit of a scare,
02:59but what were you thinking when you saw De Bruyne and Foden coming off for that last 15 minutes,
03:04was that a sign, given that they've got a Champions League game against Real Madrid?
03:08The truth. Don't let a ball go out of play so they don't come on.
03:13Because what they offer you, when we're camped in, they offer the extreme elite quality.
03:20So the movement, the timing of the movement, when it gets to him, the ball manipulation,
03:25and De Bruyne is off both feet, he's probably the best player Premier League has ever seen.
03:30He's up there, you wouldn't have a conversation about it without mentioning his name.
03:34And Foden can potentially be that in time.
03:37Yeah, I was worried when I saw the first team sheets, Savio, Gundogan, Mahmoud Shafot,
03:43showing glimpses of what a top player he can be.
03:46All of them, they're all brilliant, but they've done it for a long period of time
03:49and they keep producing the results, so yeah, I was worried.
03:51But it is a compliment to your team that he's had to make those changes to force a game.
03:56Yeah, but they're the weapons at his disposal, so when you have them weapons,
03:59you don't leave them sat when you need the game to come away from us.
04:03No, that's the only disappointment about today as well, because we had our pace and power.
04:07You look at Dan Agnew, he's not quite fit to start today,
04:10Oli O'Neill's on the treatment table, we've probably got three or four others
04:13where we needed pace and we needed legs in the last 20 minutes, and we just didn't have that.
04:16We're bringing a 19-year-old kid in, and we haven't got quite the attacking options off the bench.
04:22But if you've got him, he's well within his rights to use them.
04:25Richie, with Don, the way that you're speaking, I was thinking that if he does something like that,
04:31that reduces your chances of persuading him to maybe come back next year,
04:36but the way that you're speaking, you think that he'll progress beyond that?
04:40No, unless we're in a championship, there's no way we're getting back next year.
04:44But that's the nature of my job and the nature of the club that I'm at,
04:48where we have to take first loans, because if we wait until they've had a loan,
04:51they then bypass us.
04:53So the plan for Jamie was one of two things, he comes to us, he develops, he grows into a man,
04:58he then goes back to Tottenham and maybe gets in their first team,
05:01if not, then he goes to the Championship, and there's a clear development plan for him going forward.
05:06But, yeah, we get the first loans in, we develop them, they do brilliant,
05:12and then they go back to the parent club and either play or the parent club sell them.
05:15But you don't see him as a player that's going to struggle to...
05:19I mean, the Championship's a high level, you don't see him as a player who'll struggle to make it...
05:25Going forward, the Championship will be minimum for him, it won't be minimum.
05:30Currently, Richie, there's a little bit of disappointment that you end up losing the game,
05:34you might deserve more. In a way, though, is it the perfect scenario?
05:38You've had a fantastic day, the players have acquitted themselves, but you've got promotion.
05:42Yeah, I'm actually delighted in going, I know it's weird, but I'm delighted in going to extra time,
05:47because that would have been a struggle for us, because they would have had more of the ball,
05:51runners into the ground, again, just the consistency of the way that they play,
05:54they never panic, they keep just moving the ball at slow, slow, then quick, quick.
06:01So, listen, was we going to win the FA Cup? No.
06:04Can we win promotion? Absolutely. So, yeah, good question, and I think you're right.
06:08And is there a challenge now to get the Mines onto Mansfield?
06:12There'll be no challenge, we had three players cup-tied today, we've got two coming from injury
06:15and probably two or three that were rested for Mansfield on Tuesday, so we're hoping that we'll
06:20have probably 80 per cent of our outfield players fresh and ready to go.
06:24Have you had any messages for the City fans in your family yet?
06:27I haven't had a chance yet, my uncle just walked past me with a big grin on his face,
06:31it felt like giving me a dig. But yeah, the majority, my dad is one of eight or nine,
06:37and he's the only United fan, so this is a brilliant football club, and a lot of my friends
06:42are still City fans, even though I'm a United fan, it's a brilliant football club, and what
06:46the owners have done for that club over the last, what, 15 years, the regeneration of that part of
06:52Manchester and the success that they've brought to the club is absolutely brilliant.
06:57Richard, did you hope that when Foden and De Bruyne were coming on,
07:00Jack Grealish might have gone off, because it always felt like Grealish was
07:03potentially going to do something?
07:05Yeah, when you're playing, we obviously at times have to go into a low block,
07:08and when you go into that low block there's probably no better player than the Premier
07:11League to work in them small spaces that can drag you in, that can buy fouls,
07:15that can have combination playing at final third, so yeah, but I don't know what you want me to say,
07:23I mean, yes is the answer, I would have liked him to take a couple of the other superstars off,
07:27but by that stage we need more counter-attacking to ask some questions,
07:31but one thing we kept going, we had the block shot, we had Pratley's volley over the bar,
07:35and we had the one where we should score with the last free kick of the game,
07:39where Dan Hapsey hit it over, so we kept going till the end, I think we've caused them quite
07:42a few problems today, but ultimately they were just too good for us.
07:47Word about your keeper, Richie as well, he had a great game again today, didn't he?
07:51Yeah, he was class, he's been brilliant since he's come in, I think he's had 75% of his
07:56performance have been clean sheets, he's got good character for a young kid, and he's only
08:02going to go on, he's going to develop into a... He potentially could be that top-level
08:07Premier League goalkeeper, if he keeps his feet on the ground.
08:10Anyone else?
08:12Richie, what does the money mean to the club that you've got from this top man?
08:16I've not seen a penny of it.
08:18No, I think the chairman, like I said, I don't want to go too much into it,
08:23but we've got some big injuries, so the chairman has now gone out and got two or three replacements,
08:29so they'll come in and replace me, and that's allowed us to do that.
08:31We also, funnily enough, sold a young player, Terry Lampton-Mansitter, which has helped,
08:37but the chairman's been brilliant, so now we've got reinforcements,
08:40so there's no excuses from us going forward, probably in two weeks we'll get three or four
08:45more back and the squad is good enough to hopefully get promoted at the end of the year.
08:49Right, thank you.
08:50No problem.
08:51All right, cheers, guys, all the best.
08:53Have a good weekend.