The Leyton Orient owners have revealed in the Phoenix FM radio show 'Orient Hour' that they are considering to renovate the historic East Stand and here are my thoughts.
The iconic stand was built in 1937 when the club moved to Brisbane Road, I believe it was bought from another club, which explains why the Orient Gable is not in the middle of the stand. It is believed that this stand was previously owned by Romford or Romford Greyhound.
It was formerly the main stand and is also home to the Wyvern Suite, the old directors box which is now in the new main stand. In the 2000's the club renovated Brisbane Road, replacing every stand apart from the East Stand to keep the grounds iconic character.
As a result of this the East Stand became the area for away fans. In addition to this, the terrace is allocated half and half. Since then, attendances have dropped in the stand, besides the 2013-14 season were gates reached up to 7,000 on average.
I personally don't want the East Stand to be renovated. Yes, it is old but that's what makes it so beautiful - it adds character, its unique, its Leyton Orient.
If it’s renovated, it's only going to end up the same as the West Stand. If it is unfortunately renovated I hope they keep the famous gable, it wouldn't be Brisbane Road without it.
In addition to this, if we were to renovate, why not try safe standing? Tottenham are doing it, Shrewsbury are doing it, Hannover are doing it, why shouldn't we do it?
I watched a Copa90 documentary about FC United of Manchester last week and the atmosphere in their all standing 4,000 capacity stand was simply something else.
However, there is a small silver lining and hopefully the North Stand will become the new Away Stand, I don't mind it but the atmosphere is still and we should lower prices in the East Stand to cater for families, hopefully this will boost Attendances in the East Stand and lower South Stand season tickets. I went in the East versus Macclesfield when it was full and the atmosphere was sensational, great having everyone crammed in, like the old days of football.
Furthermore, why renovate the ground when our average attendance is 4/5,000 at the most?
Nigel has made the proposal of opening a club shop in the new stand. Previously, the Club shop, Ticket Office and Supporters Club were formerly over the East Side before moving to the West 15 years ago. The Shop on Oliver Road will stay alongside the proposed new store.
However, I strongly hope that the East Stand remains as it is, so we can therefore keep a key part of Leyton Orient’s history.