@lofanstrust.bsky.social
From the board of LOFT, the supporters' trust for fans of Leyton Orient. A democratic voice for O's fans since 2001. Email lofanstrust@gmail.com leytonorientfanstrust.com
With Reading having finally changed hands, hopefully there'll be more media bandwidth to focus on another club that has been bumping along with intermittent financial problems and a bad owner for years. This latest story is disgraceful.
www.thestar.co.uk/sport/footba...
Josimar is a small sports focused journalism organisations that Bellingcat has partnered with on previous projects, like our 1xBet investigation. We'd like to do more, but Josimar needs your support, details of why and how to do that are here:
josimarfootball.com/2025/06/03/a...
A message from @philippeauclair.bsky.social
The reality we at Josimar face is stark. Should we fail to raise 50 000 euro by 1 July, the world’s only investigative media dedicated solely to football will cease to exist.
josimarfootball.com/2025/06/03/a...
Top bloke. I remember a @lofanstrust.bsky.social meeting where he was asked: "Quavers or Hula Hoops?" He didn't miss a beat: "It's gotta be Hula Hoops, hasn't it? You can put one on each finger and eat them off."
#LOFC
LOFT statement on our new majority owners leytonorientfanstrust.com/loft-welcome...
25.04.2025 19:19 — 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0LOFT statement on our new majority owners leytonorientfanstrust.com/loft-welcome...
25.04.2025 19:19 — 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
"Today signals the beginning of Leyton Orient’s next chapter."
Orient Chairman, Nigel Travis, has penned an open letter to supporters, following today's announcement of David Gandler as the club's new majority shareholder.
#LOFC #OneOrient
Things looking distinctly grim over at Dagenham - seemingly on their way to regional football in the sixth tier, and this week have sold a stake to an Egyptian influencer whose arrival has brought out some justified alarm and bemusement mixed with outright bigotry.
16.04.2025 12:38 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 2 📌 0
Our website's had a redesign. Hopefully it's more accessible so do share and encourage O's fans to join us at this pivotal time in our history
leytonorientfanstrust.com
Fact Premier League allows clubs to pass own rules is a disaster. The recent Chelsea situation highlights this. Backed by a few clubs thinking they may face similar situation, ban on selling assets to self not imposed. Not a chance Chelsea’s women’s team can be valued at £150m, and yet here we are.
31.03.2025 21:28 — 👍 105 🔁 26 💬 5 📌 2The Sun is carrying an article by Karren Brady about why a football regulator is a bad idea. What's interesting about this isn't the content - it's the same old feeble scaremongering - it's that the Premier League has made essentially zero headway in its years-long campaign of opposition.
31.03.2025 16:31 — 👍 32 🔁 12 💬 2 📌 0
The club is in deep, deep trouble and, for all his public statements about wanting to sell, the years wasted on unviable sale processes mean that many fans no longer trust a word Jason Whittingham says.
Without radical action, they see only more delay, deception and drift ahead.
Tweet from 1920 Union, a Morecambe fan group, reading: STATEMENT Morecambe FC stands on the brink of disaster. Relegation from the EFL is now highly likely as we sit seven points from safety. Image with text: JASON WHITTINGHAM IS A LYING SNAKE IT'S TIME TO CUT THE HERD OFF NOT A PENNY MORE UNTIL WE'E SOLD
Morecambe fans take the nuclear option: a "not a penny more" campaign.
More power to them.
Uefa’s distribution model has already destroyed or harmed competitive balance across leagues in europe, particularly the small and medium competitions, and it now seems FIFA wants to have it turn to do harm to club football.
26.03.2025 22:06 — 👍 13 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0
$1bn shared between just 32 teams, most of it going to Europeans and a paltry $250m somehow going to be disbursed to thousands of other clubs around the world. Infantino celebrating “the biggest-ever prize money for a football tournament”, without seemingly caring about the consequences.
26.03.2025 21:52 — 👍 15 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
Our CEO Niall Couper responding to Richard Masters
"It is puzzling to describe football as a virtuous circle when 58% of clubs are technically insolvent. And the financial gaps between divisions has grown wider for over 25 years.
"Football is not just about the 20 owners of Premier League clubs."
Yet again, the new Sky deal pushes match-going fans to the bottom of the pecking order.
27.02.2025 20:38 — 👍 7 🔁 3 💬 2 📌 0
❤️ "The club is still there and plays a crucial role in bringing communities together."
Starting this Saturday, the "Home Team" exhibition from local artist Jake Green will display Orient-based photography in shops and outdoor locations throughout Leyton.
#LOFC #OneOrient
Honesty, openness and financial transparency crucial to any deal
18.02.2025 17:39 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0If /when someone new takes over, they'll do well just by doing next to nothing. Put up the cash, let the club run itself. Too many new owners think with their ego, that their changes will improve an already decent thing from Day One. Hope Travis tells them to do one if there are any red flags #lofc
17.02.2025 21:49 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
As @leytonorientear.com reminds me, it was almost a year ago that Leyton Orient's board revealed they were searching for a new investor(s) for potentially a majority stake #LOFC
leytonlaureate.wordpress.com/2024/02/13/i...
A key difference between this change of ownership and the one in 2014 is that this one has been in the works for at least a year - Hearn’s sale was carried out in a big hurry #LOFC
18.02.2025 09:29 — 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0LOFT statement on takeover talks. www.leytonorientfanstrust.com/story.asp?st...
18.02.2025 09:32 — 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 1
Whenever new investment is on the horizon, a lot of fans first question is “how much money have they got?”
Recent experience at #LOFC should remind us that this shouldn’t be the only question.
ICYMI
Doubts over a regulator? Unsure why it is needed?
One answer: Reading
Listen to our latest podcast with
🗳️ MP @yuanfenyang.bsky.social
👨👩👧👦 Fans @star-rfctrust.bsky.social
✍️Journo James Earnshaw
🤵♂️Fair Game chair John Mayes
Listen now👇👇
www.fairgameuk.org/podcasts/reading
Interesting, and long rumoured. Any new owners need to commit to open and honest dialogue with fans, respect for the club's traditions, and integrity, financial and otherwise
17.02.2025 18:40 — 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0Plaudits to the club for laying on free travel but this is again pretty contemptuous from the EFL towards matchgoing fans (and exhausted players) in piling on yet another fixture at short notice. We'll be contacting the league
11.02.2025 13:51 — 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0