‘A Cinderella story’: Leyton Orient owner eyes early success

David Gandler will watch Leyton Orient for just the third time in Sunday’s League One play-off final against Charlton at Wembley, with the club’s new American owner hoping to cap a memorable season by achieving an extraordinary double.

Orient’s bid to return to the second tier for the first time in 43 years with average crowds of less than 8,000 at Brisbane Road is remarkable enough in itself, yet Gandler has already been involved in one historic promotion this season, with French club Paris FC promoted to Ligue 1 for the first time last month.

Gandler sold his 17% stake in Paris to French billionaire Bernard Arnault midway through the season, which paved the way for his takeover at Orient. It was completed as Richie Wellens's side closed in on a surprise play-off place at the end of last month. The tech entrepreneur paid £19m for 78% of Orient, which will look like shrewd investment if what he describes as a “Cinderella story” comes to pass.

“Maybe I've been a lucky charm, let's just see,” Gandler said from the New York offices of Fubo TV, the sports streaming company he is in the process of selling to Disney. “Paris may be an example. I think it would just be a wonderful, a Cinderella story.”

Orient’s journey to Wembley has been more painful than Gandler’s, who was at their final home league games of the season against Wycombe last month, but was unable to attend the play-off semi-finals against Stockport, which climaxed in a penalty shootout victory for Wellens’s side.  In 2017 Orient faced a winding-up petition in the High Court over unpaid debts run up by then owner Francesco Becchetti, who presided over relegation to the National League for the first time in their 112-year history, before a takeover led by Dunkin’ Donuts’ chief executive Nigel Travis. The Essex-born American stabilised Orient, who also had to cope with the death of manager Justin Edinburgh following a cardiac arrest shortly after he had led them back to League Two six years ago.

“I've spent countless hours with Nigel talking about the journey going back almost a decade,” Gandler said. “One of the things I’ve heard quite often is that eight years ago this club didn't even have a bank account.

“To see what can happen when people care, have a vision and are united with one goal is amazing. I think it’s just a beautiful story that we should all be excited about. It just really inspires hope for everyone.”

For Gandler, Orient’s history as underdogs – they are the second-oldest professional club in London but have spent just one season in the top division in 1961/62 – forms a large part of their appeal.

Having founded Fubo 10 years ago to stream live sport to U.S. and Canada in direct competition with huge global broadcasters, the 50-year-old identifies with Orient’s underdog spirit despite the proposed sale to Disney, which is subject of an investigation from the US Department of Justice who have expressed competition concerns.

Orient are unfancied by the bookmakers against Charlton, and although over 30,000 fans have bought tickets they are likely to be outnumbered, with the south-east London club having sold their allocated 37,000.

“After exiting Paris I had very little interest in going again, but I met a friend who knew Leyton Orient and he said this was a club that I would be interested in,” Gandler said.

“Why? Because I love the underdog story. I’ve been an underdog my whole life. This is a small club that is extremely scrappy, that has a very passionate supporter base.

“Leyton Orient was the exception to all of the other clubs. Almost all EFL clubs are for sale all the time, but I felt that this was a very special place, something that I wanted to be part of.

“Promotion to the Championship would be transformative for the club, and for everyone who has supported us through sometimes disturbed times. I think Richie Wellens deserves this, the players deserve this, Waltham Forest deserves this, and the fans deserve this, because of the drama they have lived through.”

Gandler’s reference to Waltham Forest is significant, as relationships with the local council will be critical to his long-term vision for the club, which he summarises as “sustainability, accessibility and competitive ambition.”  In another indication of their somewhat down-at-heel status Orient do not own their own ground and pay rent to former owner Barry Hearn to play at Brisbane Road, a situation Gandler is hoping to change rapidly.

Three potential sites for new stadiums have been identified within the borough and Gandler has already had positive discussions with the council about obtaining their support.

“A new stadium is one of my personal priorities,” he said.

“After the last home game we had, my first meeting was with Waltham Forest City Council, which just goes to show you how important it is. And I’m very excited to say that the council is very, very supportive of Leyton Orient. And we're going to do everything we can to ensure that this club maintains itself as the social hub of Waltham Forest.

“The idea is we’d like to move sooner rather than later, although there’s not a timeline for anything. Our goal is to be a stable Championship club so without putting a definitive number out there, I’d say we’re looking at a capacity of maybe 20,000, or 25,000. A mid-sized stadium for the Championship.

“We’ll look at other clubs and see what has been successful for them, but I think that this club should pave its own path. I would like to see this club be a leader in certain ways, a leader in the community.

“I want to make sure Leyton Orient thrives in the future. One of the things that Nigel and I discussed is, how does this club stay relevant for the next 100 years?”

Photograph by Simon O'Connor/Leyton Orient