Growing up as a Leyton Orient fan, times have never really been plain sailing, writes Fan’s View columnist Laurie Hann.

After the announcement of a winding up petition being issued by HMRC, I think it’s fair to say the last few weeks have been the most tumultuous in a generation.

As is usually the way in these situations, the fans are kept in the dark as to what is going on. Communication from the club has been imperceptible once again. The only word that has been heard from anybody senior at the club was Alessandro Angelieri’s statement that was read out in the court hearing. Monday was one of the most important days in the club’s 136-year history and the club have yet to make any comment.

Whilst it has been unfair on the fans to be kept in the dark, it has also been incredibly unfair on the club’s loyal staff. It must be so difficult to perform well in such circumstances and the work that continues to be carried out by those at the club is highly commendable.

And although it looks as though the O’s will be able to complete the season, it is hard to see any real future for the club as long as Francesco Becchetti remains in charge. We can only hope a sale can be completed soon so the club can start to rebuild.

The work done by the Leyton Orient Fans Trust throughout this saga, and in particular since the winding up petition was issued, has been absolutely superb. A lot of people have given up a lot of time to ensure we still have a club to support and the amount of money raised for the regeneration fund is staggering.

On the pitch, I feel Danny Webb has done a commendable job in circumstances which have been incredibly difficult. A threadbare squad and a heavy reliance on youth have left him with little to work with to try and steer the club to league safety.

He’s conducted himself very well off the field too. It would be very easy for him to blame the off-field issues for the results but he hasn’t. All of his interviews are open and honest which has been quite refreshing at a time when information from within the club has been at a premium.

Without the backing of the chairman to strengthen the squad when it needed it most, it looks increasingly unlikely that we will be able to stave off relegation to the National League. A lot of the young players have been thrown in that the deep end and the performances they are putting in have been admirable.

Whilst he hasn’t really had an alternative option, Danny has shown a lot of faith in playing the young players and you can only hope this whole saga only stands them in good stead for the future.