Leyton Orient is delighted to confirm the appointment of Carl Fletcher as the Club’s Head Coach on a deal until the end of the 2020/21 season.

Fletcher joins the Club from Premier League side AFC Bournemouth following a thorough and stringent recruitment process.

The 39-year-old enjoyed a successful playing career, making 218 appearances for Bournemouth across eight seasons before moving to West Ham in 2004. He appeared in the 2006 FA Cup Final against Liverpool before spells with Crystal Palace and Plymouth. He displayed his leadership capabilities having been named captain at three Premier League teams as well as the Wales National Team for whom he made 36 appearances.

He was named as Player/Manager of Plymouth Argyle on September 19, 2011 and under the backdrop of severe financial issues, Fletcher kept the Pilgrims up in League Two at just 31 years old.

In January 2014, Fletcher rejoined AFC Bournemouth as Under-18 Manager, leading the side to the regional EFL Youth Alliance Cup title before securing the national title.

He was promoted to Under-23 Manager in the summer of 2017 and has played a role in the development of the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Mark Travers and Jack Simpson, all of whom have received promotions to the first team.

Most recently, Fletcher has fulfilled the role of loan manager at the Premier League side, managing the Club’s loaned-out players including 57-cap striker Jermain Defoe’s temporary spell at Rangers. This position ensures that Fletcher has an extensive knowledge of the English Football League and a substantial range of contacts within the British game.

During his time at the Cherries, Fletcher had the opportunity to develop in close quarters to former-teammate Eddie Howe, one of the most talented managers in the English game.

Martin Ling, Director of Football, said “The board went through the interview process with Carl and he kept coming out on top. He has leadership skills, which he obviously had as a Captain of many teams he was at including his country. Everything that we were looking for, he ticked every box”



“Everyone we spoke to said everything we wanted to hear. We spoke to Stephen Purches at Bournemouth, we had people speak to Eddie Howe and Charlie Daniels. We spoke to a couple players who played under him at Plymouth as well as the people at board level at Bournemouth and they all said the same thing – they believe he’s going to make a top-class football manager.”

Nigel Travis, Chairman of Leyton Orient, said, “We are delighted to welcome Carl Fletcher to the Club. Carl brings not only plenty of football experience but also the modern up-to-date skills in managing a football team through the last seven years at AFC Bournemouth.

“I want to thank Ross Embleton for the outstanding job he has done filling the gap during the last several months. He has handled the circumstances with a sensitivity and a skill that very few could match. Furthermore, we’d like to thank Danny Webb and Jobi McAnuff for their contributions at a very difficult time following Justin’s passing.”

Ross Embleton will return to his position of Assistant Coach while Danny Webb will return to his role of First Team Development Coach. Jobi McAnuff will continue in his role of Player/Coach.