Richie Wellens gets brutally honest as he slams Leyton Orient players for ’embarrassing’ season

Richie Wellens gets brutally honest as he slams his Leyton Orient players for an ’embarrassing’ season, avoiding relegation on the final day.

Exeter City ended up going down following a 2-1 home defeat to Bradford, while Leyton Orient survive following a draw against Burton.

Speaking in his gone post-match interview, which has since gone viral, Leyton Orient’s Richie Wellens certainly didn’t hold back, describing the season as ‘wasted’.

📲 Listen to the full interview below ⤵️https://t.co/ybHWvUOXYj

— BBC Sport London (@BBCLondonSport) May 2, 2026

He said, per Border Telegraph: “I’m pleased for the supporters but for the last 15 minutes we were a disgrace.

“We were passing around the back and we didn’t want to win the game. We thought the game was won with Exeter losing, but in football you never know.

“They could score two goals quickly but the way we passed it about summed the group up.

“I’ve come out a couple of times and had a go at supporters, and I want to apologise to them for that.

“We are weak, really, really weak. The last six to seven weeks, we’ve served up some absolute rubbish.

“We have relegation written all over us, we relied on somebody else getting the result for us.”

Per BBC Sport London, he added: “We had to wait for someone else to get a result for us. I told the players they can clap the fans. They’ve earned it. But don’t be celebrating that we’ve stayed up.

“It’s been an embarrassing season. There are players in this team that have wasted this season. They’ve wasted my time.

“I’ve had one year of my managing career wasted on these players and the supporters have had a season wasted on them too.”

“I have had one year of my management career wasted on these players.”

A brutal, honest, and perhaps needed post season interview from Richie Wellens.

Wellens acknowledges the exceptions (such as Dom Ballard), but he clearly states the issues.

(📹 @LeytonOrientFC)#LOFC pic.twitter.com/RQrpEgHKgF

— Charlie (@charliekeegan) May 2, 2026

“Get off the pitch, it’s been an embarrassing season” 😡

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens was angry at his players for celebrating avoiding relegation on the final day. pic.twitter.com/ecUXXx7V5D

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 3, 2026

Here’s how fans reacted as Richie Wellens gets brutally honest as he slams Leyton Orient players for an ’embarrassing’ season…

@yoonitedLEEDS: No Orient fan but modern day players, on the whole, are piss takers. People will say “well that’s him losing the dressing room”. In a world where football is sanitised to fuck, fair play on him. Calls it out at it is. Just hope he addresses his own failings too

@Orientsphincter:
Signed every one of em
Look back to the interviews
Bakinson tracked for 3 years
Craig amazing
Koroma fantastic
Bluffer

@GW_Mktg: Superb interview. Players bringing their kids out last game of season, or clapping the fans after a terrible performance is chavvy and pathetic. So out of touch. Not grasping what’s right, after failing at their job. Lovely to hear honesty and reality from a manager

@JamieD_STFC: The things I’d do for this man back

@XtraLeicester: Leicester need this kind of honesty and kick up the backside treatment. Richie Wellens anyone? #lcfc

@NathanRyan89: I wish I had a job where you could get all the resources you asked for, fail spectacularly all year, blame everyone else…but manage to be enough of a mouthy git in one end of season interview to make fans (mostly of other clubs) think you’re great. Nonsense. #WellensOut #lofc

@leyton0rientfan: Good interview, need players who care

@OAPreece: Fair play to him being honest , most managers sugar coat things these days + protect players too much

@geekayeie24: He’s right, fans and players that celebrate staying in a league have nothing but loser mentality. Relieved? Yes. Pitch invasions and champagne to celebrate not having a total failure of a season? Fuck off.

@HoganEphraim: No idea orient’s situation, only met the gaffer for two mins previously (other than getting slapped 4 zip when he was playing at Leicester and beating them to win the league). But I like this. West Ham/spurs take notice. Don’t cover up a complete shambles by celebrating surviving

@naggerpagger: Having watched Northampton all season I class myself as a bit of an expert on shite football and apart from the Cobblers Orient were the worse team I’ve seen. So the fact they stayed up should be celebrated.

@thebigbadger: I take it from this that Richie had little input into the recruitment process last season. If so, it’s a disgrace, expecting him to have to coach players we all see aren’t good enough, and putting his coaching reputation on the line. If I was Richie, I wouldn’t do it again.

@RicciTRFC: That’s standards, right there. Not making excuses on injuries or whatever. Can we please get back to that #trfc #swa

@PaulRavens39: Yep, it’s entirely their fault and not at all the fault of the person who agreed to sign them all, coached them, set them up tactically and man-managed them all season #lofc

@OrientMeatPie: Yup and he had the final say in signing them… yes they underperformed but multiple players who were clearly not good enough were given decent contracts… #lofc