Leyton Orient chairman Nigel Travis is certain experienced midfielder Jobi McAnuff is the right man to lead the club forward after being named interim manager following the departure of Ross Embleton.
Jamaican international McAnuff, 39, has made more than 150 appearances for O’s and captained the side to the National League title under the late Justin Edinburgh in 2018/19.
The former Reading, Crystal Palace and West Ham United man will now lead the team as they look to turn their fortunes around.
“We had him in the frame and grilled him for nearly two hours. We feel 100 per cent confident that Jobi is the right person to take this job on an acting capacity,” Nigel Travis said.
“Some people are going to say wow, you pulled that out the bag, but after Justin we learnt a lesson to never assume someone is there tomorrow.
“We have a succession plan in place for all positions, we talk about it all the time, and we’ve got a very long list of potential managerial candidates.
“We decided with Jobi to call this position manager and not head coach because there is a distinction. I think head coach suited Ross very well, but we think the style Jobi is going to bring is more of a managerial style and that’s what we decided.
“I have to tell you, the interview we had with Jobi - and I've probably done tens of thousands of interviews - was one of the best I've ever been on.
“The reason we chose Jobi is that he is coming close to the end of his playing career, he has played over 700 games at multiple levels. Far higher than us. He’s worked under several managers.
“He has seen the best and the bad. He is a person that thinks a lot about the game, but we think he is going to bring a cutting edge to the position and he’s a true leader. We’ve all seen it on the pitch.
“He is going to make people truly accountable. With his knowledge he will be able to make changes on the fly, and he has seen everything happen.
“I think what was brilliant from the interview was what he has learnt from some truly terrific managers over time. People like Brendan Rodgers.”
Travis added: “We have to go for it. The board wants promotion, that may seem a tall order, but we’ve got 16 games and 48 points to go for.
“We have to back Jobi and the team to get there, it’s simple.”
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