Leyton Orient fire boss Andy Hessenthaler after just 16 games – becoming the first managerial casualty in England this season

LEYTON ORIENT have fired boss Andy Hessenthaler after just 16 games in charge - making him the first manager to be sacked in England this season.

The League 2 club are owned by erratic Italian Francesco Becchetti and the former Gillingham chief becomes his SEVENTH managerial casualty in just two years.

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Orient were on the cusp of promotion to the Championship two summers ago, losing out on penalties to Rotherham before Becchetti bought the club from long-serving Barry Hearn.

The following season, the east Londoners were immediately relegated out of League 1, the downward spiral starting when long-serving Russell Slade left.

And last campaign, despite former Premier League star Kevin Nolan taking charge, they finished one place outside the play-offs with one of the league's biggest budgets.

Nolan was disposed of and Hessenthaler took over for the last five games of last season and got the job full time in the summer, presiding over a positive start to the season, which saw them fourth early on.

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But the O's have won only one of their last five games and after Saturday's turgid 3-1 defeat away to 10-men Notts County, the Italian has wielded the axe yet again with the club 14th in the table.

After the Notts County match, chief executive Alessandro Angelieri told fans the chairman did not like the long-ball style of football Hessenthaler adopted.

The Italian himself has come under fire in recent weeks, and was jeered by fans following the club's 1-0 home defeat to Yeovil the previous weekend - to which the chairman responded by blowing kisses and waving.

He did not help his cause by releasing long-serving club legend Dean Cox as a reactionary measure hours after the transfer window ended after the winger's move to Northampton fell down.

And the atmosphere around the club has turned sour recently, with some fans fighting each other in the stands during the clash in Nottingham over the weekend.

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In a recent fans forum ahead of the season, Becchetti admitted that over £10million has already been invested into the club, he has made big and costly mistakes.

He attends most games home and away and has a truly hands-on approach – perhaps too-hands on at times, regularly attending training and having a major say in team selection and transfer policy.