\n<\/p>\n
Wellens criticised his players for playing for a draw against Burton in the closing stages,in the knowledge that relegation rivals Exeter were losing to Bradford, and then celebrating on the pitch after confirmation they had stayed up.<\/p>\n
“Clap the fans because they’ve earned it,” he added. “They’ve paid their money all season to come and watch us home and away, and they deserve to be clapped.<\/p>\n
“But then don’t be celebrating with your family. Get off the pitch, it’s been an embarrassing season.”<\/p>\n
The Orient boss, who guided the club to promotion in 2022-23 and to the play-off final last season, promised wholesale changes at the club in the summer.<\/p>\n
“The ones that have got contracts are going to be struggling to get a new contract and then there will be players that are out of contract that we want to move on,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We need more athleticism in our side and more character.<\/p>\n
“We need to be better in our recruitment. Last year, we went to Spain for our pre-season. I took eight youth team players and about three trialists.<\/p>\n
“Every season, we are behind the eight ball and after five or six games we’re always near the bottom. And that’s one of the reasons why.”<\/p>\n
However he could give no guarantees that leading scorer and League One player of the year,<\/a> Dom Ballard, who he excluded from his criticism, would not be sold on.<\/p>\n “Do we want to keep him? Absolutely,” said Wellens.<\/p>\n “But then if someone comes in with a figure that is acceptable to David (Gandler, majority shareholder) and Nigel (Travis, chairman), then we will have to see.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n