John Sitton
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Edmund Sitton | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
John Sitton (born 21 October 1959 in Hackney, London) is an English former professional footballer and former manager of Leyton Orient F.C..
Playing career
Sitton's playing career began at Chelsea and included spells at Millwall and Gillingham before signing for Leyton Orient on a free transfer in July 1985. He was chosen as captain during the 1988-89 season, and made over 200 appearances for Orient in all competitions. After his release in May 1991, he turned to coaching, working for Orient's School of Excellence Academy while making a few appearances for Slough Town.[1]
Managerial career
Sitton was appointed co-manager at Leyton Orient with Chris Turner in April 1994, and continued throughout the difficult 1994-1995 season.
During this time, he became one of the few football managers to feature in a Channel 4 documentary, Orient: Club for a Fiver (sometimes known as Leyton Orient: Yours for a Fiver), made in 1995 by Open Media. The programme highlighted Sitton's well-known passionate language and managerial style, and featured a half-time team talk given by Sitton on 7 February 1995, after Orient had fallen 1-0 down in a league match at home to Blackpool. After sacking midfielder and fan favourite Terry Howard on camera in the dressing room, Sitton addressed two other players and offered to fight them, shouting:
- "You, you little cunt, when I tell you to do something, and you, you fucking big cunt, when I tell you to do something, do it. And if you come back at me, we'll have a fucking right sort-out in here. All right? And you can pair up if you like, and you can fucking pick someone else to help you, and you can bring your fucking dinner. 'Cos by the time I've finished with you, you'll fucking need it."[1]
Orient went on to lose the match 1-0, and after winning only one of the next 15 games, both Sitton and Turner were sacked two months later. Orient also lost the following three games and finished bottom of the table.
After leaving Brisbane Road, Sitton managed Leyton, Enfield and then Leyton again. He later worked as a taxi driver, and he also works for the FA Coaching Education Scheme, and compiles statistics for the Opta Index.