Five debutants, all of them on loan. Plus a new manager on his second day in the job.

You might say it was all change at Leyton.

Russell Slade is likely to bring a steadying hand to faltering Albion.

But he could not do much more than scratch the surface on Saturday for a club where the numbers add up to a season of chopping, changing and under-achieving.

Numbers like 12, which is how many loan players Albion have used this season Twenty. The number of players to have made their Albion debuts this term.

Eight. How many men played for the Seagulls on Saturday but were not at the club just six weeks ago.

Thirty-nine. The number of players Albion have used in the first team this season, although it looked like being 40 as Sam Gargan warmed up in the second half.

One. The number of times since August Albion have sent out an unchanged starting XI and not been making tactical switches after half an hour of the second game.

One. The number of players who started both league games against Orient this season, Andrew Whing. The O’s only had three themselves.

Four. The number of players to score on their Albion debuts in recent weeks. Most recently, Matt Heath at Orient.

“No excuses,” said Heath after a netting as one of the unfamiliar five. It hasn’t been that difficult to settle in. All the boys are good professionals, they all want to get out of the situation. In fact, I think it probably lifted everyone a little bit knowing the new boys were coming in. Everybody has tried to raise their game.”

As Heath chatted, a fan asked Albion players to sign a shirt. It was No. 44 for Robbie Savage. You know? That midfielder who was down here on loan.

That seems a long time ago now. It was about the time they also had Kevin Thornton, brother of Saturday’s match-winner Sean.

The latest borrowed players arrived just the day before Saturday’s game. That’s Gary Borrowdale and keeper Mikkel Andersen, the latter making his first appearance at this level of English football.

Given all that, the understanding Albion seemed to strike up in defence was quite impressive.

No players colliding or leaving balls for each other. But not surprising, said Heath.

“We’re all professional footballers and the game should be played the same way so it’s not an excuse.

“You get Rio and Vidic at Man U and they have played with each other for a long time so of course that helps.

“But Adam (El-Abd) is a good talker on the pitch. We help each other out as we go along.”

Slade stood back deep in his technical area during the game, generally allowing assistant Dean White to do a lot of the shouting.

The new boss seemed to be taking and consulting notes, especially in the first half.

"There were one or two communication problems at times," he admitted.

"But the more they work together now in training the better they will get."

Fans will hope he is right.

It all needs to add up to a change in results if Albion are to get out of this mess.