'That' Jon Nurse goal at Wembley, the brilliant FA Cup trip to Everton, those famous non-league cup runs; these are all events intrinsically intertwined into our short quarter-century history. With a reputation for bringing through players and thriving on very little, Dagenham & Redbridge have a very distinct identity which seems to have been slightly lost over the last year or so. However, as the man behind most of it, John Still, walked out on the club while Barnet-bound last month, it marked a new era at the club which promises an unpredictable future. For the very first time, the Daggers would be forced to look externally for a manager, and thus began a difficult process which involved over 70 applications. Amongst other things, supporters wanted a boss with the experience of his predecessor while also harbouring new, fresh ideas to inject into the club. Of course, he would also have to work under immense financial constraints and this would be a potentially huge deterrent to any potential candidates. It almost seemed like an impossible job to find anybody of Still's calibre yet, under a month later, here we are with an ex-England manager at the helm. On the 5th June, Peter Taylor was appointed as manager and brought with him Terry Harris, our former assistant and somebody very familiar with the club's infrastructure. After losing John Still and Darren Currie in such a disappointing manner, it was brilliant news and offered a glimpse of optimism for our future. Apparently Taylor was in contention when the manager's job was last vacant and allegedly beat off competition from names such as Hakan Heyrettin, Kevin Nicholson and Garry Hill for the role. The pleasing thing is that both join the club ''in full knowledge of the situation'' so are obviously aware of the challenge awaiting them, which will be monumental. The difficulty ahead will have only been reinforced in recent weeks as we've been forced to let go of Mark Cousins and sell Fejiri Okenabirhie (to Shrewsbury) and Craig Robson (to Barnet), with more players set to swap Essex for Edgware in the coming weeks. That leaves Taylor with a threadbare squad so his contacts will be absolutely vital. Equipped with a diverse multitude of experience varying from the pinnacle of English football, the national job, to the very depths of the football pyramid, he has attributes which can lend themselves well to this challenge. Speaking to Daggers Youtube after his appointment, the new manager said, I have known this club for a long time; I've been to lots of matches and have been here as a guest lots of times. I've always had a very good feeling while I've been at this football club but now, all of a sudden, it's a very different situation for the team. I'm looking forward to seeing if I can help the club push on. During his solitary game in charge of England, a friendly defeat to Italy, Taylor made a big contribution by handing David Beckham the captaincy, while also selecting six players eligible for the under 21s including Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Barry and Jamie Carragher, showing his faith in youth. Despite only managing the national team for one game, he enjoyed spells in charge of the under 20 and under 21 sides. Such was he regarded that Glenn Hoddle specifically asked him to take charge of the England u21 outfit in 1998, where he won eleven, drew three and lost just one of his fifteen games as manager while not conceding a single goal in the victories, only to be controversially replaced by Howard Wilkinson with three matches left. His second spell in 2004 then saw nine wins, five draws and two defeats, however his 2013 stint at the u20 side was unsuccessful as they finished bottom of their World Cup group with a squad containing Sam Byram, John Stones, Ross Barkley and Harry Kane. This shows that he is comfortable working with youth, which he will probably have to do next season as many academy players will be needed for first-team duties. Having managed some of England's brightest raw talents, hopefully he can bring the best out of youngsters such as Elliot Bonds and Jordy Mongoy next season. His experiences at England, as well as New Zealand and Bahrain, can also command respect from the players, meaning they are more likely to buy into his methods. At club level he has managed many sides from Crystal Palace to Dover Athletic, and most recently Gillingham. Speaking to fans of some of his former clubs, I was told he plays a defensive style of football. Apparently his teams are organised and solid, which is always a good thing given that we will have to withstand a lot of pressure next season. This philosophy is very different to what we've been used to in recent years, but only time will tell how we set up next campaign. Overall, this appointment is an exciting one for the club and it's hard to see how we pulled it off. While Taylor has said he'd be happy with a fifth-bottom finish, hopefully we can defy expectations and enjoy a decent campaign, though nothing will really be expected of us. As a new era dawns on the club, they'll need the backing more than ever.
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WRITERArchives
January 2024
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