VNL#36 - King's Lynn 0 Daggers 3
You'd have to go back quite a while to find the last time, prior to this, that the Daggers scored three times on their travels. You'd have to go even further to find the last time they won three league games on the spin. Both of those occurred in synchrony on a glorious afternoon in every sense. Against a backdrop of scintillating heat, which sadly couldn't be savoured by a travelling contingent in perhaps the only disappointing aspect, the Daggers put in a very decent performance. It's been an excellent fortnight for McMahon's men, and a decent run of fixtures offers potential for that to be extended further. Here, the win is all that matters, the performance is simply an added bonus. However, though we were superb in certain departments and exerted our dominance, the result was as much down to how incredibly poor King's Lynn were. 3-0 was the least we deserved against a really woeful side, who played like a team whose threat of relegation had been completely taken away to leave them with a catalogue of dead rubbers to play out. Finding the right balance between praising us and criticising them has to be found. We didn't win due to the fact that we were simply flawless, just as we didn't win purely due to the fact that King's Lynn were poor. The actuality is somewhere in the middle, and it leaves us 14th in the division. If this trend continues then we should be on track for a top-half finish, which was the absolute minimum expected from a season that has still been disappointing, irrespective of this level spell. This was one of the few games we could savour, though, as it was completely relaxing throughout. From the moment Paul McCallum applied a stylish flick to a Wright cross, the game seemed beyond doubt. Indeed, there weren't many occasions where we were placed under threat, and in the end we could have notched more than the three we did. Our good form of late has coincided with Balanta being awarded the captaincy, and the Colombian continued to lead by example. He was only on the pitch for the opening 45 minutes but made his mark in that time, conjuring up a spectacular goal that encapsulated his unbelievable ability. On his weak foot, he turned and curled home majestically from range, possibly his best ever goal for the club. His contribution has been expected this season, unlike Robinson who has cultivated a reputation for being quite the surprise bagsman. The midfielder headed home within seconds of the restart, the reverse to what happened against Aldershot a few weeks ago, which put the game beyond all doubt. Following that, it was plain sailing and we saw the game out impressively. The task now is to keep winning. Barnet have picked up recently but we need to dent their new-found form next Saturday. We certainly owe them one.
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VNL#35 - Daggers 3 Solihull Moors 2
The early kick-off time, a gesture to facilitate the funeral of Prince Philip, wasn't the only thing vastly unconventional about this home game. We were dangerous, energetic, and played on the front foot. Above all else, it was an entertaining watch for a contingent of supporters who have been starved of such performances for the vast majority of what has been a disappointing campaign. Following a 3-2 victory over Solihull Moors, though, we move up to our highest league position of the season. That statistic carries positive connotations, but it's also a poor reflection of the past few months, where we would have been expected to compete in the top half as an absolute minimum. Such ambitions were not unrealistic, either, given the financial budget at our disposal. While those problems still linger, today is a day where the positivity supersedes the disappointment, which usually takes precedence. We've registered back-to-back victories for the first time in ages, while also scoring three times, a similarly rare occurrence. McMahon opted for an unchanged lineup and the commanding performance vindicated that decision, as everybody put in an exceptional shift. Leading the side, in every sense, was Balanta again. Sporting the captain's armband, he recorded a goal and assist against Eastleigh, repeating the feat here. He's bang in form and hitting very good standards, not just in terms of attacking contributions but his all-round display too. It's bringing the best out of McCallum, who has been excellent in the past week, dominating defenders just as he was brought into the club to do. There might not have been a deserves goal for him, but there was for Saunders and it was his long-awaited first for the Daggers. He's deserved it for a long time, and it was very important as it set us enroute to a victory from behind. Unfortunately he came off at half time due to picking up an injury, but his contribution had already been made. He's looking like a real player of late. The only blemish, then, was a second for the Moors in stoppage time, giving the game an unmerited sense of closeness. That disappointment quickly subsided though when the final whistle sounded, confirming a richly-deserved three points. The task is now to build on them; a very palatable run of upcoming games could enable us to do just that. VNL#34 - Daggers 2 Eastleigh 0
Criticism towards the manager and players was rife after a bitterly disappointing defeat to Bromley at the weekend, where an admittedly decent performance offered little in consolation. A reaction was desperately needed, and we certainly got it with perhaps our most complete team performance of the season. Despite a sloppy start that could have culminated in a goal or two for the visitors, we seized control and barely relinquished it. The surprisingly poor performance of the Spitfires contributed to the outcome, though that doesn't discredit what was an impressive showing from ourselves. Everyone worked hard and did their bit, but the difference makers were Balanta and McCallum. A goal and assist each was notched up by a strike duo that was hyped up immensely in pre-season, but hadn't delivered much until tonight, where they looked fluid, cohesive and, above all else, predatory. Balanta, in particular, was outstanding. Fresh from winning the division Player of the Month for March, he was given the captaincy for the night and quite simply oozed class. His goal was gorgeous, guided delicately into the corner, while his assist was just as impressive - finding McCallum in a superb position for a moment our big number 9 so desperately needed. It was the kind of goal that fills his highlight reels from previous clubs, but we hadn't seen enough of here. It was, by far, our most comfortable win of the season, both in terms of margin but also just in the manner of the play. A late sucker-punch like the one inflicted upon us by Weymouth a few weeks ago rarely looked likely here, and there wasn't the customary hanging-on period that has characterised all of our far too infrequent victories this season. We were excellent in attack and solid in defence, getting the reward we deserved on both fronts. Of course, perspective is needed. We've only won once off the back of a dreadful run of form, and remain in a frankly unacceptable position in the table. A single night, regardless of how impressive it was, doesn't change any of that, but it does give us a platform on which we can hopefully build. We now head into a more gentler run of fixtures that, after Saturday, pits us against several teams below us, against whom we should be winning. First though focus will be firmly on this weekend's early kick-off against Solihull, which will be an interesting contest. Whether we'll impress again or revert to type remains to be seen. VNL#33 - Bromley 1 Daggers 0
If the month of March provided shoots of potential recovery, then April has duly left them irretrievably wilted. Some would say Dagenham have merely reverted to type after a brief run of deceptively good performances, which happens frequently before mediocrity inevitably returns. This was another of those games in which the scoreline was disproportionate to the nature of the game itself. Though McMahon will undoubtedly focus on the control his side exerted, that fact in itself doesn't make us unlucky. Bromley took their chance, one of precious few that was afforded to them, yet they had already done enough. We had loads but, as always, were unable to make a single one count. Luck doesn't come into it. It's poor finishing. That the damage was done by Michael Cheek was as unsurprising as the result itself. Doing what our comparatively static number 9 should be, he ruthlessly converted the one opening that came his way, as he has done throughout a career in which he has regularly scored 15 goals a season. The only main outlier to that statistic, the one club he couldn't really hit the ground running at? Dagenham & Redbridge. Paul McCallum is suffering similar fate, although he did have many moments here where he ought to have added to his rather measly goal tally. One glaring miss in the first half, another header glanced tantalisingly wide - it just isn't happening for him here. He looks a shadow of the player who dominated defences and was a battering ram for many previous clubs. The McCallum that played against us isn't the one that's playing for us. And so, this game followed the theme of so many before it. Dagenham have countless opportunities and generally play well. The opposition, at some point, emerge from a spell of pressure and promptly go up the other end. They get a chance, it's always a big one, and it always goes in. Then Dagenham regroup, have further chances but just fall short, or so the narrative says. Then McMahon puts an interview out where he laments fine margins and declares that we're close to being the real deal. Then the same cycle repeats, as it inevitably will throughout the remainder of a season that's becoming a chore to watch. Thankfully, we get to do it all again against Eastleigh in midweek, then likewise on Saturday against Solihull. Enthusiasm, it is clear, is particularly low within the fanbase, which isn't surprising after another season of colossal failure. Our current 17th place standing makes a mockery of our initial play-off ambitions, not to mention the budget underpinning them. So, 'we go again', hoping something changes. We could start with the manager. As cycle of mediocrity persists, is time running out for McMahon? And, if not, should it be?7/4/2021 Our last trip to Bromley saw the final nail in a long-looming and ultimately belated coffin ruthlessly hammered home for Peter Taylor. Sixteen months on and there's not a convincing argument that could be made against history repeating itself for his successor Daryl McMahon, especially if he is unable to deliver a positive result in the capital this afternoon. Shifting towards a young manager signified a change in direction for the club's hierarchy and was widely welcomed at the time, a significant feeling of widespread excitement evoked by his appointment. With little on-pitch success, though, the experiment has backfired spectacularly and there's little indication that sufficient improvement is imminent. Despite a backdrop of 'the new normal', there has been a depressing familiarity about the manner with which Daggers have underwhelmed this season while also being lumbered with a bloated squad of stockpiled players, the majority of whom are surplus to requirements. It's a carbon copy of what happened in the previous campaign, the only major difference being that supporters were there to watch the demoralising disappointment unfold then. TAYLOR, McMAHON COMPARISON
Spectating via a live stream remains a vast downgrade from the experience of being there in the flesh, and it has created a sense of detachment between the supporters and players. Certainly, if games were being played before a live audience, there would be significant frustration directed towards those that have overseen our latest failed promotion bid. Despite signs of revival in recent weeks, during which there was a notable upturn in performance standards, we remain rooted unceremoniously in 17th place as the last month of a forgettable campaign draws near. That we haven't once entered the top-half, let alone the play-off picture, paints a solemn picture of just what has gone on. No excuse nor level of fact-bending can disguise that miserable fact. When you observe some of the other managerial departures across the division since the turn of the year, our backing of McMahon seems all the more generous. Neil Smith (Bromley), Neal Ardley (Notts County) and Jim Gannon (Stockport) were all sacked with their teams in the play-off positions. Though all three seem harsh on the surface, our comparative tolerance of a much worse league position, despite possessing a similar if not greater budget, is difficult to understand. Of course, patience can be quite rewarding in an industry condemned for it's hastiness and increasingly reactionary nature. A successful team does need time to manifest, but there's no point backing a cause that simply doesn't look likely to ever justify the level of investment ploughed into it. Similarly, though, why dispense with a manager if there isn't someone better out there? After all, McMahon was a candidate supported by many.
All of this leaves the Daggers in a position where they realistically have little to play for in a competitive capacity. With the majority of the squad soon out of contract, though, there should be enough incentive to perform on the pitch, all while the hierarchy behind the scenes will no doubt be contemplating some very big questions. Or, at least, they should be. |
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January 2024
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