Saturday signified the quarter-way mark of a season that has begun in frantic fashion but now levels off somewhat with a fortnight until the next scheduled league fixture - the FA Cup instead briefly taking centre stage - and it's a timely break from the norm for a Dagenham outfit whose recent downturn in fortunes (four defeats from five including three in succession) has severely diluted their otherwise tremendous start to the season. Daryl McMahon's troops' scintillating start made them the division's early pace-setters but within the staggeringly concise timescale of barely a fortnight they've now fluctuated from one extreme to the very other, the rapid nature of this downfall made all the more baffling by it's lack of discernible origin. However, the club remain in sixth, a commendable position which necessitates a degree of bigger-picture pragmatism when evaluating our admittedly woeful streak of recent results. The overriding weakness centres around a defensive instability that's existed since the very outset yet has come to the fore recently since it is now no longer being masked as prominently by our razor-sharp firepower at the opposite end of the pitch. That the club have conceded in ten of their eleven fixtures, nine of which have been the opening goal (and seven of those inside the opening ten minutes), underlines an inevitably-unsustainable trend. McMahon almost exclusively deploys a fluid 3-5-2 formation, which suits the overall complexion of the squad yet does place heavy reliance upon the wing-backs - primarily Vilhete and Weston - whose level of productivity often determines the direction of the contest. Despite being a great system around which a pacy attacking team can be structured, it sometimes leaves our trio of technically-astute, yet not necessarily streetwise, defenders exposed in the now frequently-occurring scenario that we're on the back foot in games. Momentum can be generated from a good run of results and the same principle applies to the inverse, which is taking effect now, but fundamentally this is a supremely talented team with many of the attributes that are conducive to a promotion battle. Performances correspond with the philosophy we're attempting to cultivate, the only genuinely poor one coming most recently at Boreham Wood, and are characterised by a fearless attacking mindset that might come at our own expense sometimes but is largely appreciated by a fanbase long starved of such excitement. It's of unrecognisably stark contrast to the safety-first approach deployed by the previous occupant of the dugout, but having only three defensive outfielders on the pitch naturally incurs a sizeable risk. Ideally, they will be able to develop some rigidity without diluting their creative output - striking a palatable balance becomes the challenge. Or, maybe, the club will simply return to outscoring their opposition before too long and any issues will dwindle into merely a minor gripe amidst overwhelming positivity again. Only time will tell.
0 Comments
The Fans' Forum returned to it's customary live format on Thursday evening, with Daryl McMahon, Steve Thompson, Peter Freund and Craig Unger in attendance to answer a catalogue of relatively good-natured questions ranging from infrastructural to playing matters. Below is an overview, as condensed as possible:On squad size and potential additions...McMahon thinks we will have to recruit more at some stage but reiterates that we've operated with a 'quality over quantity' principle this season. He does, though, state how thin our squad is, especially with Harry Phipps the latest injury casualty in a long list that has included Joey Jones, Mo Sagaf and Ángelo Balanta in recent weeks - though the latter is now 'fit and available' for this weekend's fixture against Altrincham. The loan market is brought up, particularly the possibility of getting some youngsters from West Ham and though he states that we nearly did exactly that last season with a player who instead opted to go to Orient (presumably Tunji Akinola), McMahon brings up the interesting point that very few players have excelled at this level after coming down on loan from the Premier League. He also cast some insight into our summer pursuit of former loanee Saidou Khan, revealing that we offered to double the wages he was on at Maidstone yet just couldn't compete with the financial capital of Chesterfield. On the concession of sloppy goals...McMahon acknowledges the frustration but doesn't believe we actually give away many chances in a game, stating the most opportunities we've conceded was probably Solihull (H) last week where we won 5-1. He also heaps praise on our current centre-half trio - Elliott Johnson, Callum Reynolds and Will Wright - stating that you won't find many better footballing defenders in the division. In regard to frequently going one down, McMahon recognises it isn't ideal but doesn't think we've actually started that badly in games. On weekly preparation for games...Sunday is when the players go through their individual match clips from the game the day before. The players who didn't feature will have a proper training session on the Monday, and then in the days afterwards we'll start building up to the next match. On a Tuesday (if we don't have a midweek game), training is tailored to the opposition's strengths/weaknesses, and by Thursday everybody will know who's starting on Saturday. Finally, Friday is just a fun day, a round-robin tournament before the players vote for the worst trainer, who then gets fined and has to wear a yellow bib. In a later question, McMahon specifies that we focus 80% on ourselves and 20% on the opposition, while also heaping praise onto analyst Jack Wilson for aiding this process. On individual players...Walker's rapid start hasn't been a surprise. McMahon states that, while a quality player, he hasn't had a breakthrough season yet but compares him to someone like Kabongo Tshimanga of Chesterfield. interestingly, McMahon shares a conversation he had with Paul McCallum after signing him, where he posed the question ''If there was one player you could take with you from Barnet, who would it be?'', and before even finishing he received the answer Josh Walker. Others to be singled out for credit are Joey Jones, especially the manner in which he dictates games, and Will Wright who has adapted to the role of stand-in captain 'so well'. On penalty taking...McCallum seems to be first choice in normal circumstances, but he didn't have the first against Solihull because it was his former club and he'd practised spot kicks against their keeper extensively, so Walker stepped up instead just as Balanta did when the same situation arose last season. McCallum did take the second one, however, because it was 4-1 and inconsequential at that point. On our start to the season...Freund has found it a 'sincere pleasure' watching it unfold from across the Atlantic and attributes great credit to McMahon for all the hard work. He appreciates what we have now - especially our ability to score goals as for two years that's what we couldn't do - because it's what he wanted ever since he took control of the club. The players, he says, are a 'true' group who are relaxed, aggressive and enjoy playing with eachother. Freund also offers his full support in player acquisition but stresses that it's important not to disrupt the current flow, quoting McMahon's earlier-stated 'quality over quantity' mantra which is clearly one that everybody shares at the club. Most amusingly, Unger calls Barnet away one of the most enjoyable sporting events he's ever witnessed and describes the fans' support that day as 'amazing'. On low home attendances...Freund states it's important to remember the ongoing effects of the pandemic, which not only renders some people cautious to attend live events, but also reset others' patterns of life and how they go about things. Thompson notes the Solihull crowd was lower than usual due to the fuel crisis, stating he noticed areas of the Carling Stand in particular unusually devoid of regular attendees, and theorises that Saturday's (v Altrincham) will be higher. In response to a follow-up question in regard to parking restrictions on Pondfield Road, Thompson believes the issue is somewhat 'overblown' and suggests Wantz Road and May & Baker as potential alternative options. On a Memphis 901 pre-season fixture...both Unger and Freund state it's something they're constantly asked about from supporters of both sides, but logistical issues make it difficult because the seasons aren't compatible with one another. In addition to this, the pandemic has made overseas travel problematic, so it's something that's unlikely in the near future but certainly will be back on the agenda at some point. On ground improvements...Freund welcomes suggestions from supporters. Both he and Thompson mention the Bury Road end requires some 'beautification', but the latter reinforces something he's said many times over the years - that the configuration of the ground makes it challenging. The new pitch is also covered in detail, described as the biggest project at the club since the construction of the SD Samuels Stand and something that wouldn't have been possible without the fantastic input of West Ham, whose ongoing partnership with us will be hugely beneficial. The irrigation system alone, had we funded it, would've cost nearly 200 thousand. On Dagenham being a 'selling club'...Freund says emphatically that 'this season, we're not selling' because he hates losing players even for good money, and pinpoints Conor Wilkinson as an example. He does caveat that somewhat, though, by stating that he'd never stand in a player's way to prevent them from accessing a big opportunity. |
WRITERArchives
January 2024
|