After a seemingly never-ending period of prolonged misery in which there have been precious few things to cheer, the surprising yet long overdue news of Peter Taylor's sacking would've sparked rapturous celebrations amongst the fanbase when the news filtered through on Sunday afternoon. Supporters had been left long disillusioned by his lifeless interviews and painfully negative football, and the Bromley game which proved the last nail in his coffin rather epitomised his ill-fated reign: lots of initial promise that ultimately alluded to shambolic frustration. Despite being handed a healthy budget with the task of sustaining a promotion challenge, Taylor contrived to guide the club closer to the relegation places and a change was desperately needed. For all the infrastructural improvements orchestrated by our American owners, the dreadful football being served up on the pitch simply didn't match our ambition off it, and with more and more supporters pledging to stay away until Taylor was offloaded it's no shock that we've reached this conclusion. That said, a sacking on a Sunday, especially given Taylor's popularity with the Dagenham hierarchy, was quite surprising but also a welcome reinforcement of the Americans' desire to build a positive club. However now they are faced with a second big decision in a short space of time - selecting the man to be the figurehead of their plans for the club, a man who reflects what we're trying to achieve as a collective. The general consensus is that we need a young manager with fresh, modern ideologies, of the Luke Garrard or Daryl McMahon ilk, however as usual there have been a few 'safe bets' banded around in the form of Garry Hill or John Still. I've taken a look at a few of the usual suspects, alongside some outsiders, to fill the vacant manager's position, offering my opinion as to whether they're suited to the club and vice-versa:
A hugely-popular candidate amongst the Dagenham fanbase, though the chances of it happening are unlikely given his deep-rooted ties to Boreham Wood and the compensation we'd need to pay in order to lure him to Victoria Road. However, we can only hope he'd be tempted by the promise of a big budget to fulfil his own dreams of managing in the Football League. Garrard is astoundingly only 34 years old but already speaks and manages like an experienced pro in the game, managing to work wonders with the Wood almost every season. Just a couple of years ago he guided them to a Play-Off Final at Wembley, and will be looking to emulate that play-off campaign this time out as his side sits eighth with a game in hand.
From someone ideal to someone more realistic, Hill's appointment would make logistical sense but wouldn't be hugely welcomed by supporters. He has good ties with the club and lives locally, but is another traditional manager cut from the same cloth as Taylor in regard to style of football and tactics. He would be a quick-fix, steady-the-ship type boss, but surely we want to implement somebody with a view to the long-term?
An outside bet, it would be surprising to see Nolan rock up at Victoria Road but it would also have the potential to be an excellent appointment. With him having made tons of money at Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham over the past twelve or so years, it's guaranteed he'd be an ex-pro with the passion to have a crack at management rather than somebody after a decent wage. He also knows the modern game inside out, lives locally and has done well in his stints as manager at both Leyton Orient and Notts County so far. A risk no doubt, but sometimes you have to take risks and this would be one I'd be well up for us gambling on.
Was frequently seen at games before being appointed at Macclesfield, and strikes a good balance between being a good appointment and also a relatively plausible one. Though he is currently employed, Macclesfield are in peril and, still living locally, McMahon would probably jump at the opportunity for a solid budget and job security. Just a couple of years ago, he worked wonders to guide Ebbsfleet into the play-offs in their first season at this level, demonstrating his ability to work with a decent budget.
Would certainly be an underwhelming decision, but it's not inconceivable to think that the club may go down the appoint-from-within route and upgrade Jody Brown to manager. He was reportedly in contention for the job which Peter Taylor eventually got, and did do very well at Heybridge Swifts, but supporters will be expecting someone of a higher calibre.
When Ian Culverhouse left his post as Daggers' assistant manager in February 2017 to take charge of then Southern Premier Division outfit Kings Lynn, not many of our supporters would've envisaged his new team being top of the National League North less than three years later. Infact, such is the amazing project going on at Kings Lynn, who are on a ridiculous run of fifteen months unbeaten at home, that Culverhouse would possibly reject the job anyway to continue the excellent work he's doing for the Linnets. He's not been talked about that much as a potential replacement for Taylor, but you simply can't ignore what he's achieving. CLUB STATEMENT | It is with disappointment that the Board of Dagenham & Redbridge announce that Peter Taylor has left the club with immediate effect. The club would firstly like to place on record its sincere thanks to Peter, who stepped in as manager in June 2018 when the club was under extreme pressure, and with his extensive expertise was able to assemble and guide the team. With that said, a change is required based on recent results in order to both enable sufficient time for the Board to select a replacement, and for the new manager to start and achieve the aspirations set forth by our investment group. Work has commenced on the search process for a new manager, but for the immediate future, day to day team affairs will be handled by Terry Harris and Jody Brown. It's a relieving end to what has been a nightmare period for the club, but this next appointment will be vital. Until then, we need to get well behind Terry Harris and Jody Brown to ensure that, by the time a new manager takes the reins, we're in a healthier position than we are now.
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The sharp recoil of Christmas crackers, the glowing grins of children struggling to contain their excitement, blankets of snow enveloping the calm skies, the indulging aroma of meat and potatoes wafting through every house, festive songs on a seemingly-endless loop, remnants of wrapping paper resembling debris after an earthquake, following the tearing open of Christmas presents and the annual visit of Santa. Then you have festive football, as intricately intertwined within archetypal seasonal celebrations as all of the above. Fierce local derbies demonstrating everything other than goodwill and generosity, watched by supporters who always have that extra slice of anticipation, such have been the celebrations of the previous 24 hours. At least, that's always what happens with the Daggers. And then we lose. Bragging rights are gone, and Christmas is tainted. Last year, though, all that changed. We toppled leaders Leyton Orient in an afternoon that will forever be remembered fondly by our supporters. It was a victory that epitomised how far we'd come under the guidance of the new American owners, and came in the midst of an incredible run of form during which we also notably won at Salford City, completed a surreal comeback away at Hartlepool and managed to defeat an in-form Fylde side at Victoria Road. One year on, we once again hurtle towards Christmas after a run of form that could prove defining to our season, however this time there will be a distinct absence of seasonal spirit. We've lost nine games from our last eleven in the league including four in a row, and this double-header against Ebbsfleet and Bromley is going to have huge repercussions for our season. Emerge from those games positively and we can enter the new decade with fresh hope, lose them and the scary threat of relegation genuinely appears. Ebbsfleet United at home does not induce quite the same excitement as playing Leyton Orient did; while Orient felt like an occasion, this is just any other game. Nonetheless it is an important one however as Ebbsfleet are bottom of the league but will see a fragile Dagenham outfit as one who are there to be shot at. They have some reasonably decent players but we should be wary of none more so than Tomi Adeloye, who will head to his former club with a massive point to prove. We need to get out of the mindset that we're simply too good to be dragged into a relegation scrap. As much as people seem optimistic that an improvement is just around the corner, we seem to be getting worse with every game and Hartlepool away on Saturday was demoralisingly poor. Injuries are a ready-made excuse for the freefall we find ourselves in, but it's not an excuse that will be tolerated if we're defeated by bottom of the league Ebbsfleet. Dagenham Predicted XI: Justham, Croll, Onariase, Clark, Wright, Luque, Brundle, McQueen, Kandi, House, Quigley Ebbsfleet Predicted XI: Holmes, Cordner, Obileye, Ekpiteta, King, Weston, Sutherland, Grimes, Payne, Adeloye, Reid Such is the intense schedule of the next few weeks, 4 games in 9 days, that we're back in action just 48 hours after the final whistle sounds on Thursday - a huge chance to build momentum if we're victorious on Boxing Day, but conversely it could prove to be a second consecutive defeat. It feels as if this game, a very difficult trip to Bromley, has been written off by many supporters as a routine home victory and, after seven straight defeats on the road, I personally fear a thrashing at the hands of a very potent strikeforce. Worse still, it's inevitable that we'll go there to put ten men behind the ball and frustrate them, without exhibiting much desire to win the game ourselves. Such an approach will not be suitable on Boxing Day, where it's vital that we take the game to Ebbsfleet rather then playing into their hands and letting them grow in confidence before eventually overcoming us due to a sloppy mistake or brief moment of hesitancy. Bromley Predicted XI: Huddart, Wood, Winfield, Holland, Kizzi, Coulson, Bingham, Raymond, Mekki, Cheek, Williamson Dagenham Predicted XI: Justham, Stevenson, Clark, Onariase, Graham, Eleftheriou, Croll, Brundle, Robinson, Dobson, Quigley Ebbsfleet are in form, Bromley are flying-high - it's going to be a tough few days but it's about time we finally rose up to the challenge because if we continue the trend we've set in the last couple of months, frustrations will swiftly become much higher. We're almost resigned to losing Saturday's game, such is the lack of faith towards the club at the minute, but Ebbsfleet is a much-win and no other outcome is acceptable.
It's a big few days and let's hope we deliver some long-overdue cheer, though as always that's said more in hope than expectation. Merry Christmas, and here's praying 2020 is a more prosperous year for the club than the last one proved to be. - Dagenham have only one away league goal in the past three months |
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January 2024
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