A MICROSCOPIC LOOK AT THE DAGGERS SQUAD, ONE AREA OF THE PITCH AT A TIME, AHEAD OF THE STEADILY-APPROACHING NEW CAMPAIGN. Next UP: THE midfield.A team and all of it's separate components are intricately merged together by the midfield, a department in which Dagenham have been severely lacking in recent times but seem to be well-equipped now, with a nice blend of aggressive grit and creativity within our ranks. The quality there is abundantly clear yet it's depth that could conceivably prove an issue over the coming season, given the significant probability for injuries and an absence of sufficient players to cover. Despite the frustration of impressive loanee Saidou Khan snubbing our contract offer to instead join big-spenders Chesterfield, despite his previous assertions that playing at Victoria Road suited his needs perfectly, our primary midfield options are nonetheless still good enough to compete ferociously with those of anybody else in our division. A similar premise can be applied to our strongest eleven as a whole, but beyond that is when potential issues could arise. Our preferred midfield trio consists of Matt Robinson, Mo Sagaf and Mauro Vilhete, each of whom possesses a number of important attributes that, when fused together, give us that energetic vigour in the middle of the pitch which we were deprived of for the first half of the previous campaign. The arrivals of Sagaf and Vilhete, alongside Robinson's enigmatic transformation into a prolific goalscorer, were integral to a strong ending that we now hope can be replicated on a grander scale. As it stands, though, Joey Jones is the only other player able to slot into midfield, as Harry Phipps is being tentatively eased back to fitness and Dean Rance remains a long-term absentee, whose injury doesn't have a documented timescale but is presumed to be serious as per Daryl McMahon's statement in the Woking programme (5 May) that it ''doesn't look good.'' Phipps will feel like a new signing when fully fit but, having not featured in a league game for nearly two years, will naturally require patience. It would therefore be logical to recruit one more midfielder at an absolute minimum, especially considering Jones can be a loose cannon - undeniably talented but certainly prone to moments of absurd recklessness. We had one on trial in pre-season, a blond-haired player with clear technical ability, but it doesn't seem likely that we'll offer him a deal, much like we confusingly elected not to sign trialist striker Ibby Akanbi, who struck five times for us in the friendlies then subsequently joined Aldershot. Putting it simply, our midfield is high on quality but lacking in quantity. A couple of injuries could blow our squad wide open and have an reverberating effect, which may necessitate some mid-season signings or a strategic use of the loan market. However, it's McMahon's desire to have a smaller, more manageable squad this time, and hopefully it pays off in the form of on-pitch success.
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May 2024
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