Interview with a Dagenham supporter
Monday, 15th Feb 2010 12:21

Well four of them in fact. We begin our build up to Saturday with some views from the opposition. Thanks to Mike, Michael, Paul and Paul for their responses.

Who are ya, and how long have you been watching Dagenham?
Mike	Mike Wainwright, first Daggers game was around 1973, home v Wokingham Town in the Rothmans Isthmian League. Previously half of the team that ran the DiggerDagger.com website which has fallen away since promotion due to daft rules from the Football League about fixture lists and pictures.
Paul	Name is Paul, have been a daggers fan for about 15 years now.
Michael	My name is Michael & I have been watching The Daggers for about 12 years now
Paul M	Paul Middlemiss and have been supporting the Club since 1991, when it was actually Redbridge Forest. Myself and my friends who still go are rare as large majority of people following the Club from those days were Dagenham fans pre Merger rather than Redbridge Forest.
How has the season gone for you so far?
Mike	Up and down to say the least. A great start and a shocking middle means we sit mid table, but recent form has been closer to relegation than play offs with the odd decent performance thrown in to keep the hopes up somehow. Injuries and the sale of a couple of our young stars have taken their toll, but it looks like things are getting back in line again now maybe.
Paul	The season started wonderfully well, spanking a few teams early doors. The loss of two very influential players to Cardiff & Peterborough finally took its toll when paired with a couple of very important players picked up injuries. Because of the injuries John Still had little choice but to go against his usual methods and take some players on loan. This didn’t have a disastrous effect but it certainly wasn’t what we needed as results took a large nosedive and saw us fall from top to bottom of the top half. Our recent win over Bournemouth was much needed and much deserved and was achieved in a more typical daggers performance. We all now have some renewed hope that playoffs are a realistic target to aim for.
Michael	Mixed season so far, had an absolutely fantastic start to the season which saw us go top for a period of time but since then its been a steady slip down to 12th but after our win against Bournemouth (which has done you guys a favour) we are now up to 9th
Paul M	The last few weeks has been a bit of a let down, but overall we have to be pleased. Losing 6 or 7 players in the summer meant most of us would have been happy to be in mid table, but the amazing early season form increased expectations. However, injuries and further sales in October and November have disrupted our rhythm, but hopefully last week's win will kick start the season again.
When the two sides met back in November, many Dale fans felt that you were the best side we'd seen all season, and you could / should have been out of sight by half time. Why have you seemingly struggled since that game?
Mike	That match was probably the turning point. It could and probably should have been 3 or 4 by half time, but one never looked enough and when Dale stuck two in quickly to nick it it wasn't really a surprise. The biggest loss on the day though was that Stuart Thurgood went off injured and hasn't played since. Stuey was the engine room of the team and we have really struggled to replace him and Scott Griffiths who left for Peterborough just before we played you.
Paul	Quite simply the Rochdale game in my opinion was a hugely pivotal point in our season. Leading 1 nil at half time, having played probably our best 45 minutes of the season. I had a weird feeling at the time because as quite right mentioned we should have been out of sight however the lead was slender. And then we lost our player of the season Stuart Thurgood after about 60 minutes and ended up throwing away / losing the game 2-1. From there on performances and results deteriorated at an alarming speed.
Michael	For me this was our turning point, as you rightly said we should have been well out of sight by half time and won the game convincingly. We also lost our rock in midfield Stuart Thurgood, who has not played for us since which has had a massive impact on our grit and determination in the middle of the park.
Paul M	Disruption to the team, and confidence are the two reasons we have struggled since the home game with Dale. Stuart Thurgood had been the star of the season until that game, and he went off injured after an hour that day with us leading one nil. 10 minutes later we were 2-1 down, and we have only won three times since then!! Finding the right balance in midfield has been the problem with various central midfield pairings being tried since then, and loan players being bought in to try and fill the gaps. Confidence is also a major factor, as until that game we had suffered very few setbacks, but from being top of the league and one up in that match things have got tougher and the confidence ebbed away. However, in the last couple of games this looks like returning!!
Dagenham are building an outstanding reputation as a well run club known for very good attacking football and punching above their weight. What's the secret?
Mike	There is no real secret. John Still never gets too excited by a win, or too down when we lose and his sense of perspective of what the Daggers are about pervades everything that the club is and does at the moment. The team keep working hard, and while we are undoubtedly direct, to say we are just "long ball" is to be very naive. Stilly keeps on finding and giving young players a chance to find a stage in the Football League and move on if they catch a bigger club's eye and when one leaves there almost always seems to be another ready to fill the gap.
Paul	The ‘secret’ of our success is simply down to two words, John Still. The man is truly remarkable and it is quite astonishing how he continues to produce, competitive, entertaining, attacking sides season after season considering we average around 1500 home fans each game. Although left with little other option due to finances – he continues to scowl the lower reaches of the footballing pyramid to pluck, raw, rough, young, hungry players and turn them into little diamonds. He vows never to stand in a players way should an acceptable offer for both the player and the club come in for them. He promotes the club as a great place for players to come and learn, develop and put themselves in the shop window. He also has every player singing from the same hymn sheet and his motto of ‘never too high, never too low’ ALWAYS seem to keep people (players & supporters) feet firmly on the ground.
Michael	Two words…John Still. The guy works wonders with the resources he has available to him, gets the best out of players who have struggled at other clubs and get the team playing for each other, finds gems from non league. In the last few years Craig Mackail-Smith, Scott Griffiths, Soloman Taiwo, Ben Strevens, Sam Saunders, Danny Foster have all moved on to clubs playing at least one division higher.
Paul M	Good management on and off the pitch, and being honest enough to know what the Club's limitations are. John Still and Terry Harris know the Club inside out, and know what the Club's strengths are. In the last 5 or 6 years the number of players taken from the lower leagues and then sold on at a later date is incredible. John apparently has a great scouting network which undoubtedly helps with this. Off the pitch Dave Andrews and Steve Thompson also have a long association with the Club, rather than being people on an ego trip like many lower league Club Directors. This means the Club is run for the good of the Club and the local community, not to please a few people.
Long term, how far can a club like Dagenham go within the football league?
Mike	With all the basket cases around at the moment, who knows. A well run, financially stable club could be here for a long, long time. To really progress we need to grow the crowds which is happening, but slowly. East London is crowded football real estate, much like Greater Manchester is and it isn't easy to persuade the locals to abandon the old loyalties at clubs like West Ham, Spurs and Arsenal to come see some proper football.
Paul	Long Term, whilst John Still is in charge I honestly think there is no limit to where we can go as a club. He is a Dagenham man and the club means the world to him. We do need to grow in terms of support and it is difficult to see how this is going to change unless the club continually obtains promotions, however I think we can at least make League 1 and possibly championship (one day) under him. Ok I can dream cant I?
Michael	I think at present league 2 is the right level for us, I would love to see my club play higher but until we get the fan base this club deserves financially we cannot compete.
Paul M	This is something different supporters dis-agree on. Personally, I would say that being a well run, solid League Two Club is a massive achievement on it's own, but I guess there is no reason why we couldn't compete in League One in the long term. Clubs like Colchester and Scunthorpe have done this, and even gone on to play in the Championship, so there are recent examples of smaller Clubs who are well run moving higher up the Leagues.
Tony Roberts remains possibly the last great character in modern day football. Will he play on forever? And do Dagenham supporters tire of his antics week in, week out?
Mike	Tony is still doing great and absolutely loves the big games and bantering with the fans. Occasionally it can seem the banter gets the better of his game, but mostly it is just good fun. As long as Robbo is up for it, and is good enough, which he definitely is at the moment, he is going to be between the sticks for the Daggers I think.
Paul	Robbo is an amazing character and you can never tire of his antics. I don’t see any reason why he cant continue for another season or 2 at least but even he will have to hang up his gloves one day. The longer he remains in football though the better place football will be.
Michael	Tony has stated he would love to play for years to come and I personally would love that also, the guy is an absolute legend over Dagenham. He enjoys the banter with the fans as much as the fans enjoy giving it to him and as you say he is a true character!
Paul M	Robbo is a legend at Dagenham. In terms of playing, he has once again been top class this season, and some aspects of his game are improving still (his kicking for instance). I see no reason why he won't play for a couple of years more, at least. In terms of his antics, I think all Daggers fans like it, and it seems most opposing fans do as well. He is never nasty, knows when to laugh at himself, and brightens up many a dull afternoon for us!!
What is the feeling amongst the Dagenham support when they see bigger and better supported clubs struggling financially within this division? Is there sympathy or do you just see it as incompetence on their part?
Mike	It is total incompetence, bordering on cheating. Fans don't seem to learn from the lesson that it seems is there every season in League Two, Luton last season, Darlington this season, probably Notts County next season. Now Sven has gone and the "Premiership project" seems to be abandoned I expect that they'll be nosediving soon and we'll be back to taking 6 points off them next season again while they head off into the Conference and the fans will be moaning about the injustice of it all, having crowed about the big signings and the piles of cash from investors in August 2009. Give me our well run, conservative club any time over boom and bust.
Paul	To be honest, when I see bigger clubs struggling I have very little sympathy at all. As mentioned, we run on really awful crowds, considering our relative success and our board always try to do things the right way. Yet receive virtually nothing but stick from opposition fans for having a ‘god awful ground’ etc. But yet fail to see through their rose tinted glasses that their own beautiful stadium is paid for through having millions of debt. Whilst we continue to do things our way though I couldn’t care less – I know our conscience is clear!
Michael	I do not feel sorry for them at all, I think the team that made me realise that money doesn’t buy success this year is Notts County, backers pulled out, players that are paid each week more than our whole team collectively is paid weekly.
Paul M	I think a bit of a sympathy and a bit of head shaking when it happens to yet another team!! I mean, when will Clubs and supporters learn?? You see Darlington in a 25k seater stadium, Notts County with Premiership players in their line up, etc etc, and you just know it is going to go wrong. Personally I find it quite sad, and to see proud Clubs like Notts County in trouble should give nobody any satisfaction, but until Clubs learn to live within their means, this will carry on happening.
Describe what it's like to be a Dagenham fan in ten words or less
Mike	A pub team from Essex, Fooball League, having a laugh.
Paul	We're just a pub team from Essex
Michael	Proud fan of a fantastically run football club!
Paul M	Never dull!!
Who has stood out for you this season in League Two, whether it be teams or individual players?
Mike	To be honest, the way that Dale turned it around in the second half at our place was the best performance I have seen by an opponent this season so far. Grudgingly, I have to admit that Notts County were good too, as were Aldershot on a shocking night for us at home.
Paul	Very little has stood out for me this year in way of opposition however that would make for a boring answer so I would say that unsurprisingly Notts County looked strong in both games this year beating us with an aggregate score of 6 nil. Aldershot have been most impressive at our ground although this was during the midst of our loan player bad spell. And probably the most impressive comeback would go to Rochdale who had no right to a point based on the 1st 45 minutes but turned it around remarkably in the last half hour and clinically dispatched two goals to win the game.
Michael	Lee Hughes – As much as I hate him as a player and because of his personal life he was a class above both times when we played them and I doubt he will be playing for them next year.
Paul M	Notts County were very effective against us twice (despite the answers in question 7!!!). Aldershot were also superb against us and seemed to have a very good spine down the middle of their team. Rochdale's second half at our place showed a lot of character and quality. Bournemouth have been the biggest dissappointment considering their high placing, and we have taken 4 points off them and not let in a goal in the two games.
Finally, us. Any thoughts or memories of Rochdale from your short time in the Football League
Mike	I recall an article on the Rochdale Rivals site when we won promotion moaning about the Daggers being another upstart Non-league club which I wrote an article addressing in April 2007 (Click here) I have to say that gave me a poor view of Rochdale, but actually I can now see that your club deserves the success that seems to have been building over the last few seasons now, and a shot at League One next season. Both Rochdale and Dagenham & Redbridge could be the very definition of "unfashionable club" but both seem to be going places. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Bradford City, Darlington, Notts County, etc, etc.
Paul	Haven’t yet had a chance to visit Spotland however you always seem to have a decent and fair team. Your supporters too seemed like thoroughly nice people after speaking with a few in our clubhouse over the last 2 years. Would be good to see you finally achieve your dream and make promotion. I guess you are more deserving of it than most. Perhaps we could sneak up there with you.
Michael	A well run club who are going about getting promotion the right way, fantastic manager and a friendly fan base. I certainly would mind you guys winning the league, you deserve it! (as long as we come second)
Paul M	A great day out on and off the pitch in November 2008 at Spotland. We won 2-0 and played superbly and was very impressed with the pubs and chippys in Rochdale which helped us to have a great afternoon. And also a thrilling 3-2 win in Jan or Feb (??) last season at our place. Both teams going for three points for the whole game, and us just running out winners. I think everyone at Dagenham enjoys the games with Dale, and I know we are looking forward to another great day out on Saturday.