It’s only been a week since the 2nd Round tie, but Walsall Web-Fans catch up with Dagenham fan Nick Murphy from http://thedaggersscale.blogspot.com/ ahead of our two sides locking horns for the chance to host Millwall in January’s Third Round.
Sadlad – 1.After the moral boosting result against Walsall in the FA Cup recently Dagenham and Redbridge entertained Port Vale at the weekend but recalled their ninth straight League Two defeat.How is the spirit between the fans following this setback?
Nicl Murphy – Back to what it was before the game against you essentially. A performance that wasn’t good enough and another defeat leaves us bottom of the pile in the entire Football League which obviously deflates us even more. It just seems as though whenever we feel we’ve turned a corner, we end up back at square one the next game; we simply aren’t consistent enough. Hopefully a good cup run can draw attentions away from the league, but we know you will provide hard opposition in our quest to get through to the 3rd round.
2.Were the fans on the backs of the players or manager John Still during the game?I have read that some of your fans are against playing Exodus at centre back. Would you go along with that?
Some were, some weren’t, although the criticism of John Still is very valid. We had a very strong central defensive partnership last week against you, with Mickey Spillane & Scott Doe being rock solid. For some unknown reason John decided to change it with the inclusion of Exodus, shifting Mickey out to right back after Doe & Mickey performed so well last week. It really is an anomaly for us all, why change a team that performed well when you don’t have too? Exodus just isn’t the kind of player we need; he’s big and he has a long throw that’s about all there is too him and he has now earned the nickname of donkey after yesterdays display which tells you all you need to know. Another one that’s open to criticism, Gavin Tomlin. I’ve tried to defend him for a long time, but his contribution yesterday was poor and I just don’t see a future for him at this club.
3.Brian Woodall was taken off despite, according to some of your fans, being the best player. Is he often made the scapegoat as he seems to substituted a lot in games?
It is a bit of a shame that he was taken off as he probably was our biggest threat. He’s the player that’s oozing confidence at the moment and he scored again yesterday. I think he’s substituted because he’s the one that we can sacrifice so to speak, the one that isn’t as likely to finish a full game. However yesterday he seemed lively and full of energy, whereas Josh Scott & Jon Nurse has virtually none of the play all game, so you have to argue why do you take off your most effective player? Brian has really taken to Dagenham and the fans have taken to Brian, I fear his confidence may be damaged if he gains the mentality that he is going to be taken off every game despite his performance and this is something that will need to be rectified in my opinion.
4.Your supporters club have decided to heavily subsidise coach travel to the replay at Walsall on Tuesday soon after offering free travel to Bath in the last round. That is a generous offer. Any idea of how many of your fans will be travelling to this game?
The supporters club have been superb once more, the thing that not everyone realises is that most prices on the coach to all games are subsidised so they do a truly fantastic job at keeping the price down. Numbers wise, it’s difficult, obviously the offer of only £5 will tempt people, me included, but the fact it’s during the week and the coach leaves at 2:30pm means that a number of the regulars may not be able to make it. I’d say around 100+ will make the trip, well that’s more of a hope than an accurate guess!
5.Having seen the Walsall game at your ground last week who do you think will be the dangermen in the Saddlers line up? What changes would you like to see on Tuesday?
One player that really sticks in my mind from last week is George Bowerman, the youngster looked like your biggest threat when he was introduced and if he starts he could provide a potent threat. Other than that, Will Grigg always seems to be a thorn in our backside & Claude Gnakpa seems to know where the back of the net is. For us, I’d like to see a few changes made. First off would be the introduction of Billy Bingham to partner Peter Gain in centre midfield, meaning Abu Ogogo can go back to his natural position of right back. Mickey Spillane would then be able to partner Scott Doe at centre half because Exodus is cup tied. Danny J green would then play on the wing for me, replacing Gavin Tomlin, whilst Jon Nurse would play on the right hand side, feeding in a partnership of Brian Woodall & Josh Scott.
6.Should Daggers win the replay you will entertain Millwall. Would that prospect thow up any safety fears or segregation issues?
The simple answer to that is yes. If we do beat you, the policing and stewarding will have to double if not triple for the game against Millwall. It’s well documented the rivalry between Millwall & West Ham and unfortunately we’d get a bunch of West Ham fans come over trying to start an inevitable fight with them; tarnishing our reputation. The game has already been advertised as all ticket should we get through and I’ve heard that police will be stationed around the ground as well as forming a barrier between our terrace and the stand they will be housed in.
7. What areas would you like to see changes made in the transfer window next month?
I’ve already gathered that there will be a few outgoings next month. Damian Scannell has already departed for Eastleigh, whilst everyone appears to imagine that Gavin Tomlin will be the next to go. In terms of incomings, we need another goalkeeper, one that’s willing to be an understudy due to the fact that James Shea has be recalled by Arsenal because he’s not playing enough regular football. Personally I’d like to see a left winger come in, as I feel our threat on the wings has not been near good enough; whereas in previous seasons this has been a main outlet for us.
Good luck for the rest of the season and may the best team win next week!