Fan View: Dagenham & Redbridge facing crucial week

Following a below-par display at home to York, Ben Strevens’ men looked to have stepped foot on the road to redemption after a spirited display in Oldham.

However, the turn of the seasons has done little to change Dagenham’s fortunes, with leaves falling off the Daggers tree, the branches appearing brittle. The latest blow being that ‘embarrassing’ defeat in the FA Cup on Saturday, by Strevens’ own admission, raising huge questions of the players, as well as the management, apparently ‘not being up for the game’.

There can be performances that lack quality, or ones that have everything but the result, but you cannot have a Dagenham side ‘not being up for’ an FA Cup game. This is deeply concerning too since the spirit, hard work and togetherness of the squad is what Strevens prides himself on.

That latest defeat meant it is nine games without a win, a 10th seen as a step too far for many, regardless of how many times we’ve been unfortunate to come away with a result – like at Oldham.

The questions of a lack of desire creeping in sees the pressure mount further on Strevens, who looked hurt in his post-match interview. His assertions of him wanting the best for the club did feel genuine and personal. Therefore I believe if the time comes where he feels he can do no more with the resources at hand, he may well leave of his own accord.

There is a different atmosphere around the club during this difficult spell, somewhere between apathy and acceptance, that makes it less hostile but also far less hopeful. There is apathy in another season with little progress, if not regression, but equally an acceptance of reigning in spending and the results reflecting that reality.

However one thing nobody will settle for, board and supporters alike, is a relegation fight this season. So if things aren’t to improve in the next couple of weeks, as the table takes shape and gaps begin to appear between the relegation zone and mid-table, then I think change is inevitable.

That said, this week could be the turning point, with two home games against Woking and Boreham Wood respectively. There is a lot to prove after perhaps the lowest point of Strevens’ time in charge.

Both quality and desire must be on display if the Daggers are to get a result this week, and stop the slide with a winless run that would stretch to 10 games without a win on Saturday.

The players must answer the rallying cry that is pasted on the home dressing room and tunnel at Victoria Road – ‘What are we here for?’ – else the silent response will be deafening, speaking volumes of the character of this group.

We’re approaching mid-October and the stakes are already high, this next week is a crucial test to see whether Strevens really is the man that can take the Daggers out of this torrid run of form.

Come On You Daggers!