Digger Dagger Matchday

  While the turf of the Victoria Bernabeu is being laid, this week there is plenty to discuss about the players who will be entertaining on it in the foreseeable future. From June 2022 to June 2024, the contract renewals are varied but substantial as the key players whose futures were left in the balance after the retained list announcement – they all appear to be sorted. There were some extras from that list that came as a pleasant surprise; tying players such as Justham and Balanta down to longer-term deals – until 2024. My theory of the focus being on retaining players this summer, assured by McMahon’s words, is now proving true with these six announcements! Taking the view it’s the right approach, I’ll discuss all six contracts announced and the one that remains to be confirmed – Saidou Khan! Matt Robinson This wasn’t the first to be announced, but definitely the one we’d all wanted news of, the fantastic club servant committing his future to the Daggers. You need no expl

Finally, we received the retained list! But, for all the hype, there was somewhat an anti-climax in the announcement as, unlike previously thought, those who have been offered contracts are still yet to decide! Therefore, the futures of: -         Matt Robinson -         Kenny Clark -         Mauro Vilhete -         Saidou Khan -         Myles Weston -         Harry Phipps All still remain unclear, with a few of these names being vital to our successes at the back end of last season – there are very much ones we ought to keep an eye out for. These names also seemingly made this announcement a non-event, considering key players had their futures yet to be decided. So, with these announcements expected in the next few days, expect some more explosive articles in the days to come – concerning particularly the likes of Matt Robinson! In terms of the contracts being offered, as aforementioned, there are a few of them integral to our future success – key to our recent upt

  A Twitter notification from Dagenham & Redbridge: the long-awaited retained list - no! Despite no retained list in sight, until next week, there was some clarity given on the contract situation by holidaying Daryl McMahon.  🎙 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: 🗣 Daryl McMahon spoke to DaggersTV this morning to provide a player contract update ⤵️ #COYD ⚔️ — Dagenham & Redbridge (@Dag_RedFC) June 11, 2021 The interview certainly shed some light and dropped a hint or two on the players remaining at the club, outgoings, as well as the likelihood and frequency of incomings. All this in the context of COVID saw Daryl echo the words of Peter Freund, "in order to ensure that the financial stability of the club is assured - we won't be able to afford to keep everyone." - to paraphrase.  That notion of being unable to keep everyone was perpetuated, further clarity given, when he stated that six players who are set to see their deals expire have been offered new deal

Well, we’ve all been eagerly anticipating the retained list announcement; though it is yet to come – we have some early news! On Thursday, Luke Croll and Sam Deering joined James Dobson in announcing their departures, Dobson doing so a day earlier. There were varied levels of surprise and disappointment on each announcement, as we’ll discover below, and I shared in that surprise and disappointment (or lack of) – as I will too discuss. Luke Croll To all the fans and players @Dag_RedFC , the past 2 seasons have been a pleasure! Special thank you to the people in charge for giving me the opportunity to enjoy the game again.. Wishing you a successful future ✌🏽❤️ #LC5 pic.twitter.com/Ckl7J46ynU — Luke Croll (@LukeCroll1) June 10, 2021 I begin with a centre back whose injury and McMahon's unfavourability (so it appears) towards him has seen him leave the club upon the expiry of his contract. Croll amassed 51 appearances during his time at the Daggers, adding to his 40 Football Lea

  It’s that time of year again! With National League Clubs beginning to announce their retained list, the Daggers will soon follow suit, McMahon has quite the conundrum on his hands. There are some incredibly difficult decisions to make, after a disappointing start to the season, the Daggers have turned their fortunes around somewhat. But the ‘failure’ (as Daryl himself admitted) to reach the play-offs, leaves question marks over the current crop – will they have what it takes to make the top 7 next season? How many more need to be brought in to ensure success, and therefore in turn, how many need to make way for new recruits? All this hangs in the balance as Dagenham & Redbridge football club look to be heading in the right direction. But, who will be on the pitch to continue that upwards trajectory at Victoria Road and ultimately reach the destination – League Two. Below, is who I think (of the current set of players) should be the ones continuing on that journey, this wa