Dag & Red v Luton Town 1/11

[Kenneth E End]

No idea why this match was moved to 2pm tomorrow. Can't be due to police advice because of the Rugby World Cup Final, as Chelsea, AFC Wimbledon, Millwall and Crystal Palace were all at home today.

Anyway, both teams are on a poor run of form and both managers under real pressure. Wayne Burnett at Dagenham has won less than 30% of his games in charge, whilst his predecessor and the personal who recommended him for the role, John Still, is coming under increasing pressure from a club who were expecting to challenge at the top. Its still relatively early, but already Luton are falling well behind the early pacesetters. This time last year, Luton were top; this time they're closer to the bottom 2.

Over 1,100 Hatters will make the short train journey down to East London.

 

[Leewilson]

Oh we are absolute cack. I know you can't buy any consistency in results or starting 11 at present but you'll still beat us.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Possible team for tomorrow, although it could be anything:

Subs: Justham, O'Brien, Long, McCourt, Benson, Guttridge, Lee

 

[Leewilson]

---------------------O'Brien

Passley, Nosworthy, Pask, Hoyte

-----------Ferdinand-----Boucaud-----

Chambers------Dunne-----Hemmings

-------------------Cureton---------------------

Subs: Cousins, Dikamona, Connors, Raymond, Labadie, Jones, McClure

Something like that probably *shudder*.

Personally though, I'd have Dunne in alongside Boucaud with Chambers playing behind Curo and Jones on the wing. But whatever.

 

[jacobncfc]

Why is that Jones not in your team? Possibly the best individual we've played against this season, got you a point single handedly against us.

 

[Leewilson]

Why is that Jones not in your team? Possibly the best individual we've played against this season, got you a point single handedly against us.

He's got a persistent groin injury.

 

[oakroader]

so pathetic that even at this stage of the season we can't predict the starting eleven.....

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

I'm popping down to the Chigwell Construction Stadium for this...

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

I didn't realise how bad Dagenham were...

 

[BelizeHatter]

Crazy. We win are 13th and just four points off playoffs and six off autos. League really hasn't settled down at all other than perhaps very top and bottom.

 

[Vanni]

The league is much tougher than last year I reckon. We have a better squad this year(on paper at least), and yet by this time last year we had won some matches quite comfortably, like the 5-1 win over Oxford and the 5-0 over Carlisle. Our only comfortable win this year was on the opening day at home to Newport, 3-0, and that was when County where managed by Butcher and hadn't yet found their feet.

Anyway, good result for Luton. In my book an away win is always welcome and it doesn't matter if it's at Daggers or Pompey. Problem is you lot suffer from inconsistency just like we do, and we all know how quickly 3 or 4 wins on the trot will propel you up the table in this league.

 

[r1ch1e]

Fairly even game I thought but as usual we found a way to lose it. Had a good penalty shout I thought turned down, will have to watch it again and see and also missed a HUGE chance at 0-1. Hemmings went in on goal from 40 yards out but hit it wide.

Luton were solid at the back but poor going forward I thought. Marriott was garbage, I presume he's usually better than that to keep CMS out of the side but Pask took it off of him pretty much every time he had it.

 

[Kenneth E End]

My goodness Dagenham were worse than this time last year. I'm not going to read too much into this result for Luton, as I don't think there was anyway we were not going to win that one. We were solid if unspectacular with no one particularly standing out.

Was very foggy; it was worrying at times as if we'd actually finish the game because of it. There was a bit of a silly protest from some home fans - on A4 paper than no one could see in the fog!

 

[Vanni]

My goodness Dagenham were worse than this time last year. I'm not going to read too much into this result for Luton, as I don't think there was anyway we were not going to win that one. We were solid if unspectacular with no one particularly standing out.

They may be poorer than last year, as are a handful of other sides, but these sides are in the minority I think. The absolute majority of sides have actually improved on last years, going on what I'm seeing.

 

[Leewilson]

My goodness Dagenham were worse than this time last year. I'm not going to read too much into this result for Luton, as I don't think there was anyway we were not going to win that one. We were solid if unspectacular with no one particularly standing out.

Was very foggy; it was worrying at times as if we'd actually finish the game because of it. There was a bit of a silly protest from some home fans - on A4 paper than no one could see in the fog!

I did tell you that we an absolute shambles. The sad thing is that we're not the sort of shambles that concedes 4 or 5. We just have no soul. Our manager has no idea how to change the style of play. We consistently fail to trouble visiting goalkeepers thus losing by 1 or 2 to nil most home games. Sigh

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

I thought Cureton was the only one why looked any good. Unfortunately for him half the time he was having to battle in the air with Cuthbert and Wilkinson for the ball... Didn't really think Luton got going, but Dagenham just had absolutely nothing, and being blunt looked like a middle of the road Conference outfit. Chambers end product was especially awful.

Sadly I think Dagenham have relegation nailed on as it stands. Hopefully you can sort it out in January and actually replace Doe/ Bingham/ Ogogo.

Edit: Actually I'm being a bit harsh on Dunne. He looked to have something about him. Jones did as well when he ran at people but seemed to get lost amongst Luton players for too easily.

 

[northstandexile]

Seen quoted three differences attendance figures
BBC say 2723
Daggers Twitter and Luton website say 2773
Luton Twitter and daggers website says 2473

So which is correct?

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Daggers Twitter and Luton website say 2773
So which is correct?

Pretty sure that's the one that was announced at the ground. Could have been a typo on the paper he had to announce it though.

 

[Leewilson]

I thought Cureton was the only one why looked any good. Unfortunately for him half the time he was having to battle in the air with Cuthbert and Wilkinson for the ball... Didn't really think Luton got going, but Dagenham just had absolutely nothing, and being blunt looked like a middle of the road Conference outfit. Chambers end product was especially awful.

Sadly I think Dagenham have relegation nailed on as it stands. Hopefully you can sort it out in January and actually replace Doe/ Bingham/ Ogogo.

Edit: Actually I'm being a bit harsh on Dunne. He looked to have something about him. Jones did as well when he ran at people but seemed to get lost amongst Luton players for too easily.

Jones is carrying an injury unfortunately, hence he went off a few minutes into the 2nd half.

We just have nothing. I wish I could say today was a one off but sadly it's the pattern every week. We change our team frequently because the manager can't find an 11 that works. Most years I've been quietly confident we have enough to pull clear. This year I'm struggling to work out how we'll survive. My only hope is a rubbish team does tend to put a run together at some point (Hartlepool last year, Barnet previously etc). Plus I suppose we have a striker who can score in Cureton but until we give him any actual service.......

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Didn't get to the game so cant comment on the performance but good to see a step in the right direction with a win. No matter how poor or otherwise Dagenham are we have beaten a side that, on paper, we should be beating which we have at times struggled to do this year so good to see.

 

[Murphy]

Difficult to put into words really what kind of situation we're in. Certainly the worst its been from all points of view since I've been supporting the club (began in 07). We're in a horrible position of the manager's position being effectively untenable due to his relationship with the supporters (not helped by results, 1 win in 16 is not good enough at all), but the board seemingly not having the money to sack the manager which means we're stuck. The players - I believe - still actually like Wayne, but all of this criticism of him by the fans obviously gets through to them and when they see scenes like today, when people pathetically brought sheets of A4 and waved a fucking flag with 'SOS' on, what message does that transmit? Players who are already low on confidence lose it completely, think what's the point and then obviously aren't going to give that 110% that maybe they would have done without the stupid, pathetic protests and such. No-one is winning from this and unless we have a dramatic pick up or Burnett goes, this cycle is going to continue until either he snaps and resigns or we get relegated. The further impact of the protests is that other players see this and think 'bollocks to that, I'm not going there'. Essentially we're cutting off our nose to spite our face here and no-one is winning from it. These protests do nothing, solve nothing and help nobody. Most people are aware that Burnett ain't leaving any time soon, so this literally achieves nothing. And the worst thing is these people are grown fucking men - above all it's embarrassing.

I genuinely thought that if we could get something this afternoon, it might be a serious turning point in our season. We were shite, but in comparison with what I've seen earlier in the season and what I've heard on the radio, we weren't all that bad. The midfield has some bite in it now with Dunne and Labadie, in fact Labadie made a tackle that I actually remembered from this afternoon which is more than I can say for Boucaud or Ferdinand in their roles. What's amusing is that we'll probably change it back again for next week's cup game. The real issue though is that despite a seemingly ok midfield, we created absolutely bloody nothing. Chambers was the most lively and most promising by far....until he reached the D and then it went to pot as it always does with him. It's as if he sees the lights and freezes, turning inside when he shouldn't, overhitting a simple ball through - just generally not providing an end product despite making the space for himself or others. I understand in L2 you're not going to get star players, but he HAS got to be doing better than that. And against a 37 year old odd goalkeeper we've had no shots - it's just embarrassing. We can't put function as a whole - we do one thing right but then fail to do something else and it costs us dearly. We were woeful going forward today aside from that one chance where Hemmings went through, it was absolutely gut wrenching when he missed. It felt like a pinnacle moment, if that had have gone in the crowd changes, the players here it, we hunt for the second and again the season maybe starts anew with some confidence and the backing of the crowd. Instead, it's missed, heads in hands on and off the pitch and Luton go up the other end and make it 2-0 after some defensive dilly-dallying and that's the game. The players heads drop, the crowd goes silent and the protests begin. It compounded the afternoon and the season so far almost and it was horrible.

I've rambled because I needed somewhere to, but I have to admit I genuinely fear for us. It's a horrible time to be a Daggers supporter, and unless something changes soon, we're heading for the Vanarama because this is just not good enough. And it's killing me.

 

[Kenneth E End]

and being blunt looked like a middle of the road Conference outfit.

Yesterday full stop felt like a Conference game. Very little quality on show to be honest.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Sometimes I feel like I'm on a different planet to other people, especially looking at these ratings:

http://www.barkinganddagenhampost.c...ching_goes_on_as_home_woes_continue_1_4293997

Hoyte the joint worst player with an 'average display'? What? Firstly his display wasn't average - he was Dagenham's best player trying to play both full back and centre back as both centre backs were pretty useless positionally. I thought Pask had one of the worst games I've seen in a while, positionally poor, number of unforced errors, awful distribution, very naive. Obileye wasn't much better, his positioning for goal 1 is actually pretty bad.

Edit: Maybe I'm being harsh on Obileye there, but when the move starts he's covering the outside of the goal rather than the inside although he recovers well. Hoyte's come across (Obileye was very reluctant to apply pressure to a player outside the box all match, giving room to turn and do things, didn't feel his positioning in the box was all that great either) to close the space and then gone for the challenge, he shouldn't have as it leaves so much space open for Guttridge to be like, thanks.

Edit 2: Actually, by the time the ball's played in he's taken up a good position.

Edit 3: This is how to have an argument with yourself.

Secondly, the joint worst player had an 'average display'? I'd hate to see what Dagenham's poor displays are like. Christ.

Thirdly, why is every picture 'despondent'.

Fourthly, how can Hoyte be despondent if he doesn't give a shit to begin with?

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Yesterday full stop felt like a Conference game. Very little quality on show to be honest.

I actually agree with that. Thing is though I thought that Luton could always step up a gear if needed. They didn't, Dagenham lost themselves the game.