The Daggers were at home for the second league game in a row on Saturday, and yet again after seeing the team sheet I was feeling confident of a win over Cambridge United as I walked to the ground.
After a pleasing first half performance with some nice stuff being played and some chances being created The Daggers went into the break comfortably leading by a Luke Howell header and as the garbled noise came over the PA at half time me and my mate were discussing all things Daggers.
We were discussing the fact that Ashley Chambers (who incidentally had returned to the team after injury) was starting to impose himself on games and that he was showing a lot more confidence then he did last year when he was loaned to us from that days opponents Cambridge. It looks as if he has been given the number 10 shirt by Wayne Burnett and told you are my number ten go and make things happen and I have to say that every time I have seen him this season he has done just that. We also discussed a topic that has been mentioned a lot on the forum and that is about the atmosphere in the ground at matches, especially in the sieve. We both agreed that there used to be a lot more noise and a happier atmosphere when the drum that is sometimes played in the terrace was accompanied by a trumpet.
The atmosphere has definitely changed and it seems more angry and abusive in the last few years, if you add that to the performances on the pitch as well it is hardly surprising we all walk out of the ground moaning and groaning. People seem to think that if everybody was singing and starting new songs all the time that things would be better, maybe, but in all the years I have been going over there I have never started a song or have rarely joined in with the singing but I remember there still being a cracking atmosphere, one that had a bit of fun to it , a sense of humour if you like, and I seriously think that had a lot to do with the trumpet player.
There would be times in the game when it would hit a lull and the trumpet would start playing a tune and it would give everyone a chuckle, if one of the opposing players was mouthing off then the trumpet player would give out a rendetion of Steptoe and Son, my personal favourite was the theme tune to One Foot In The Grave, which used to get an airing every once in a while, it used to keep the punters amused and also I very rarely used to hear the abuse our own players seem to get nowadays, I'm sure that went on though because even when we had Danny Green playing for us there was always some twat calling him a CUN* but that is because some people are just brain dead, that I'm afraid can't be helped.
I for one would love to hear the trumpet back at Victoria Road, I had a little look about to see if it was illegal to play instruments in the ground but apparently it is down to the clubs discretion. So if indeed the Trumpet boy wanted to come out of retirement I say Trumpet Boy he is obviously a man now, then I am sure a word in Steve Thompson's shell like could get this to happen. Again this is only my opinion about things and maybe I am totally wrong but I just remember it being better with a trumpet, if it don't happen I may just go over there with a megaphone and start "Wap, Wapping" one foot in the grave by myself in my distinctive pub singing voice, maybe that will change the atmosphere.
Anyway in the second half we lost our way and what looked to be an easy 3 points ended up being nothing. First of all we gave away a soft free kick outside the box again, that they scored from, then we failed to cut out a cross and they scored from a header, again and them Cambridge scored the most bizzare goal I have seen in a long time Liam O'brien our goalkeeper comes to collect a ball in the air, the opposition forward looks at him twice jumps into him and the ball ends up in the net. The thing is it should have been a foul but when I saw it back the goalie has just got to clean him out and win the ball, instead he does nothing and gets caught out, technically its still a foul but again we put ourselves in a position. The Daggers did manage to get back into it through George Porter and for the final ten minutes they threw everything at Cambridge but alas to no avail, a great save from Dunn stopped debutant Ade Yousuff from equalising late on but in the end The Daggers came away pointless.
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| Keepers!!! |
So on to yesterday and a chance to get back to winning ways away to Portsmouth. It sounded like quite an even first half with both teams attacking but also both teams giving the ball away to often, Pompey went into the break with a lead although near the end of the half Chambers had been denied by the crossbar. Into the second period and rash tackle from Daggers playmaker Andre Boucard earned the former Notts County player his marching orders after a second yellow. Matters got worse in the 69th minute when Daggers conceded a penalty which Jed Wallace converted, Portsmouth later had a goal disallowed for offside but then in stoppage time The Daggers were caught on the counter by substitute Andy Barcham who finished the game off and sent The Daggers back to Essex with a 3-0 loss, their 3rd defeat in a row.
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| Boucard will be a big miss on Saturday. |
After Saturdays game against Cambridge Wayne Burnett had been pissed off to say the least with certain players performances and had promised changes for last nights game. The changes did come and the most notable was the dropping of keeper Liam O'Brien who was replaced by Mark Cousins, but none of the changes seemed to make much of a difference and we go into tough away game against Cheltenham on Saturday without Boucard and a team that must be low on confidence after such a promising start.
Hopefully the enforced changes that Wayne will have to make will bring a different outcome on Saturday, we live in hope.
Come on you Daggers!!!
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