It's all about partnerships..

Since  the 1-0 defeat away to Northampton the Daggers have drawn 2 and won 2, scoring 6 goals in the process and only conceding twice.  That means we have only lost one game in in the last eight.

In my last post I eluded to the fact that I thought Daggers were starting to get it right in certain areas of the pitch, especially at the back and that it was only a matter of time before we started scoring goals.

A 3-1 win at home against Cheltenham followed by a 2-0 away win at York showed that the boys certainly knew where the net was.  Don't get me wrong we are not the finished article just yet but the signs  are very positive.

Jamie Cureton scores his 2nd goal against York.

It was good yesterday to see an interview with Wayne Burnett where the manager looked more comfortable and looked as though he was enjoying his role at the club for the first time in what seems like a hell of a long time.   It was also nice to walk to a Tuesday night game with a bit of confidence last night.

Nice to see you smile Wayne!!

Although the home game with Portsmouth last night only ended in a goalless draw there were plenty of positives to take from it.  All over the pitch there were good performances and was in evidence were the little partnerships that were developing.  The best examples of these were the two in midfield.  I like many others thought that Andre Boucaud and Billy Bingham couldn't play as a pair in the centre of midfield as they were similar players but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised last night to see them compliment each other so well in the middle of the pitch.  The other partnership's that are starting to progress are the obvious one of Ayo and Scotty Doe at the back which surely is the main reason for the few number of goals conceded but also there is another partnership on the pitch between Joe Widdowson and Ashley Hemmings down the left hand side which is coming along rather nicely.  I wasn't sure about Widdowson at first but after the last couple of home games it looks as though him and Hemmings have got a good understanding and work well together, all though its early days this good be the best partnership down the left hand side since Griffiths and Ritchie.

Murphy may have left but Ayo is here to the end of the season.

At the moment there seems to be a good balance to the side and every where you look there seems to be another positive.

Up front there is still a slight concern as we haven't found the perfect partnership yet.  When Murphy was up front with Cureton I thought it was only a matter of time before they clicked but with the exit in the transfer window of Rhys it means we have to try something different.. At the moment Alex Jakubiak is partnering Jamie Cureton and a couple of times last night but for a an under hit pass or a bit too much holding on to the ball it may of come off.  The thing is we have options, last night Daniel Carr came on as sub, by all accounts he has been really lively in training and maybe a pairing of him and Cureton may bare fruit.  For me Jakubiak seems to play better as an impact sub, but who knows maybe given time and a run of a few games this partnership may come good.

New loan signing Daniel Carr.

One thing is for sure though the more that Abu Ogogo plays at right back the better, Wayne knows that now is not the time to break up the midfield and I reckon after a few more games there it will all come flooding back to him and yet another partnership this time between Abs and Howell down the right hand side will start to flourish.

In my last post I mentioned about how we are set up on the pitch and on the bench with personnel and how easyit is to make a transition from one formation to another without having to make many substitutes. this is going to become more evident in the upcoming weeks and was shown last night when Jodi Jones came on for Jakubiak and gave the 17 year old his debut making him Dagenham and Redbrige's youngest ever player, we changed our formation and went 4-5-1 with two wingers and one up top.  This change is going to be a more regular thing and the good thing about it is that both the wingers can play with both feet so the option of them switching from each flank during games is a mouthwatering prospect.  It brings to mind another partnership between Sam Saunders and Matt Ritchie, they certainly kept opposition full backs guessing that season.

Some people might think that Jodi Jones isn't ready for the first team and maybe should be put out on loan, I don't agree I think this boy is something special and I think he will get his opportunity to show what he can do in the remainder of the season.  He will be an impact sub for the most part and will be used carefully from the bench when the manager sees fit but I wouldn't rule out a starting place by the end of the season and if we finish this season well he could well be knocking on the door next season.

Jodi Jones.

Mark my words this boy will terrorise defences in this league once he gets used to it.  The thing is if you got something you have got something, it doesn't matter if you show it against Concord in the Essex Senior cup or if he was playing for Dagenham United over Parsloes Park if a player is head and shoulders above all else at that level he is a player.  This boy is a player, if he is managed right he will go places.

The future is looking a lot a brighter and if we carry on progressing as we are we will have a nice end to the season with no worries about relegation and hopefully with  a strong finish we can build on it next season.  We are starting to turn a corner and I really think that its going to click up front sooner rather than later and with the upcoming fixtures someone is going to be on the end of  a tonking,  I am really looking forward to Hartlepool at home.

Finally, I was a bit cautious about the game last night not because I thought we would lose but because last year there was a bit of an incident in the car park between some meathead Pompey fans and some stewards which I and my son got a bit caught up in.  It wasn't anything too serious, but a few Neanderthal fans of theirs were to busy being mindless pricks and not looking what they were doing, which was nearly knocking parents and their young kids over.  Luckily I had my son's plastic stool with me and was poking any fat twat who came anywhere near me or my son with it.  My son didn't accompany me this year as I think it shit him up a bit, but there didn't appear to be any repeat of it this time round, thankfully.  I am sure I can convince him to come next year.

http://youtu.be/ZS5jff8ojz4
Meatheads!!


On to Morecambe on Sunday and hopefully another 3 points although I would take a draw.

Come on you Daggers!!