DARYL MCMAHON DEPARTS: The end of a nearly era.

Well it certainly caught supporters by surprise, though not entirely out of the blue, off the back of another victory that merely sought to paper over the cracks. The night before a game against the league leaders, it looked like it was leading to its inevitable conclusion but why now? The obligatory corner flag picture with the accompanying title ‘Club Statement: Daryl McMahon’ has been published – he’s out.

I posted on February 9th a blog entitled ‘Make Or Break: A week to put it right, else endgame in sight’ and just 16 days later… here we are!

All indicators pointed to another season of disappointment and underachievement and perhaps a change of course at the end of the campaign – a cutting of losses and rebuilding in the summer. However patience has seen to have worn thin – perhaps with both parties – when you’re left questioning your own players’ character increasingly frequently three years into a job it was never going to end well.

That was one relationship that had been very strong throughout these past few seasons – even at the lowest points – with his players. I think back to the vehement defences at such games as Altrincham (A) last season, but when that relationship began to break down you felt we were entering the beginning of the end.

The decline only accelerated with the departure of an in-form top goal scorer in Josh Walker – exacerbating the struggle for play-offs at the third time of asking under McMahon.

Then came the departure of Paul McCallum, his marquee signing, within a week of the number 7’s departure and so there was a feeling things were unravelling at pace. McCallum certainly being a key ally in the dressing room: could he cope and deal with these challenging circumstances? Well we’ve got our answer.

It was at that point at the beginning of the month that triggered an awful run of form which saw Daryl conclude ‘we’re on the floor’ after the Scunthorpe defeat last week and ‘we’ve got to accept that’ and try and find a way out of it. Only, there was little belief in him, and indeed in himself it seemed, that he knew quite what that way out was.

There was a tweet I put out after that game you can see above, and it’s true. Not since the last days of Peter Taylor had a Daggers side been so devoid of confidence, belief and desire – the spark in them had been extinguished. Almost every performance could be described as another ‘Despondent Dagenham display’ or a Dagenham side ‘uninspiring in defeat’ – bereft of ideas and creativity.

Another tweet after the Scunthorpe defeat last Saturday.

Only, the admirable patience of this board left you to think that nothing would be decided until the end of the season – likely then, there would be a replacement and rebuild. However this is not the case and I think this was perhaps the most mutual of agreements.

To think about this from McMahon’s perspective, there is only so often you can stand there and berate your players before a) it loses its impact and b) you embarrass yourself every week. In evidently seeking to explain the inexplicable, how after three years the players you’ve signed haven’t got the passion that should be a basic expectation – not playing for the badge. I believe that he may have been pushed but equally jumped ship because there was little else he could do to change this club’s fortunes, to the point where his position was untenable.

Whether his successor can turn this season around with these players as we sit in 10th, five points adrift of the play-offs, is a different story.

Statement from Executive Chairman Peter Freund: The search is on!

We’ll have more time to digest the news and look at potential successors, but for now I’ll leave it at that with my initial thoughts:

– A decision that was inevitable but nonetheless surprising with the timing.

– A mutual frustration and agreement.

– The chance now for a big rebuild/ a turnaround with 14 games to go?

Stay tuned for more on this!

Come On You Daggers!