Dear Mr Bennett and the Board of Directors of Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club,

 

Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club used to pride itself on being a friendly, family club. There was strong mutual respect and unity all the way through the club, from fans to players to management to staff to the Board, and all combinations thereof. Each would treat each other with the respect and friendliness to be expected of a club where everybody is in it together. This, in turn, created a football club that people were proud to support, and ultimately became very successful.

 

This is no longer the case.

 

 In solely the most recent few seasons, the following incidents have all occurred:

• Management publically criticising fans through press interviews and the media;
• A member of the Board of Directors openly calling a long-standing fan “a wanker”;
• A member of the Board of Directors performing obscene hand gestures at our away travelling support;
• A member of management physically threatening fans (on more than one occasion);
• Management falsely accusing fans of racist behaviour;
• Players being confrontational with fans (both vocally and through gesticulation);
• The Club retaining a footballer who was found guilty of biting an opponent and subsequently banned for six months, without even issuing a statement of the clubs’ view;
• The Club badge has been changed against the supporters desires (no "status quo" option was provided in the consultation).

Individually each of these would be detrimental to the clubs’ ethos of being a friendly, family club. The fact that all of the above have occurred in recent times has been catastrophic. There is now such a disconnect between fans and the club that there is no unity whatsoever, and many now find it impossible to state that they are proud to be a supporter.

 

On the football pitch the situation is no better. No Dagenham & Redbridge fan expects the side to challenge for promotion. No Dagenham & Redbridge fan even expects the side to automatically win any given match. Dagenham & Redbridge fans have always appreciated effort and entertainment above all else. If the side loses but shows great determination, effort and pride in doing so, they will always be welcomed and appreciated post-match. This has been evident throughout the years. Dagenham & Redbridge teams of recent years appear to have lost this trait, be that because of poor management, poor player temperament or any other reason.

 

Further to this, the entertainment factor at matches has diminished. There is no excitement or entertainment to be found at Dagenham & Redbridge football matches at present. The style of play is dull, insipid and worse still, unconducive to getting results. It is oft stated that as one of the smaller clubs in the Football League that we have no right to be winning games against most of the other clubs in our division. History shows this not to necessarily be the case. Accrington Stanley appear to be managing well this season, despite similarly low crowds. Indeed, a pub team from Essex called Dagenham & Redbridge has similarly managed to perform admirably in this same division previously, creating entertaining matches even in defeat. Presently even the scarce victories generate sparse entertainment.

 

A combination of all the above is causing many fans to be in such a state of apathy that they do not feel the need or compulsion to attend Dagenham & Redbridge football matches any more. This is reflected in the dwindling attendances. It should be remembered that for a lot of current and potential fans, Dagenham & Redbridge will be their “second club” behind a larger (usually Premier League) club, and as such it is even easier for them to find alternative reasons to not attend. With things continuing as they are at present, this trend will only continue, and become even worse should the club be relegated out of the Football League. In turn, this will therefore further impact the financial side of the club, which causes concern to us fans.

 

In order to arrest this decline, and to revert the Daggers back into being the fun, friendly family club that is used to be, changes will need to be made throughout the club at all levels. This includes not only changes to personnel, but also changes to attitudes. The present atmosphere within the club is toxic, and without changes of both personnel and attitude, the decline of our beloved club will continue, with a reduced fan base whilst the disconnect grows ever wider. No one person is, or should be, bigger than the community club of Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

We, the undersigned, urge you to make the changes required to restore our beloved club back into the club that we fell in love with.