From a supporter

[GermanDagger25]

Hello everyone

I have been following the Daggers from Germany since 2011ish, when was a boy.

Since 2011 I have read this forum on a weekly basis and followed every single Daggers result.
I never felt like posting here, because I somehow felt that I was too far away from the club to have a say and it felt a bit wrong, since I am not from anywhere near Dagenham.

But with the stuff that happened this season and the Egyptian moving in particular, I felt like now was the time for a post. Because maybe they can steal the club, but they can't steal memories and what this club truly means.

In Germany we have a saying that you don't find a club, but that a club finds you, and the Daggers found me by having a beautiful crest in Fifa (the old one!). Despite of finding Dagenham throgh Fifa, I find it absolutely terrible to hear the new investor saying how happy he is of being able to play Fifa real life. That's a sign of everything that football should not be about, and all these developments are so scary and wrong.

When I started reading about the club's history back in 2011 I was deeply impressed by its long history through different mergers and even more by so many loyal supporters, and how you all built a club that went all the way to league one and two against the odds. At that point, you rarely had a 4th level club in Germany getting 2000+ attendances. And how amazing is a 100 away support at Gateshead or 1800-something at Millwal.

The club's underdog vibe (before Club Underdog was anywhere near the club), where Dagenham used to beat great names with a small budget through having a real, fighting team and smart managers reminded me of my own hometown club, and it somehow made me feel connected to the Daggers ("Benson, able to tuurn....").

Since I don't enjoy flying, I have sadly only seen the Daggers once. But what a fantastic night that was! It was the 6-6 against Brentford in the League Cup (let's forget the penalties) and I remember singing "Hemmings from the corner flag" and "We only score when it's raining" in the sieve (The latter song emerged from the 0-3/3-3 comeback against Scunthorpe in the rain a few weeks earlier if I am not mistaken?).

Unfortunately, teenage me was way to shy to talk to anyone in the Sieve or elsewhere at the ground. Especially after someone had noted that I took pictues with flashlights...

I have forced a bunch of roommates to watch or listen to Daggers games with me, like the FA Cup replay at Whitehawk, or the 3rd round game at Millwall recently, and I did not give a damn about the fact that they preferred to watch Liverpool or City, cause who are they?

I remember following a 5-2 hammering of Southend on Twitter and wished that I could be part of the madness in the away stand.

I remember studying on saturdays just to get disturbed by Stuart Smith on BBC "Goal in Dagenham", hoping that it was for the Daggers, which got more rare throughout the years.

I don't think I ever witness a 6-0, but 7-1 twice, oddly only just quite recently.

Throughout the years, a bunch of Daggers kits and a scarf have found their way to Germany, and somehow people think that the old yellow-black away kit makes me a Dortmund supporter. Well, they just don'tknow better. During highschool, I was known for wearing my Daggers scarf every day during winter.

Long story short: I somehow ended up growing up with the Daggers, somehow close, but actually very distant. The discussions on this board have always given me a sense of belonging to the club, and I am regretting that I did not dare to reach out to any of you when I visited.

The recent developments at the club make me sad and worried. Yesterday I watched the Justham interview, I thought this is not how you treat legends (and a lot of other not quotable stuff), and then I decided to post here.

It makes me sad, because I know there are so many of you that have given everything to the club, every weekend, home and away, for years, decades even. You have all contributed to this fantastic local club, and now some Egyptian investor rambles about playing Fifa and reaching the PL in 10 years.

I truly hope for each and everyone of you that has put their heart into this club that these investors won't ruin Dagenham for good, or if they do, that someone can unite the club again one day. And by that I don't mean a rise to the PL, but getting back to a club based on what Dagenham & Redbridge is all about. Back to the values and identity that even a German guy knows, because you have made posts, podcasts, blogs and much more about this special club.

I know that as a young boy that started to support the club by playing Fifa, I am somehow an early product of this weird international circus that football has become. But I hope that you believe me when I say that I am not just some SoMe runaway.

As said, you don't find a football club, the club finds you. And maybe the stuff that's going on at the club will mean that it's impossible to support the current setup. But I will still run around in my Daggers shirt, showing off the crest. Because despite of everything that happens, this club and its history mean a lot to many people, and that's what the badge stands for.

Now this got a bit long. Thank's for reading.

COYD!

[Dagdale]

At last a slight good tonic to cheer us up a bit ! What a nice read especially after what's been going on with our little Football Club, I think that's why most of us somehow still try and hang in there. I can relate to those two games well incredible night at 6 all with Brentford sure it was way past half ten moving out Vic Road that night and still losing and that 3 all Scunny game still to this day dont recall a shower so heavy so quickly, couldn't even leave the Bury Road Bogs for what seemed ages but it done us proud we came back from 3 nil down to grab a valuable point! Wouldn't be a great time at the moment to head this way of course but shore If we do get out of this mess, come over again were a pretty welcoming bunch!

[DAGGER2003]

Really nice post that. Still miss that badge to be fair always thought it looked so nice. Same perspective as we have.

[Ally Fraser]

Germans get football, these silly muppets from Egypt haven’t got a clue.

[stanton101]

Well one thing's for sure your seeing us at our worst.
Hopefully one day you'll see us at our best.

[rebeldagger]

Lovely post there German Daggers, and wonderful to hear from you. I remember your posts on twitter from a few years ago, yet it seems that Elon's new algorithm has got the better of that now!

Hope you're keeping well.

[GermanDagger25]

Thanks everyone for the nice words!

I'm actually not the same guy as the twitter account, the nickname is a total coincidence, but that means we're at least two in Germany

I think one thing that's great in German football is that 50+1 rule which says that the club/fans always need to have the majority of shares/votes so that investors can't get the majority. Its under massive pressure all the time cause people want to compete with PL teams and their money, but I hope that it will never go away. Would be a desaster, and we don't need more investment clowns destroying football clubs.

Dagdale and stanton I hope that one day I can come to Dagenham again to see a great game, hopefully with all that mess being a thing of the past. And then I will dare to say hi!

[rebeldagger]

Thanks everyone for the nice words!

I'm actually not the same guy as the twitter account, the nickname is a total coincidence, but that means we're at least two in Germany

I think one thing that's great in German football is that 50+1 rule which says that the club/fans always need to have the majority of shares/votes so that investors can't get the majority. Its under massive pressure all the time cause people want to compete with PL teams and their money, but I hope that it will never go away. Would be a desaster, and we don't need more investment clowns destroying football clubs.

Dagdale and stanton I hope that one day I can come to Dagenham again to see a great game, hopefully with all that mess being a thing of the past. And then I will dare to say hi!

Ah , my mistake ! well if you're happy to give me a follow on Twitter and we can share some memories there and hopefully enjoy some good games!