YET again, another opposition manager has got things completely wrong about Dagenham & Redbridge, writes MIKE SIMMONDS. Before Daggers travelled to Chester City on the weekend, City boss Mark Wright made these comments. Dagenham are another good side, wi

YET again, another opposition manager has got things completely wrong about Dagenham & Redbridge, writes MIKE SIMMONDS.

Before Daggers travelled to Chester City on the weekend, City boss Mark Wright made these comments.

"Dagenham are another good side, with everything going well for them," he said.

"I would like to bring in some six-foot tall players, as it's the 'Land of the Giants' coming with a route one game and they're very dominant in what they do.

"I'm not saying they don't play football because they do but they're very big and dominant."

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but just exactly how many giants do Daggers possess in their current team?

Ok, Magnus Okuonghae is a man mountain at centre half, but with his main job to head away any high balls, then that just makes good sense.

Mark Arber, although an imposing presence at the back, isn't the biggest by any means, while full backs Danny Foster and Scott Griffiths aren't known for their height.

Move on to the midfield and you will find Doug Loft, who likes a challenge, but Glen Southam does his best work on the floor and in Sam Saunders and Matt Ritchie, then you would struggle to find a smaller wing duo in the league.

Finally, Ben Strevens doesn't exactly score headers for fun, while Jon Nurse, although has a superb leap, isn't touching the sky either.

That means that out of the eleven who started at the Deva Stadium, only one can be legitimately considered a giant, making Wright's spiel all the more incorrect.

It all boils down to an excuse that is trawled around by most managers, usually when they have been beaten by the Victoria Road side.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've head the opposition say after a match: "We know they don't play much football," or "Yes they are direct, but..."

They do have a point about John Still's men being direct, as they don't like to play a lot of football in their own half, preferring to get the ball forward as quickly as they can, but you can't sustain a play-off challenge by just being long ball merchants.

There is a style to their play too, and in Matt Ritchie, have one of the most talented players at this level, so it's not all hump it up to the big men and see what happens.

Direct, yes, land of giants, definitely not.

If you would like to comment on this story, email: mike.simmonds@archant.co.uk