Following a heavy festive period defeat, Dagenham & Redbridge have parted company with manager Ben Strevens, but who could the club turn to next?
The Daggers suffered a heavy 4-2 home defeat against Braintree Town coupled with a recent 3-0 loss against Wealdstone, which has subsequently seen the club drop down to 16th in the National League – looking over their shoulders with the relegation zone looming.
Dagenham have won just two of their last nine matches in the National League and sit just five points above the bottom four which has likely sprung the board into action before they sneak closer to that particular area of the table.
Ben Strevens has unfortunately been the man to make way at Dagenham in order to try and transform their campaign, with the Daggers facing bottom side Ebbsfleet United in their next fixture.
With that said, here are four potential replacements that the club could consider next…
Matt Gray
Dagenham started the National League season in superb form after a busy summer and arguably need a manager who can help them get their play off push back on track – step forward Matt Gray.
The former Sutton United manager has experience in getting clubs out of the National League into the EFL but is still without a club after he left the now-National League side last season.
The 43-year-old notoriously uses a 4-4-2 system, which is different to Dagenham’s current 4-2-3-1 system but a change could certainly be a positive thing for the football club.
Angelo Harrop
Following on from the Matt Gray suggestion, another unemployed man who could find himself in the hot seat for the role is former Braintree Town manager Angelo Harrop.
Harrop performed an outstanding role with the Iron Army, helping them to clinch promotion up to the National League last season and helped the club to keep out of the bottom four for the majority of the current campaign.
However, after a string of frustrating results, Harrop was let go and is now likely to be seeking a return to management and Dagenham could be an ideal opportunity.
The 36-year-old’s preferred system is a 4-2-3-1 which matches up to Dagenham’s favoured system during their most recent outing and tactically, Harrop would be a sensible appointment.
Scott Bartlett
Potentially a dark horse suggestion given he is currently employed, but Weston Super Mare’s manager Scott Bartlett could be a reasonable appointment for the National League side.
The 45-year-old has currently lost just five of his 23 league matches in charge so far this season and despite his sides frustrating winless run, they still find themselves in the play-off places.
Dagenham confirmed their takeover in the summer, leading to increased funding which in-turn suggests that the club would be able to tempt the 45-year-old to join the club.
He operates with a very similar 4-2-3-1 system, which like Harrop would match up perfectly to the way Dagenham currently setup and would be less of a tactical headache for the players, likely allowing the manager to hit the ground running faster.
Adam Barrett
With Championship side Millwall closing in on the appointment of their next permanent manager, first-team coach Adam Barrett has left the football club to ‘pursue new opportunities within the game’.
The 45-year-old had been with Millwall since 2017 and played a crucial role behind the scenes as the club achieved promotion to the Championship, as well as stabilising themselves as a mid-table second tier side and worked closely with the youth players as well.
Barrett was born in Dagenham and is a popular figure with fellow National League side Southend United and has experience as a caretaker manager with Millwall on two separate occasions.
Though Barrett is evidently the least-experienced manager of the four options, he is a local figure who is likely to know a lot about the football club. He has proven experience with working with younger players and could bring fresh ideas into a football club that desperately need a change in form heading into 2025.
Dagenham fans, would you take any of these four options as your next manager?