By Jon Couch
John Still has assured Dagenham & Redbridge fans that he won't be raiding any of his former club's star players without the blessing of the Daggers' hierarchy.
The 68-year-old left his financially-stricken hometown club for a third time last month to take over at National League newcomers Barnet, again for a third spell in charge.
Already he has taken centre-back Craig Robson and goalkeeper Mark Cousins with him to The Hive and has been linked with a number of other Victoria Road favourites as the club look to trim their wage bill for next season.
But Still, who has done his transfer business from his summer retreat in Cyprus, insists he has far too much love for the club he supported as a boy to leave them high and dry.
“I would never do anything to damage Dagenham, the signings so far have been a two-way thing,” Still told The NLP.
“Mark Cousins was out of contract and we came to a financial agreement with Dagenham over Craig which they were delighted with.
“Yes, they need to move players on, but I would not take any player from them or hassle them for a player that they wanted to keep. Any deal must have the club's blessing, I can assure the fans of that.
“Dagenham is the club I watched as a boy, played for and managed on three occasions. If I wasn't a manager, I would go down and watch them and they are always the first result I look for on a Saturday afternoon.
“I still have a lot of affinity for the club and the people there. I just hope that I don't have to go back there with Barnet this season with something riding on it. If it happens, it happens, we'll have to deal with it, but I just hope it's a ‘normal game', as I call it.”
Still flew back from Cyprus last week – and he's not wasting any time in piecing together a team capable of firing the Bees back into the Football League at the first time of asking.
Hungry
One player Still will be looking forward to monitoring is free-scoring former Maidenhead United striker Dave Tarpey, who returns to first-team training this week after damaging his ACL last September in just his second game for the Bees.
“He's back and he's hungry,” Still beamed. “He'll be like having a new signing around the place.”
Indeed, along with fellow relegated club Chesterfield, Barnet are one of the early bookies' favourites to make the leap back into League football but wily campaigner Still, from his three years spent at Luton Town, knows it will be no easy task.
“Macclesfield weren't in people's minds last year and look what they achieved,” added Still, who has won the Conference three times, with Maidstone, Dagenham and Luton. “Good teams in this league don't necessarily play the best football, it's the team who can play the most consistently in all conditions and circumstances.
“It's a very strong league, it always is, and there'll be three or four sides who will be competitive. I like to think we will be there or thereabouts.”
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper which is available every Sunday and Monday
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