Same old story, new season

[As it is]

Nothing changes , it is now apparent which end of the league we will finish yet again! Come November our season is all but over ; when we are knocked out the FA cup by a non league team. The board have no ambition and are happy to make numbers up in league two . We need more senior pro's and to blend kids in when they are ready .

[AlexLeicester]

Let's top berating a Board that is not awash with cash, but always believes in the Alex.
A little while ago we thrashed Chesterfield; then we got deservedly hammered by Carlisle.
Let's also stop knocking the previous manager (an initial track record that will go down as the best in the club's history), and recognise that there are problems and that the only people who can solve them are: 1. the management team; and 2. the squad. I believe that is the right order as well. In August I saw a squad that looked totally different to the rubbish of September, but they were the same guys.
Changes have been made, but we haven't scored and we are still losing.
I will be there cheering the team on for the next four games, and I hope to see things turn around. Hope springs eternal ...

[As it is]

Let's top berating a Board that is not awash with cash, but always believes in the Alex.
A little while ago we thrashed Chesterfield; then we got deservedly hammered by Carlisle.
Let's also stop knocking the previous manager (an initial track record that will go down as the best in the club's history), and recognise that there are problems and that the only people who can solve them are: 1. the management team; and 2. the squad. I believe that is the right order as well. In August I saw a squad that looked totally different to the rubbish of September, but they were the same guys.
Changes have been made, but we haven't scored and we are still losing.
I will be there cheering the team on for the next four games, and I hope to see things turn around. Hope springs eternal ...

You must be a eternal optimist , nothing has changed since we managed to stay up in league two by the skin of our teeth ! So the board reduced our playing budget , that's not down to Steve Davis , but our board who have no ambition what so ever . If you say I am wrong , what is Norman hassells interest in Crewe Alexandra?

[AlexLeicester]

Hassell, it seems, is the 'fly in the ointment' - and the only Board member who, I am told, sees £ signs as more of a priority than football. The way the club is run, basically, is that it has to generate its own finances - unlike other clubs (many of whom are now non-league or have folded) who rely on 'sugar-daddy investments' and capricious owners who see their club as a hobby.
I agree that football has changed; the Academy system that fed our security for so long, has been devalued by the Premiership; and the glory days of the Championship will probably never be resurrected.
If I had a solution I'd share it with Mr Bowler. I haven't.

We need bums on seats to raise revenues, and the decline in crowd numbers over the last few seasons, is a danger sign. If we string a few wins together I hope that the crowds will return over time.

[As it is]

Hassell, it seems, is the 'fly in the ointment' - and the only Board member who, I am told, sees £ signs as more of a priority than football. The way the club is run, basically, is that it has to generate its own finances - unlike other clubs (many of whom are now non-league or have folded) who rely on 'sugar-daddy investments' and capricious owners who see their club as a hobby.
I agree that football has changed; the Academy system that fed our security for so long, has been devalued by the Premiership; and the glory days of the Championship will probably never be resurrected.
If I had a solution I'd share it with Mr Bowler. I haven't.

We need bums on seats to raise revenues, and the decline in crowd numbers over the last few seasons, is a danger sign. If we string a few wins together I hope that the crowds will return over time.

Yes we do raise our own funds, but because the monies generated don't all go in the same pot , we struggle to compete. The last few seasons the club has been driving supporters away not trying to get them back and we need some relative success to get them back not just a couple of wins. Even so in saying that would any increase in gate receipts actually go to Crewe Alexandra football club or Crewe Alexandra stadia ?. Which is a different company. Do you see where I coming from?

[jamesdad]

Well the season is almost over before it has even starred, the manager now appears to be on a tight rope and if results go against us then there will be calls for his head. The players have let themselves down with one or two thinking they are far better than they are due to transfer gossip . I watched the game last night and the ball was a hot potatoe for one or two who just wanted to get rid of it rather than role up there sleeves and dig in. Yes the board have little money to spend but all has gone quiet on the Hassall matter - any updates on this please.
To increase crowds the team needs to be performing a lot better. You only need to look at higher leagues and if the staff do not perform you are out the door , loyalty appears to have all but gone from the game. The commercial department is stuck so far in the past and lacks any imagination on how to attract new fans .

All of the above concerns me and we are heading the wrong way in the league .

[MikeSB]

OK, I'll bite as its boring just reading and not contributing as this board is almost dead anyway with almost no reports any more of our games like last night. Anyone notice the attendance? 970 and maybe that is more alarming for the board than anything. If you haven't got the fans support then who needs a million pound a year academy?

AlexLeicester made some good points about Management and the Squad but you cannot absolve the Board policy of thinking that coaching and academies can necessarily produce suitable players and Luckour has already made the point that if 10 years coaching cannot produce even players good enough for L2 then surely its time for a rethink? Yes it did work at one time and I was reflecting on games like at Exeter who have a p*ss poor ground and who are Exeter anyone and yet they beat us easily? Why?

Of course the season is not over and we could well go on a decent run that would take us up the table and I don't think we are that bad to get relegated just yet. But the signs have been here a while. Is it 5 years now since we sold a player for a decent sum and so who is in the current squad is going to get the annual costs of the academy, never mind the obvious loss on fans not turning up and so the Board will probably see how things go as they have no other choice but some decisions will need to be made soon on the academy and how to bring the fans back in...

I've said many times and got into bother that you can only coach what talent you have at any one time and that coaching per se can never produce a text book player no matter how many hours of coaching they get. The mistake is calling it a 'production' line and the 'next crop' coming through. OK fair enough, its a point of view I don't share because there are literally thousands of players and academy players from all over the world that you can see NOW instead of seeing whether 5 year olds will be good enough in 12 years time. And you can develop such players as Dario did in his early days before the academy idea took route.

I hope we can arrest this 8 losses in 9 games thing as its a pernicious spiral that can lead us to non league but I'm a bit pragmatic in that even non league is not a disaster as lots of clubs get attendances way above ours and they get to play more local opposition to as who really thinks L2 is a decent standard anyway compared with non league anyway? And they all still have academies you know where local kids can get a chance of making the grade but without the millstone of a million quid a season...

Where next? God knows! Just my take on it and I haven't been to any matches this season and so you are entitled to shoot me down any time you like...I have a bullet proof shirt on anyway!

ATB to everyone..

Mike

[As it is]

Y

OK, I'll bite as its boring just reading and not contributing as this board is almost dead anyway with almost no reports any more of our games like last night. Anyone notice the attendance? 970 and maybe that is more alarming for the board than anything. If you haven't got the fans support then who needs a million pound a year academy?

AlexLeicester made some good points about Management and the Squad but you cannot absolve the Board policy of thinking that coaching and academies can necessarily produce suitable players and Luckour has already made the point that if 10 years coaching cannot produce even players good enough for L2 then surely its time for a rethink? Yes it did work at one time and I was reflecting on games like at Exeter who have a p*ss poor ground and who are Exeter anyone and yet they beat us easily? Why?

Of course the season is not over and we could well go on a decent run that would take us up the table and I don't think we are that bad to get relegated just yet. But the signs have been here a while. Is it 5 years now since we sold a player for a decent sum and so who is in the current squad is going to get the annual costs of the academy, never mind the obvious loss on fans not turning up and so the Board will probably see how things go as they have no other choice but some decisions will need to be made soon on the academy and how to bring the fans back in...

I've said many times and got into bother that you can only coach what talent you have at any one time and that coaching per se can never produce a text book player no matter how many hours of coaching they get. The mistake is calling it a 'production' line and the 'next crop' coming through. OK fair enough, its a point of view I don't share because there are literally thousands of players and academy players from all over the world that you can see NOW instead of seeing whether 5 year olds will be good enough in 12 years time. And you can develop such players as Dario did in his early days before the academy idea took route.

I hope we can arrest this 8 losses in 9 games thing as its a pernicious spiral that can lead us to non league but I'm a bit pragmatic in that even non league is not a disaster as lots of clubs get attendances way above ours and they get to play more local opposition to as who really thinks L2 is a decent standard anyway compared with non league anyway? And they all still have academies you know where local kids can get a chance of making the grade but without the millstone of a million quid a season...

Where next? God knows! Just my take on it and I haven't been to any matches this season and so you are entitled to shoot me down any time you like...I have a bullet proof shirt on anyway!

ATB to everyone..

Mike

you forgot the 1.3 million last season from Westwood and hanley

[MikeSB]

Yyou forgot the 1.3 million last season from Westwood and hanley

I didn't actually as Westwood to Burnley was a sell on clause which is fine, more may come that way but I referred to a SALE of one of our players in the last 5 years since Powell...A million is required per season and even the money from Westwood only covers one season and a bit and I don't begrudge the Board for sticking with something THEY believe in as its their money that is keeping it going and not mine and if it dries up as it surely will, then they will need to review things of course.

Actually I think our academy costs just less than a million maybe even £750,000 but it wasn't less CAFC put in and the FA/PL putting in a huge amount too and so the same question needs asking. Can anyone justify lets say 1.5 million pounds in total going towards an academy that has problems producing players good enough for L2, never mind the PL which is what the original policy was based on. How many ready mades or 18 year olds could we have signed for 5 million over the last 5 years?

Its like trying to build a car from scratch when you have thousands indeed millions to choose from that even so could be sold on if they developed as we hoped they would but say taking 100 kids and I don't know the actual number hoping that one or two will repay the costs 12-15 years later seems a huge gamble imo..Especially when its not actually essential to do so..

Its the Crewe way and so its up to the Board to maintain it or change it..

[jimmyboldon]

Luke Murphy, Max Clayton and Ryan Colclough all sold within the last 5 years.