With our current squad

[somersetcrewe]

Jeez!! Lots of points to discuss here – and all in the same thread ....

....... Each one is more than equal to the demands of league2 football. so the answer is that without doubt the squad is good enough ........

Are you sure? Without doubt?
I’m not so sure I am, as much as it pains me to say it, the table doesn’t lie!

....... and the second one is players with pace like R Jack, S Jones and that player NB signed from non league, sorry forgot his name ........ Varney

You raise a good point, Mike.
Defenders hate pace more than anything and we don’t really have that now, nor have we had it for quite some time. Which is a shame!

Some here won't like his views though as he said the academy was way past its sell by date and all it achieved was playing men against boys and young kids that was OK sometimes but was no good against seasoned Pro's in the lower leagues.

Time will tell.
Clearly we are experiencing lean times at the minute but I’m sure there is another gem in there somewhere waiting to explode. And even in these fairly dark times, I still pin my hopes on the next Powell or Murphy coming though. It remains part of our charm rather than relying on journeymen seeing out their last days.

A tenner is too much when compared with other forms of entertainment but over 20 quid is taking the preverbials... Even allowing for concession pricing.

Hear! Hear!
When I went to the Yeovil game, I had to make sure I bought my ticket before match day, otherwise even they were going to charge me £24!!! Way, way, way too expensive for L2. A tenner in my book would be just about right.

I think you will find, Mike, that a tenner might just about get you in at Nantwich. Crewe's prices are pretty comparable with other clubs in the lower leagues.

And that may well be the case, Timmy .......but it doesn’t make it right!
That's my point – and possibly Mike’s too!!

I think ten pounds for L2 without concessions is about the right sort of price just in my opinion though.

Mine too!
Forget all that market forces nonsense, it’s all about VFM.

I agree with DA that he has a better squad overall than SD had. Even then, I felt that SD was not getting the best out of his squad.

Better squad overall?
Do you really believe that?
Can you name the players now that are collectively better than Powell, Murph, Westy, Clayton, Moore, Phillips, even Big Dave himself were then? – I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one – BIG TIME!

Also players are paid far too much as a basic principle compared with other jobs and a darn sight easier too. 90 mins a week plus a few half days training for the money they are paid is indefensible but that is and always been my view.

Hear! Hear!

[AstonAlex]

The problem with players’ wages starts at the top. We may all think that ordinary PL players are paid too much, however, when the clubs are getting millions from TV rights, advertising and sponsors then that money has to go out somewhere. Frankly, I would rather those people providing the entertainment (the players, coaching staff, etc) get the lion’s share and that it doesn’t go straight into the back pockets of the American, Middle Eastern, Chinese, etc owners of the clubs. True, they could pay the cleaners, office staff, ground staff, etc more, but it wouldn’t make a substantial difference. Neither would a reduction in the entry price, although fair do’s to Peter Coates for doing just that at Stoke.

Of course, if the prices went down in the PL then the pressure to do the same further down the pyramid would increase and then clubs like the Alex, who don’t have a sugar daddy and rely more than many on the fans paying at the gate, would have even less to pay their players - it’s a vicious circle really. It’s worth adding that our players are amongst the lowest paid in the League too; this might still be too much for some of us but we have to recognise the facts as they stand, and that they aren’t going to change any time soon.

Oh, I assume that as it’s only a tenner on Saturday, £7 for those of us over 60, there will be a good turnout - see you at the match Mike!!!!

One last thing - those adverts are bloody irritating on this site; strangely there are fewer of them and the site is much more stable on an iPad (other tablets are available!) than the PC.

[MikeSB]

The problem with players’ wages starts at the top. We may all think that ordinary PL players are paid too much, however, when the clubs are getting millions from TV rights, advertising and sponsors then that money has to go out somewhere. Frankly, I would rather those people providing the entertainment (the players, coaching staff, etc) get the lion’s share and that it doesn’t go straight into the back pockets of the American, Middle Eastern, Chinese, etc owners of the clubs. True, they could pay the cleaners, office staff, ground staff, etc more, but it wouldn’t make a substantial difference. Neither would a reduction in the entry price, although fair do’s to Peter Coates for doing just that at Stoke.

Of course, if the prices went down in the PL then the pressure to do the same further down the pyramid would increase and then clubs like the Alex, who don’t have a sugar daddy and rely more than many on the fans paying at the gate, would have even less to pay their players - it’s a vicious circle really. It’s worth adding that our players are amongst the lowest paid in the League too; this might still be too much for some of us but we have to recognise the facts as they stand, and that they aren’t going to change any time soon.

Oh, I assume that as it’s only a tenner on Saturday, £7 for those of us over 60, there will be a good turnout - see you at the match Mike!!!!

One last thing - those adverts are bloody irritating on this site; strangely there are fewer of them and the site is much more stable on an iPad (other tablets are available!) than the PC.

I'm not expecting our club or most clubs to lower their prices but they should and 20 pounds for PL and 10 pounds for L2 seems more reasonable and yes 7 quid for concessions is about right and would encourage me to go more than I do. It won't happen as more and more fans desert the game like they have golf. Young players at this level should not get more money than others of a similar age. The young carers in my MIL's care home work 12 hour shifts doing what most people would not do at three times the money and these are on the minimum wage. Is that fair or is that even comparable? No and its not exactly what most of us would call entertainment anyway when we see most matches at all levels and you are right that its the TV money and all the other revenue players get that have ruined the game and I would not even go to a ManU/ManC game for free or any PL game for that matter.

I don't expect things will change and the gates at L2 especially will go lower and lower and.....clubs may well go out of business when they all decide its a waste of time and little money coming in...You have to remember that our gate prices have not come down since we were in the Championship playing West Ham and Sunderland and ManC and now we are playing....erm! Get real folks!

[MikeSB]

OK, here's a suggestion that would lower the gate prices and the wages of players and keep the ethos of the club going..

Luckour has just reported that the under 23 game he saw was far better than the first team as others have reported when they see the younger ones playing. So have ONLY players in the team coming up from the academy which would incentivise and rejuvenate the very idea of an academy and English football at grass roots level. They won't have to compete with other clubs on gate entrance fees or players wages as that is how it will work. Players will still be able to move on and the club makes money in the process that allows the system to continue. Its possible that the very idea would attract even more PL/FA money to finance the academy 100%.

You may say that will be a disaster and we will get relegated but will it as we may still do so with the current system and so why not go with that idea and see how it goes as new thinking is required and is really only an extension of the board's policy. It would be a great legacy of Bowler and Gradi to get it up and running....Remember when DG did that on a final game of the season against Coventry and we beat them?

Its worth doing even in non league but I don't think it would necessarily lead that way and btw wouldn't you expect a few youngsters coming to our academy from even PL academies knowing they could be playing for the first team at 16 and 17?

[somersetcrewe]

....Remember when DG did that on a final game of the season against Coventry and we beat them?

Wasn't it Davis? - and Walsall?

Either way, I'd be happy if we went down that road, even if it DID mean relegation.
I'm sure we would come back stronger. It would also show we stick to our principles which I think is laudable.
Remembering that team against Walsall was actually more than just a stunt, it was very close (Aneke aside) to our strongest starting 11 anyway.

[AstonAlex]

£10 per match might be nice, but let’s face it it ain’t gonna happen, and our prices are amongst the cheapest in L2. If you bought a season ticket in the first window they were £280 (£12 per match) and £208 for senior citizens, which is just over £9 per match. Kids prices were £62 or £158 depending on age; again £2.70 and £6.90 per match.

I reckon that represents decent value, but would like that to include all cup matches, Under 23s, FA Youth Cup etc as well. I know that only guarantees 2 extra matches in the Mickey Mouse cup, but this season would also include 2 (hopefully more!!) more home matches. Nothing to stop the club bumping up the prices for non-season ticket holders in the highly unlikely event of us getting to a round when the big boys come in either.

[alexmick]

£10 per match might be nice, but let’s face it it ain’t gonna happen, and our prices are amongst the cheapest in L2. If you bought a season ticket in the first window they were £280 (£12 per match) and £208 for senior citizens, which is just over £9 per match. Kids prices were £62 or £158 depending on age; again £2.70 and £6.90 per match.

I reckon that represents decent value, but would like that to include all cup matches, Under 23s, FA Youth Cup etc as well. I know that only guarantees 2 extra matches in the Mickey Mouse cup, but this season would also include 2 (hopefully more!!) more home matches. Nothing to stop the club bumping up the prices for non-season ticket holders in the highly unlikely event of us getting to a round when the big boys come in either.

Pricing at the Alex is very competitive IMO. In fact, the prices of season tickets have risen very little over the past 10 years in real terms. Plus we are fortunate to get a "senior rate" for those at 60 years of age. At clubs like Stoke, it is 65 years. That is quite a difference spread over a five year period. At the Vale it is 62 years. No complaints here.

[MikeSB]

Pricing at the Alex is very competitive IMO. In fact, the prices of season tickets have risen very little over the past 10 years in real terms. Plus we are fortunate to get a "senior rate" for those at 60 years of age. At clubs like Stoke, it is 65 years. That is quite a difference spread over a five year period. At the Vale it is 62 years. No complaints here.

Season tickets and early bird discounts are fine but there are many people like me that would find it difficult to attend that many matches and so for me its still expensive when paying on the gate.

[somersetcrewe]

Pricing at the Alex is very competitive IMO.

Competitive it may be, Mick, but that's the mistake most people make.
Look at the bigger picture and see how football sold its soul 25 years ago to the select few at the top!!
Just my two-penneth!

[alexmick]

Competitive it may be, Mick, but that's the mistake most people make.
Look at the bigger picture and see how football sold its soul 25 years ago to the select few at the top!!
Just my two-penneth!

I fully agree, Somerset. Money has destroyed football. Just saying that it could be a lot worse for us mere mortals. Not a lot the little boys can do, unless more £££s is transferred from the greedy at the top. That goes for grassroots football too.