What has gone wrong

[Red and White Crusader]

Well let’s all boycott the first team games and go and watch the 9th best academy team in the uk

You've hit the nail on the head with that one!

[jamesdad]

The club has only money that it generates through gates or players sold . We need several new players quickly and have a board who cannot invest any money into the club. All has gone quiet on buying the shares off the major share holder. The manager is an ex club captain , ex academy manager and no previous managerial experience. The time has come to look were the priorities lay, 1st team or the academy. We cannot afford to try and service both. If an external manager was appointed I am sure he would not be playing the young players we have in the team as they are not up to the job. I realise they need game time to get experience but week in week out they are being found out . We are in a relegation battle and need to face up to this as a club

[alexmick]

Together with what I wrote in the "Lincoln" thread, I believe that from Saturday onwards Artell should revert to playing the proper players in their proper positions. Across the back I would play the two recognised full backs of Zooms and Nolan. Then in central midfield I would slot NG alongside Raynes. What has happened to the central defender he has on loan from Wigan? Is he not worth a punt, if Raynes is out of form? I would then move Walker into midfield and give light weight players, such as Lowery a breather. Yes, he has worked tirelessly, but his height against these big guys has really been a big disadvantage of late. I would hope that that Callum Grant chap will start to live up to his billing..... that of an influential man for promotion outfit, Doncaster, last season. Then there is the lad that Artell has been raving about.... that prolific goal scorer, Riley. If he is worth a try, then play him, because the old guy, Porter, just is not with it anymore. Finally, we are certainly missing the likes of Baker and Dario around the club these days. At least Baker would give them a rocket if they did not tow the line (thoughts of Ashton here).

[ruocul]

Excellent post by Jamesdad. If we do not cnange our midfield we really are going to be in trouble. As far back as the Bolton game it was obvious Lowery was completely out of his depth and lacked any form of discipline or physical strength. In every game straight from the kick off he deserts his post and runs around like a headless chicken. Why does DA allow this match after match? Why does he keep selecting him? After the game on Saturday Terry described him accurately "he cannot score, he cannot attack. and he cannot defend".

We have to have a complete change of players in our midfield or simply put we are going to get relegated/ My team would be -

GK Garret or Richards
Def Nolan Raynes Stubbs Zooms
DM Perry NG
CM Walker Grant
MF Ainley or Cooper (would probably sub one for other during the game)
Forwards 2 from Dagnall Porter Bowery Reilly

With that team we would be solid in the middle of the pitch and could start to play the Crewe WAy. Playing on the floor and moving the ball from defence to midfield and then link up with the forwards. Our formation could be 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 with the same players.

[ruocul]

Read DA`s comments in todays Chronicle. Apparently he has to talk to the players to make sure they are all united,all for one another, and having a strong spirit in the dressing room. Plus all the usual. This was in the venerable Pete Morse column. His comments and views. WOW nothing. Well for me as a Alex supporter have to say I was not impressed with DA¬s comments.

Would have had more respect for him if he had admitted that they have made mistakes, and that it was time for changes in the team as the current selection is obviously not working.

Perhaps Pete was still wondering why our team in his opinion is inconsistent. Good news Pete, they are not inconsistent. They are consistently bleeding awful. In the Stevenage and Notts County games neither of them turned up that day.

Or perhaps he was still wondering why our team cannot play for 90 minutes in one game. Hope for you there Pete. If Lincoln had not worked out how weak and unbalanced our midfield was and just ran straight through the middle in the second half, maybe we could have played for at least a couple of minutes in the second half.

[alexmick]

The younger players are not just mature enough to cope with the emotional stresses that come their way. Artell is correct with this one. Didn't used to be like this, but that is how times have changed. Any manager of Crewe, now have their hands' tied. They have to play the kids, even though they are not ready. Artell has a thankless task on his hands.

[alexmick]

The younger players are just not mature enough to cope with the emotional stresses that come their way. Artell is correct with this one. Didn't used to be like this, but that is how times have changed. Any manager of Crewe, now have their hands' tied. They have to play the kids, even though they are not ready. Artell has a thankless task on his hands.

Repeated message. Error in the initial one.

[ruocul]

Why do they have to play them even if they are not ready? If they are not ready and not mature all that results in is damaging their possible future prospects. For me there is no excuse for this absolute shambles and I find it diificult to see how anyone can say David Artell is doing a good job.

[MikeSB]

Why do they have to play them even if they are not ready? If they are not ready and not mature all that results in is damaging their possible future prospects. For me there is no excuse for this absolute shambles and I find it diificult to see how anyone can say David Artell is doing a good job.

Its the weakness of any academy structure that you will have immature not fully developed very young men vs many seasoned professionals and in the lower leagues even more so. So the graduates have to be something very special eg Ashton and Powell to make a difference but the latter hasn't really achieved his potential...yet!

My challenge to a Board spending a million pounds per season is this...

Is there any player playing in L2 and non league at any one time as good or not better than what is coming up through the academy? ie 15-20 players in the average squad must be many hundreds to choose from? Some say ah but the academy is producing most of our players which would cost us if we didn't do that but that is the very same question? Could you sign 15-20 players from non league at a fraction of the cost of the academy? The obvious benefit that is not taken into account is we can see each player NOW and not in 10 years time. Would fit into the rough and tumble of league football easier and here's the thing? IF coaching is so significant as some make out then we can still develop some of them further and get fees for them...If the rot continues then we will have the most expensive academy in non league.

Even in the PL and Championship you rarely get young boys playing as its just too tough for them and why so few make it from academies...Some do but not many but they can afford to spend millions we can't. I wonder what happens to all those academy players from the PL and CC as there must be hundreds and all have received as good if not better 'coaching' that we have given them?

Finally, I would pay by results...no win, no pay or a minimum at least. If young men can't last 90 mins flat out once or twice a week, they are not receiving the right levels of fitness training...I think it was Dario though that said no to doing that, young bones and muscles and all that?

The other question as raised is graduates not signing contracts...utterly disgusting and the fans should not allow them such an easy ride when playing...WTF do they think they are Pele or Eusabio?

How come George Ray did the very same thing and hung on and on and us knowing he wasn't fit to play half the season? We shouldn't have been so eager unless we are a charity as well as a football club? You go for a job anywhere and say you can't start for 6 months but you want paying anyway? Its the delaying tactics by them that annoys me though and they end up signing when nobody else comes in. Jones can forget going anywhere in the Jan window at least and so can all the others...

[alexmick]

Why do they have to play them even if they are not ready? If they are not ready and not mature all that results in is damaging their possible future prospects. For me there is no excuse for this absolute shambles and I find it diificult to see how anyone can say David Artell is doing a good job.

I said that they have to play the kids, simply because this is the Crewe way and there is no other choice, especially considering the large bulk of the money available that has been spent on the academy, meaning there are fewer funds left to bring in players from elsewhere. Obviously, in the past these youngsters matured more quickly and had a greater impact when introduced. I think that Artell is doing the best job he can under the present circumstances. He is an inexperienced manager who is still finding his feet. With the number of injuries we have to key players, lady luck has not been on his side. He kept us up last season and this did not look possible when he took over in January. Yes, he is still on trial, but deserves longer to prove himself. The last manager had three and a half seasons to get things right, when it all went pear shaped. I am not proposing that Artell is given that long to get things right. But to call for his head now is, in my opinion, premature.