4-5-1 at home? To the next worst team?

[steelydon]

I said to a visiting supporter that we only make subs at 3-0 down. He was convinced I was joking. Time for SD and NB to go and plan for League 2

[alexbarmy]

With Oliver not 100% there was little choice.

[steelydon]

Saunders?

[alexsi]

Who is to blame for only having 2 senior strikers in the squad??
The board...no the manager!

Who picked leigh to play left midfield? ? Dario? Bowler? Hassall? No Steve davis.
who signed leigh & ness...both not up to it imo. Steve Davis.
Who continues to leave inman out? Say what you want about his attitude but I think a bit of man management wouldn't go a miss. The guy is our best attacking player by a mile. Just ask fleetwoods left back. But he is expected to defend all game at left mid. Let the boy play.
Who continues to pick george ray. Every game he gives a goal away.
Forget potential. The odd mistake u expect but every game.
I cant see how anyone can defend the manager or team after that today.
DREADFUL.

[GeraldHattrick]

Thanks Steve, good 18 months or so goodbye.

This team isnt good enough for the conference.

[DannyCol]

With Oliver not 100% there was little choice.

You must be joking?

[alexbarmy]

With Oliver not 100% there was little choice.

You must be joking?[/quote]

Blame Max and Pogs. If Pogs had told us in May of his intentions do you reckon AJ would have been freed?

[Crewe99]

I thought we lined up as a 4-4-1-1. At first with the line-up, I thought we might have been going with 3 at the back with Tootle & Leigh as wing-backs. Maybe something to try as nothing else is working.

[AlexLeicester]

Such a strange game. For 55 minutes it was two poor teams cancelling each other out.
We actually looked good, at times, passing the ball though midfield to Haber, and Waters was a wasp (without producing the end result). Everything looked like a 0-0, 'wish I'd brought a book', dull draw.
Then 10 minutes of hell. Heads dropped, mistakes all over the place (Grant, Tootle, Ray, Guthrie ..and others).
Then, for some strange reason, after dissecting Colchester with accurate passing, we decided on a long ball hoofed up front. Panic-stricken shambles.
We were hammered by a poor team.

Something is wrong at Reaseheath. Mistakes were being made that I only see at Midlands Alliance games. I know not the answer, and have not enough questions to point in the right direction.

[Crewebeedoo]

"panic stricken" is an accurate description for our collapse yesterday. Davis & Baker spend all their time on the touchline looking like they haven't got a clue how to deal with the situation. You see other managers waving their arms, shouting, gesticulating and generally showing more passion. As for "going through the motions", seems to me that Davis himself is doing just that!

[PAULCAFC]

With Oliver not 100% there was little choice.

You must be joking?[/quote]

Blame Max and Pogs. If Pogs had told us in May of his intentions do you reckon AJ would have been freed?[/quote] no!

[Crewe99]

If Leigh's effort had gone in off the post rather than staying out as it did, then maybe they would have collapsed like we did when they scored. We had been on top at that point. Their second was poor from my view as Ray has to know he can beat their forward for pace or let him go offside when he was caught one-on-one -basic defending at any level.

[Alexflyer95]

Yes totally agree I rang into P & G after the match re motivation and was told Piffle by Radio Lee and the first time I have ever agreed with a vale player when Phil Sproston said I was right it is up to the manager to motivate them and agreed with me.

Every one has a off day but our off days come in 10 plus for our team. SD and Bakes used to be on the touchline shooting and barking instructions out - all SD on Saturday did was kept clapping to motivate them!

SD picks the team not the board - his signings have been poor, loans even worse - who does the buck stop with ?

[Timmy58]

I am not George Ray's biggest fan, but he is a young player learning his trade. Therefore, mistakes are going to happen otherwise he would be playing in a higher league

[alexsi]

Timmy. 1 question do you honestly believe we should stick with what we have at the moment as on every thread you have defended steve and the players?
Ray is a liability. Was at the start of last season and is this.
Forget age his mistakes you wouldn't see on the georges!!!

[Timmy58]

I do think we should stick by Davis and Baker, not because I think they are doing a fantastic job, but because I don't believe in chopping and changing the manager every time we go through a bad patch. Yes, things need to be improved, and yes there are players in the squad who clearly are not good enough for this level. Change the manager and we get someone who is either using us as a stepping stone, or someone who would not support the Academy like a certain Icelandic boss we had a few years ago. By definition we are a small club but we have things in place that should safeguard the future for Crewe Alexandra and part of that safeguard is continuity.

[crewedaft]

I do think we should stick by Davis and Baker, not because I think they are doing a fantastic job, but because I don't believe in chopping and changing the manager every time we go through a bad patch. Yes, things need to be improved, and yes there are players in the squad who clearly are not good enough for this level. Change the manager and we get someone who is either using us as a stepping stone, or someone who would not support the Academy like a certain Icelandic boss we had a few years ago. By definition we are a small club but we have things in place that should safeguard the future for Crewe Alexandra and part of that safeguard is continuity.


Great post - I agree with this 100%. We need to keep playing our home grown young players because even if we do go down we need them having match experience under their belts for next season. Don't play loan players unless they are significantly better than what we have.

[alexsi]

So in turn if we still have a football club but are playing in the conference with our young lads thats ok??
Dario's last stint in charge we were near the bottom of l2 but under your ethos he would still be in charge?
This has been happening for 2 seasons now the manager is cutting it.
Would westwood, murphy and powell left us for big money if were losing like this every week. I think not.
Losing heavily each week is doing nothing for these kids thats why peoplelike MIkesb are right we need do whats best for the team 1st and foremost.
There will be no million £ sales if we allow this to carry on for another
season. Forget budgets this season has been a joke from pre season to now.

[alexsi]

Isnt cutting it...

[Timmy58]

I think you will find that Dario would not be still in charge, as he stepped aside because he didn't want to be doing it. We promoted Steve Davis who was number 2 under Dario having been appointed by the Icelander. Continuity! If we remove Davis, we are likely to again promote from within. I agree there are no million pound sales in this squad, but my understanding is that there are a number of potentially high value players coming up behind this lot. So yes, we carry on with this management team and method or club model and yes, we expect them to do better but there are not players out there who are prepared to come for the money we offer who will make a difference so we are unlikely to see any better players coming in.

[VindePays2009]

Tinny, your faith in the up and coming crop of players is touching, but how does it square with the U18s' record so far this season?

This, I'll remind you, is W 0, D 2, L 4.

Colchester are a perfect example of a team who play the card of nurturing young talent and bringing it in at the right time properly.

In comparison, Steve now just doesn't have a clue.

[somersetcrewe]

Colchester are a perfect example of a team who play the card of nurturing young talent and bringing it in at the right time properly.





VdP, with respect, are you seriously suggesting that Colchester have a better youth policy than us?
"nurturing young talent" - such as?

[AlexLeicester]

Tinny, your faith in the up and coming crop of players is touching, but how does it square with the U18s' record so far this season?

This, I'll remind you, is W 0, D 2, L 4.

Colchester are a perfect example of a team who play the card of nurturing young talent and bringing it in at the right time properly.

In comparison, Steve now just doesn't have a clue.

Interesting stats. Colchester U21s results - Lost 4, Won 1. The only one they've won (along with the U21s and the first team) has been against the Alex. Doesn't mean they're better than us: just means that on that day(s) they were.

I don't remember Colchester producing a Powell, Westwood or Murphy in the last two or three seasons.

[somersetcrewe]

I don't remember Colchester producing a Powell, Westwood or Murphy in the last two or three seasons.


Damn you, AL, I was holding that one back! ;D

[MikeSB]

I don't remember Colchester producing a Powell, Westwood or Murphy in the last two or three seasons.


Damn you, AL, I was holding that one back! ;D[/quote]

Nor the 5 million either!

Whereasallthemoneygone! ;)

Couldn't resist that one!

[DGFG]

Tinny, your faith in the up and coming crop of players is touching, but how does it square with the U18s' record so far this season?

This, I'll remind you, is W 0, D 2, L 4.

Colchester are a perfect example of a team who play the card of nurturing young talent and bringing it in at the right time properly.

In comparison, Steve now just doesn't have a clue.

I assume this is a really poor attempt at a wind up? Alright, I'll bite!

The U18 results are the least of our worries just now, I'm not over enamoured with the manager's performance but to use the U18 results as a stick to beat him with is preposterous.

Our best U18 player is to be found on the bench for the first team on a Saturday and scoring goals for the U21s in midweek. I've no idea of the age composition or stage of development of our U18 team or their opposition and I suspect you don't either.

Colchester must think we're doing something right at Youth level as