A rant from far away

[TheViewFromOverHere]

My love-hate relationship with the Alex has lasted well over 22 years now, and it’s safe to say that there have been more lows than highs; highs such as a 2-0 win at Elland Road or taking Manchester United to extra time and looking like we could snatch it.
Now some may say that this makes the highs sweeter and, whilst I agree with that to a point, the most recent low seems to feel particularly sore. Before I go and give my thoughts on the recent season or seasons, I’ll admit that I have lived outside of the U.K for around four years now and I find it incredibly difficult to find any websites or articles to help me keep abreast of what is happening around the club, let alone an impartial one.
For a few years there have been frustrations at the club and from what I can see, on forums and social media they are only increasing. I can completely understand this as I feel it myself. I have been proud of the countless academy products that have gone on to forge good to decent careers for th

[Furberstreet]

There is much to agree with in your initial posting. There has been no doubt for some time that the club could do more to increase its profile within the community. However, there is a complete absence of initiative and commercial expertise at the club. The impression is of a Board with the drawbridge very firmly up. The root of this might be the allegedly malign influence of the majority shareholder, and Bowler may be no more than a genial glove puppet (though he probably does have the club's best interests at heart). Little will change until new blood and a new direction infuse the Board. In the meantime, we have to endure more of SD, still pledging to implement the lessons he should have learned three seasons ago, and his latest stab at recruiting some decent players, improving training and arranging some challenging friendlies (witness today's announcement in that regard). Yes, his recruitment is hamstrung by a lack of cash, but he has signed many players and subsequently bi

[AstonAlex]

Nobody minds a rant, especially if you agree with the general thrust of it!! I think Furber hits the nail on the head about the 2 real issues that I have with recent years, ie recruitment and commercialism - more specifically the lack of performance in both areas!

If one supports the idea of the Academy (which I do at Category 2 level) then you have to accept that there will not be a constant stream of graduates of a high standard; there have always been peaks and troughs, and not always of the Deano, Rob Jones and Powell standard. I'm not sure whether the recent crop is any better or worse than we've had in the past, but the influx of foreign players higher up the pyramid has certainly made them less valuable. In any event, we have always relied on recruiting league or 'non league' players to supplement them. Whilst we can all be accused of having rose tinted spectacles regarding past signings (and Dario was by no means faultless!) SD does have a lot to answer for in this regard.

[bigroof]

I'm not sure why you (TheViewFromOverHere) can't access information sufficiently? The Chronicle and Sentinel webpages - whilst unlikely to be too critical - at least cover all the games and the club news. The club's own website 'Player' facility, costing less than a pound a week, provides 11 minutes of highlights from each match, sometimes goals from age-group games, and plenty of interviews, even if their quality is sometimes dubious, and they could perhaps broaden the scope of the interviews.
Nonetheless, you do seem to be well enough informed of what's happening!
The club's at a crossroads isn't it? At the moment, it's difficult to see where decent fees are going to come for players, sufficient to fund the Academy, so there is worry that that can't continue. That may change with a successful season - 'may'! If the 'business model' is to be changed, then how? Crewe have more of their own products filling places in their first team squad, than other lower league clubs. Looking at th

[Gobstopper]

The club is certainly at a crossroads, we have at the moment the worst team we have had in many years and the main concern is the number of players we still have under contract, how did we get to the point where we have one of the worst crop of players we have had in 30 years and 22 of them are still under contract. It is worrying to realise that players who have systematically failed to achieve on a consistent basis are still here. We hear about the potential of the squad from SD but I am unable to see where the potential is. We hear talk about the youngsters in the squad and there potential, but can anybody give positive comments on the performance of some of these players and the potential they have shown, or not as the case my be. Players like Ray, Jones, Cooper, Turton who have been around for two/three seasons now and have failed to deliver and I'm not even convinced on the potential, its unfortunate they don't appear on the released list, I think a couple of the players who have

[Timmy58]

Baillie may have looked a better prospect than Turton although if I recall correctly Baillie was employed in a back 5 which tends to give the full backs more license to attack. However, following Baillie's injury which appeared to sap his confidence he has not played well since. And it is inaccurate to say he has not had opportunities because he will have been training with the squad and will certainly have played in Under 21 games giving him ample opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the first team. The fact that he hasn't been select save for an odd appearance or two on the bench tells it's own story. I think it unfair to suggest that Jones has not delivered. He has been an ever present (almost) since coming back from injury. He is a young lad who has had a difficult season in a poor midfield and I would hope after a well earned break from playing will come back stronger. Cooper is unlikely to ever be as good as he seems to think he is whereas George Ray looks as if he should