A Real High After 82 Years.

A fantastic achievement from Dave Artell, Kenny Lunt and the rest of the lads. Yesterday, we made it 8 consecutive home victories by defeating Stevenage 3-1. Now we are top of the league, leading scorers, playing superb attacking football, but perhaps more significantly is the fact that Crewe Alex last completed this sequence of results, a staggering 82 years ago, in 1938. Really pleased that we stuck with this management team, as there were calls from some supporters just over 12 months ago, for the removal of the man who has brought our club back to life again. Up the Alex. :)

[QUOTE=alexmick;39452815]A fantastic achievement from Dave Artell, Kenny Lunt and the rest of the lads. Yesterday, we made it 8 consecutive home victories by defeating Stevenage 3-1. Now we are top of the league, leading scorers, playing superb attacking football, but perhaps more significantly is the fact that Crewe Alex last completed this sequence of results, a staggering 82 years ago, in 1938. Really pleased that we stuck with this management team, as there were calls from some supporters just over 12 months ago, for the removal of the man who has brought our club back to life again. Up the Alex. :)[/
QUOTE]
Hold my hand up here. I was never anywhere near calling for his removal, but I did question his ability (game plans B andC in modern terminology) to adapt if things were going wrong, and last season they sometimes did go very wrong.
So, has he got plans B andC?
When we are top of the league, with a very talented squad, plan A is probably all that is needed, not just on an individual game basis, but over the season. Next year, if promoted will be the proof of the pudding.

A fair point, Jimmy, but then if it ain’t broke, why try and fix it? The recent defeat at Plymouth was, by all accounts, unlucky and the manager has changed personnel within the same successful formation when the need arises - resting Charlie and Finney on the heavy, bobbly pitch at Exeter and replacing them with, shall we say, more robust players in Powell and Green.

Currently the 4-3-3 formation suits the playing staff, and we seem to have good cover all over the pitch (apart from the excellent Wintle, of course) to play in that way. It’s taken us to the top of the League and thus the opposition have to worry about us, and not the other way round. It’s not always been Dave’s favoured set up but it works. You’re right that it remains to be seen if it works if and when we’re promoted, but I’m for enjoying what’s put before us this season - and that’s a heady combination of great football and successful football. Takes me back to winning promotion to the second tier behind Wigan with Deano and Hulse leading a cracking 11 under Dario.

I think part of the teams success is down to the group of academy players in the team who have been together from a very young age . Yes we have a manager who sets up the team to play in a certain way but then once the players cross the white line its all down to them and their understanding of each other and how they play.