Prognosis

[David_DeGarratt]

Overall, realistic probably a top-half finish this season, inside top 10 but I'm quietly confident Crewe could become outside play-off contenders... Porter & Raynes were both quality signings, Porter in particular is a real professional and would do a decent job in a higher league

Still think we a short of any bite in midfield... I'm not sure if Jones will be that answer when he returns to the first team but when teams decided to get physical and play the long ball, our midfield tend to drop and shy away. Wintle has been excellent and really impressed, same with Ainley & Tommy in spells but with a fully fit midfield to choose from, which 3 would you pick to start

Still think we are a winger and a right-back short within the match day squad.

Nolan - Thought he was terrible the first couple of games but he was one of the best players at Vale, I know both teams were poor, and since then has been consistently good. I thought he could play anywhere across the back who was mainly a full-back so not sure why he hasn't been given a run at RB? Don't get me wrong, NG has done OK there but it's not his natural position and it shows

[ruocul]

Think you are being a little unfair on NG. Agreed RB is not his natural position, but in each game at RB he has improved and has not let us down. Think he would be an excellent defensive midfielder, but at this moment it is not going to happen.

For me our midfield 3 is an easy one. Grant, Walker and Wintle. Ainley and Lowery are not physically strong enough for league2 and disappear out of the game too easily. Never really been a fan of Jones.

[jimmyboldon]

[QUOTE=ruocul;38657550

For me our midfield 3 is an easy one. Grant, Walker and Wintle. [/QUOTE]

Don't see how you can say that when Grant has played all of 20(?) mins.

[David_DeGarratt]

Think you are being a little unfair on NG. Agreed RB is not his natural position, but in each game at RB he has improved and has not let us down. Think he would be an excellent defensive midfielder, but at this moment it is not going to happen.

For me our midfield 3 is an easy one. Grant, Walker and Wintle. Ainley and Lowery are not physically strong enough for league2 and disappear out of the game too easily. Never really been a fan of Jones.

Agreed, he has improved from the start of the season and has done well at RB on occasions but it just seems like nothing has changed to address the RB situation where we have been crying out for an actual full-back to play in that position for 2/3 seasons now.

Jones is an interesting one because I'm still not quite sure what type of midfielder I would class him as yet, I still think he's finding his best suited role but does chip in with his fair share of goals. Personally for me, Ainley and Lowery seem to excel when teams come to Crewe and attempt to play football, but agreed they aren't quite strong enough for League 2 yet although Lowery is more than capable of putting in a tackle.

[Furberstreet]

We should finish in the top half of the table. DA is still looking to field his best team and the younger players are unsurprisingly inconsistent and unable to handle the more physical teams - perhaps with the except of Wintle who has improved considerably from last season. Walker is not a LB and, like others, I would have played Nolan instead. I think Ng has a lot of potential and could certainly become a decent defensive midfielder. He could do a good job at RB with a bit more experience and looks potentially better than Turton. Still, I agree with others that a winger is needed and Ng be pencilled in for RB once Ray is fit and playing.

[jimmyboldon]

Think you are being a little unfair on NG. Agreed RB is not his natural position, but in each game at RB he has improved and has not let us down. Think he would be an excellent defensive midfielder, but at this moment it is not going to happen.

For me our midfield 3 is an easy one. Grant, Walker and Wintle. Ainley and Lowery are not physically strong enough for league2 and disappear out of the game too easily. Never really been a fan of Jones.

58 mins of Grant yesterday. Although a bit early for definitive judgement, I thought he was a waste of time. Would much rather play 'one of ours' than a loanee putting in a performance like that.

[Me For Crewe]

We have to start by playing players in their correct positions and not playing them out of position to accommodate others, showing that we have a threadbare squad. I know that Jones and Ray are long term absentees but all teams have to deal with this. Goalkeeper wise, as somebody mentioned on Twitter, if Richards isn't given a chance now, what's the point in signing him on for another year and he must be thinking the same? A massive crossroads we are at with the two away games to come. I still think that we are better than last year, is that my heart or head telling me that? We will see.

[AlexLeicester]

I think we are better than last year - but also worse (based solely on the Carlisle game). For ten minutes we looked as if we were going to romp it. There was fluid, accurate play and we really should have been in front. Then they scored a soft, easy goal against the run of play and we totally collapsed - no energy, no skill, inaccurate passing, heads down and a tactical gift to a resurgent Carlisle.
I wasn't at Grimsby or Exeter, I was at Chesterfield (they were as bad as we were yesterday), and Cambridge. Unless the manager sorts out this - on paper - perfectly capable squad, then we are in for a struggle - again.
If the Carlisle game was an aberration, then we could pick up again; if we lose the next three I fear we are in big trouble.

[alexmick]

Yes, that performance and result was dreadful yesterday. Both management and playing staff have to take responsibility for inflicting such an afternoon of misery on supporters of the Alex. Our recent run of form is worrying, but I would suggest that we all give Artell some slack and allow him time to get things back on track. We had to put up with far worse and over a much longer period of time with the previous manager, when things started to go wrong. He was given an enormous period of time to attempt to turn things around. Obviously, the club cannot give this manager the same amount of leeway as they did with Davis, but Artell must be given a fighting chance to get things right.

[AlexLeicester]

Obviously, the club cannot give this manager the same amount of leeway as they did with Davis, but Artell must be given a fighting chance to get things right.

Some fans on social media are suggesting otherwise, but that isn't the 'Crewe way'. nor is it, in my opinion, the right way to deal with the higher reaches of managership. Artell has proved that he can motivate (although that is beginning to look like 'on-the-rebound' from a guy who had clearly had his time with us), but the real test is now.
I had a chat to Davis a long while ago and we agreed, at the time laughingly, that his enormous success in his first 20 months (Wembley twice, successfully) had become a millstone. Perhaps Artell will have the contrary professional trajectory of his managership: start the season this poorly, followed by a resurgence later? Artell, like any Alex manager, will always have my support, even and especially when things get tough, but that must be reciprocated and balanced by, if needed, direct criticism.