Oxford

[MeForCrewe]

If the forecast is correct looks like the match will definitely go ahead in reasonable conditions. Like I said for Saturday I have a feeling that Ainley will start unfortunately. I think that Plymouth will be well up for it, still a bit of needle carrying over from last season. I see no further than a 0-4 loss, please prove me wrong. Can't see many home supporters being there but will be interesting to see the reaction if we do get overrun. Very pessimistic I know but that's how I feel, I will be there hoping to feel some pride.

Guessed right with Ainley. I had a feeling.

[gazan]

Not so pissed off about that performance. Okay we lost, but there was heart and spirit. I thought Griffiths had his best game, so far. Lundstram made a difference but I'd rather he got back his place as a defensive midfielder. I don't know how Long has played for other teams but he is no centre forward, he hasn't got the strength. Sambou, to me, is another Kashket - lots of running and no 1st touch.
Shame about their goal- nobody's fault just a lucky mis-header that fell to a man it wasn't intended for.
Agyei looked good, certainly for next season- though it worries that he looks knackered after 75 mins..
Uwakwe looked upset so maybe he's going to miss the rest of the season. Still, he showed he's not an outright defender so next season must be played at WB or winger. If so we will need a target man.
We are going to miss Lowery next season. He works so hard and has such close control.
Ah well, next game for me is Wycombe- performing in a panto on Saturday. Must be some comments about that fact!😄

[MeForCrewe]

To sum up as a one off performance I can accept last night against an in form team. But in the context of the season a completely different scenario.

[frogpole]

Ah well, next game for me is Wycombe- performing in a panto on Saturday. Must be some comments about that fact!😄

Oh no there aren't ...
Ah well at least you can put that game behind you for a few days ... 😉

[Terry Harkin]

I feel a lot better tonight having read Charles' statement, he's identified the problem two poor transfer windows so thats that, head in the sand approach the Crewe way.

[Wartman]

I feel a lot better tonight having read Charles' statement, he's identified the problem two poor transfer windows so thats that, head in the sand approach the Crewe way.

Something has to change the club. We can no longer afford to fund the academy and fund a competitive first team, the current business model is the academy is there to supply players for the first team and then sell them on for a profit. Well let’s break that down yes it is providing players for the first team which fall in to 2 categories a few players who have the potential to be good enough and those that do not (we release quite a few scholars and first year pros every year) those that do have the potential now find themselves playing in a very poor first team because our first team budget is non league standard, this does not help their development and de values them, we are no longer selling players from the academy for big money so the academy is no longer self funding itself.

When Charles says 2 poor transfer windows what is the reason ? Poor management decisions on recruitment or not a good enough budget to get in the quality needed ? I hope that somebody gets to ask Charles that. The entire board and management team have failed this club abysmally this season and plunged us into league 2 and if they think that the current squad and budget will be competitive next season in league 2 they can think again, what are their plans ?

[gazan]

Just a slight corrective: both Powell and Westwood were members of poor teams. Indeed that negative experience has stood the latter well with Burnley.
Another point of departure: even though this year is bad, the hope with academy graduates is hopeful. The academy not only provides a supply of relatively economic players but also provides an element of stability. Although there are signs that some youth players are not investing in the club system, the alternative offers no panacea. As we've seen recently, the players we are signing are signing only only for 18 months at the most. Without the academy as a constant supply line, we would be faced with a regular turnover which would never allow us to effectively build up and maintain a consistent team that would progress.
I am also going to make an unpopular call here and say that Artell should keep his job, at least until, say, the end of October. It would be pointless to sack him now as there is almost no chance of avoiding relegation. He should be given the chance to prove, in 3 or so months of next season that he can show signs of turning it around. He has undoubtedly made some mistakes but certainly is not totally responsible. Some blame lies elsewhere in the club but there has also been a lot of bad luck and changes in football culture that have impacted this season. To add to that, mistakes are part of experience and development and so he should be given time to learn from them and not knee-jerk punished for them.
There are probably counter arguments And I would be glad to hear them.

[Terry Harkin]

Football Betting Podcast@T_FBPodcast · 5h

Just doing some League One research for the show & I've realized Crewe are bottom of the following league tables:

��League One table
��Last 8 form table
��Home form table
��Away form table

They are also 22nd in the tables for best attack & defence

Eye-watering stuff #CreweAlex

[MikeSB]

Just a slight corrective: both Powell and Westwood were members of poor teams. Indeed that negative experience has stood the latter well with Burnley.
Another point of departure: even though this year is bad, the hope with academy graduates is hopeful. The academy not only provides a supply of relatively economic players but also provides an element of stability. Although there are signs that some youth players are not investing in the club system, the alternative offers no panacea. As we've seen recently, the players we are signing are signing only only for 18 months at the most. Without the academy as a constant supply line, we would be faced with a regular turnover which would never allow us to effectively build up and maintain a consistent team that would progress.
I am also going to make an unpopular call here and say that Artell should keep his job, at least until, say, the end of October. It would be pointless to sack him now as there is almost no chance of avoiding relegation. He should be given the chance to prove, in 3 or so months of next season that he can show signs of turning it around. He has undoubtedly made some mistakes but certainly is not totally responsible. Some blame lies elsewhere in the club but there has also been a lot of bad luck and changes in football culture that have impacted this season. To add to that, mistakes are part of experience and development and so he should be given time to learn from them and not knee-jerk punished for them.
There are probably counter arguments And I would be glad to hear them.

Well you probably don't want to hear about the counter arguments especially the academy which I always seem to be on the opposite view of some or even most fans. Most clubs at L1 and L2 and the conference don't subscribe to the FA academy structures as they are far too expensive, insist on far too many non players. That doesn't mean they don't have academies as most do to encourage local talent to come through and probably watch more amateur football that even McGarry conplains about our scouting strucure.

Its my view and would love to hear the counter arguments that even with our academy costing over a million pounds a year with us contributing 760K of that we tend to only attract local kids as most parents work and so don't have time to transport their kids to other clubs even in the PL or Championship unless you know different and so what difference does the level of the academy make and those same kids will go to RH irrespective as its their only chance of getting into Pro football.

Most will agree that we were one of the first with an academy and also it no longer works as it did and then we see the kids not wanting to sign extensions due to probably agents whispering in ears and why even if some are good enough to play at these standards, few want to commit to long contracts and so then what's the point of spending all those millions on them?

I also don't agree with almost babies playing in academies, they are too young and nobody knows if they will make the grade or be physically able to play at tough L1 or L2 standard. Indeed it was said that Accrington have bigger players than us and so how can they sign players at half our gates and what sort of wages do they get or even ours get and that is probably why we experienced Pro's won't come here because we won't or cannot pay better wages than we do and can only be because the academy takes too much of the budget again unless someone knows different?

I heard the Chairman say he has had 50 conversations with DA about his future and it included sacking and who knows what or how long he will be given as we know that 99% of managers would have been sacked way before now and 8 defeats on the spin certainly.

Anyway clubs like Tranmere and Stockport and Wrexham show its possible to get reasonable gates and have more local competition and get the chance of getting back in the league as Tranmere could get a couple of promotions back to L1 quickly and so its not all doom and gloom. 760K a season could go a long way to pay better wages and you can see the players now and not wait ten years to see and that is the real dilemma of an academy and most clubs even in the PL the players are not good enough even with all that so called coaching..There are thousands of them about the place and so its not that difficult to sign them but not on a pittance where even the part time Conference players are on better wages than ours...Something seems not quite right in that respect..

I've said all this before and yes you have read it...

BTW what is wrong with this forum when you get some threads with hundreds of views and so few want to contribute?

[Terry Harkin]

Well you probably don't want to hear about the counter arguments especially the academy which I always seem to be on the opposite view of some or even most fans. Most clubs at L1 and L2 and the conference don't subscribe to the FA academy structures as they are far too expensive, insist on far too many non players. That doesn't mean they don't have academies as most do to encourage local talent to come through and probably watch more amateur football that even McGarry conplains about our scouting strucure.

Its my view and would love to hear the counter arguments that even with our academy costing over a million pounds a year with us contributing 760K of that we tend to only attract local kids as most parents work and so don't have time to transport their kids to other clubs even in the PL or Championship unless you know different and so what difference does the level of the academy make and those same kids will go to RH irrespective as its their only chance of getting into Pro football.

Most will agree that we were one of the first with an academy and also it no longer works as it did and then we see the kids not wanting to sign extensions due to probably agents whispering in ears and why even if some are good enough to play at these standards, few want to commit to long contracts and so then what's the point of spending all those millions on them?

I also don't agree with almost babies playing in academies, they are too young and nobody knows if they will make the grade or be physically able to play at tough L1 or L2 standard. Indeed it was said that Accrington have bigger players than us and so how can they sign players at half our gates and what sort of wages do they get or even ours get and that is probably why we experienced Pro's won't come here because we won't or cannot pay better wages than we do and can only be because the academy takes too much of the budget again unless someone knows different?

I heard the Chairman say he has had 50 conversations with DA about his future and it included sacking and who knows what or how long he will be given as we know that 99% of managers would have been sacked way before now and 8 defeats on the spin certainly.

Anyway clubs like Tranmere and Stockport and Wrexham show its possible to get reasonable gates and have more local competition and get the chance of getting back in the league as Tranmere could get a couple of promotions back to L1 quickly and so its not all doom and gloom. 760K a season could go a long way to pay better wages and you can see the players now and not wait ten years to see and that is the real dilemma of an academy and most clubs even in the PL the players are not good enough even with all that so called coaching..There are thousands of them about the place and so its not that difficult to sign them but not on a pittance where even the part time Conference players are on better wages than ours...Something seems not quite right in that respect..

I've said all this before and yes you have read it...

BTW what is wrong with this forum when you get some threads with hundreds of views and so few want to contribute?

Well thought out and considered POV.