I don't remember having a summer like this as a Crewe fan, with only 6 of our end of season 1st 11 signed up it seems like the entirety of next season is going to depend on the signings brought in.
If Ray goes too the shopping list is pretty extensive:
At least 2 centre backs, maybe 3
A right back
Cover for left back
2 centre mids
1 wide midfielder
And that's not massively having competition for places.
We have a number of promising young players and need experience and older heads alongside. This season has been the final one for the squad we have kept basically intact over the last 3-4 seasons. Artell and Lunt now need to build their team. The major issue is being able to sign their first or second choice players with the meagre resources at their disposal. Quick receipt of fees for Guthrie and Turton would be most welcome, but there is a lot of work to do. I just hope that Ray signs and lessens the recruitment burden.
Big story flying around that we are about to sign a CB on a 3 year deal from a team that have just been involved in the play offs, I have the players name and club on good authority but until its a done deal I won't mention it as a) I don't want to jinx the deal and b) I would hate to leak information as I also have it on good authority that certain other clubs fans have spied social media and the internet in the past to see who we are in talks with, then alert their own particular club who then offer more money than us!
Story is official now, 2 years and not 3, but i was told the correct player and club, good experienced signing for us. Well done Big Dave.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40045046
Raynes looks a good signing. Definitely well done to Messrs Artell and Lunt.
I guess we haven't had a big ugly b****r since, well Big Dave himself!
Let's hope he's a success, but you have to remember Carlisle made the play offs despite conceding more goals than us!!
The Carlisle fans seem to rate him, Curle didn't want him to go either, cracking signing for me. It throws up another interesting point, it was only 12 months ago that Davies was telling us that we could not compete with the 'likes' of Carlisle after Jamie Devitt turned us down in favour of the Cumbrians, yet here we are now taking one of their better players off them. Has something changed in our boardroom where we are not being held in a stranglehold anymore by a certain director, because signing Jordan Bowery was interesting also as he was on decent money at Orient, which was part of their downfall, now Jordan has probably had to take a pay cut, but we won't be paying him button either, hey I'm not complaining, but are we actually starting to pay better wages?
Last edited by England_First; 26-05-2017 at 03:37 PM.