Ex players

[Ryancrewefan4ever]

I see Ellis and Lowe both scored today with their goal winning their respective games. If we stay up it will be nice to see Ellis again, I still can not believe we got rid of him. I for one thought he was excellent.

[Scanners123]

Abdul Osman is regularly getting MOM in the Scottish Prem. Think one or two mistakes were made at the end of last season, which has left us struggling this year.

[OnlyOneGreygoose]

Are we still living in the past?

The players let go last season weren't good enough, there were plenty of negative comments about Osman and Ellis cost us as much points as he earnt us

the fact that the players released went to cubs in League 2 should be indicator enough that they weren't good enough

Were they suitably replaced? That's an argument for after the season is done and dusted

[Timmy58]

Osman was poor in his final season with us although that may be because he was expected to play a role he was not cut out for. Ellis is a different matter. money was the issue there. And I suspect that the proof will be that the Shrews will be promoted and he will be playing in League one where I believe he belongs.

[David_De_ Garratt]

Seems like Chris Clements will be out of contract at Mansfield at the end of the season. By all accounts, he has developed into a really composed midfielder and has been Mansfield's best player this season... Surly worth a punt if we manage to stay in League 1?

It's hard to think Ryan Lowe couldn't get into his favoured position when he was here all them years ago. Still one of my favourite recent ex-Alex players who I have always followed closely. TBF he wasn't going to get anywhere near first choice with the form of both Maynard & Varney!

[AstonAlex]

Good point made in your last paragraph, DDG. We do tend to get a glut of players in the same position and have to choose which of them to keep and which to let go. I reckon this is the reason that Ellis was released as we also had Harry, George, Duggy and Guthrie under contract at the start of the season. They couldn't all play so the one on the best wages and out of contract was released.

We now seem to have our usual multitude of young midfielders/wide players (Inman, Nolan, Jones, Waters, Cooper et al) competing with Turton, Grant and Ness. I realise they aren't all quite the same player, but I would be mighty surprised to see our 42 line up next season, even if we stay up, for similar reasons to Ellis. And he will be missed more than Ellis, no question.

[Ryancrewefan4ever]

The club need to do everything they can to keep Grant permanently for a long time. Without him our midfield is physically weak, he will get stuck in, throw himself in front of a volley or injure himself winning a last ditch tackle. That sort of player is perfect for Crewe as his experience will rub off on the likes of Nolan, Jones, Atkinson and so on. As he gets older he will be similar to Tate in a way. Tate has been teaching the young defenders what he knows, without him we would have been down.

Sign Grant on 4 year contract.