Carlisle v Crewe (Can't defend, won't defend)

[shoddycollins]

Be interesting to see how a 6-0 midweek drubbing affects Crewe, whether they're entering some sort of slide towards Artell being sacked, or whether they'll bounce back, and we know they're just as capable of winning 6-0.

We've improved at the back from early on the season, though since the opening day against Exeter, are yet to face a real attacking force. Gerrard and Parkes cope well when they're up against standard lower-league hoofball but more creative teams could still cause problems, and we're still vulnerable down the wings. Shaun Miller has pace for days, though there's been a trend the last few seasons of returning players underperforming against us, so we shall see.

At the other end we're good at getting the ball into dangerous situations but not good at scoring from those situations. We're usually good for a goal or two but only from twenty or so attacks.

For Crewe fans looking for somewhere to drink before the game, in addition to the usual places, there'll be a couple of beer-tents on English Street this weekend, all as part of the, and it pains me to use its tinpot name though the actual event is pretty good, 'Carlisle Fringe'.

 

[The Jovial Forester]

Carlisle Fringe

Popular cut with all the hard lads in the 1980s

 

[Douglas_Valley_Reds]

As much as I like Big Dave as a person, and as much as I want him to succeed as our manager, I think he is in serious trouble if we get turned over in Cumbria and then fail to beat Macc the following Saturday, think he needs a minimum of 4 points from these next 2 matches to keep the fans off his case and to keep us away from trouble.

I'll go for a 2-1 Alex win.

 

[Carver]

Should be a piss easy win for us this match against some weak as fuck team and we are on the brink of thrashing someone so it might as well be this lot.

Carlisle 5-0 Crewe

 

[hellogregory]

How are we "on the brink of thrashing someone" ?

It's crazy that up until Tuesday night Crewe had only conceded 1 goal. That makes me a little wary of being confident. I don't think they are as bad as that result suggests. They tanked Morecambe and got a very respectable 0-0 with MK Dons as well as taking Fleetwood to pens in the cup.

I'm going for a hard fought 1-1. It won't be as easy as people think because I don't think Crewe are as bad as people think and we're certainly not a decent team all of a sudden just because we've won 2 matches. We're still painfully slow at the back, we gift chance after chance to opposition and we have possibly the worst footballer I've seen play at this level leading our attack.

So yeah a draw. I'd obviously love a win but it's important we don't lose because I'm expecting our shit to really hit the fan next week at Mansfield.

 

[shoddycollins]

we have possibly the worst footballer I've seen play at this level leading our attack.

He's not quite that level of bad, I've seen some utter dross playing for teams that were adrift at the foot of the table, and also playing for us when we almost went down.

 

[hellogregory]

He's not quite that level of bad, I've seen some utter dross playing for teams that were adrift at the foot of the table, and also playing for us when we almost went down.

I can’t think of a worse player off the top of my head. No doubt we had some shite under Roddy, but I’ve kind of blanked the details out.

He doesn’t seem to have a single attribute going for him. He can’t run, he’s shit in the air, doesn’t hold it up, his brain doesn’t seem to function quick enough to see passes, his first touch is shit, he wastes chances. I’ve no idea what our scout(s) saw in him.

 

[Carver]

How are we "on the brink of thrashing someone" ?

It's crazy that up until Tuesday night Crewe had only conceded 1 goal. That makes me a little wary of being confident. I don't think they are as bad as that result suggests. They tanked Morecambe and got a very respectable 0-0 with MK Dons as well as taking Fleetwood to pens in the cup.

I'm going for a hard fought 1-1. It won't be as easy as people think because I don't think Crewe are as bad as people think and we're certainly not a decent team all of a sudden just because we've won 2 matches. We're still painfully slow at the back, we gift chance after chance to opposition and we have possibly the worst footballer I've seen play at this level leading our attack.

So yeah a draw. I'd obviously love a win but it's important we don't lose because I'm expecting our shit to really hit the fan next week at Mansfield.

Bennett is crap yes and we need someone far better, but come on he is not possibly the worst striker we have had at this level, Bennett has actually scored some decent goals for us since he has signed and has been a handful for defenders. The annoying thing is he seems to play better away than he does in home games.

We have had plenty of worse strikers over the years like the ones who never scored and never even looked like scoring, so stop talking bollocks HG.

 

[hellogregory]

He’s scored a goal now and then, but so he should with the likes of Devitt, Grainger and Adams (last season) providing him. He should score more!

His all round game is shit, carver. Watch him play one day, you’ll see.

Name me a worse striker of recent years whose been a consistent starter for over a season like Bennett has.

 

[Crewelad87]

Not even going to hazard a guess how this one's going to. We could have a great reaction and win comfortable, equally we could carry on like Crewe teams of the last decade and the players will hide and we get spanked again. Big match for Artell this is, I think we will learn alot about him as a manager here.

 

[JJ1532]

Good to see this Crewe team remaining as wildly unpredictable as ever. Anyone putting any money on us is a fool, because we'll almost certainly disappoint. Could win comfortably, could draw, could easily lose.

With Pickering probably being out, the managements policy of not signing a back up looks as bad as it did in the summer when they talked about Ng, Nolan or Hunt moving there. It was a stupid idea then, it looks moronic now.

I'm tired of saying the same shit, but yet again, we're suffering because Artell has reverted to bashing square pegs in round holes, putting central midfielders on the wing and at LB, CBs are RB, signing over the hill shite like Hunt and not signing decent full back depth.

I can see him making a raft of changes tomorrow, which I feel is a mistake. Name as close to Tuesday's starting XI as possible and see how they respond. If no reaction, bench them for the foreseeable future, regardless of who they are.

 

[shoddycollins]

He’s scored a goal now and then, but so he should with the likes of Devitt, Grainger and Adams (last season) providing him. He should score more!

His all round game is shit, carver. Watch him play one day, you’ll see.

Name me a worse striker of recent years whose been a consistent starter for over a season like Bennett has.

being a consistent starter shouldn't come into it, if we're just talking about who's worse then I think Georg Iliev and George Waring are miles ahead of Bennett.

Although I'm sure we can all agree he should score more, carver is right that he's a handful for defenders, he may foul them all the time and never seems to beat anyone in the air but he does create a fair amount of space for Hope to run into.

 

[hellogregory]

being a consistent starter shouldn't come into it, if we're just talking about who's worse then I think Georg Iliev and George Waring are miles ahead of Bennett.

Although I'm sure we can all agree he should score more, carver is right that he's a handful for defenders, he may foul them all the time and never seems to beat anyone in the air but he does create a fair amount of space for Hope to run into.

It should come into it because it’s hard to fully judge a player on 2 or 3 performances.

We don’t know that Waring would have done worse than Bennett had he been given over a season of regular football.

 

[shoddycollins]

It should come into it because it’s hard to fully judge a player on 2 or 3 performances.

We don’t know that Waring would have done worse than Bennett had he been given over a season of regular football.

I think both Waring and Iliev had more than enough time to have proven themselves. In any case, neither do we know they would have done better than he has.

 

[hellogregory]

I think both Waring and Iliev had more than enough time to have proven themselves. In any case, neither do we know they would have done better than he has.

What I’m saying is Bennett has been given plenty of time to prove whether he’s good enough or not, and he’s clearly proved that he isn’t.

Likes of iliev and waring in their brief spells may not have shown much, but they didn’t have enough time or even a preseason with the club to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are shitter than Bennett.

 

[TimeyWimey]

I don’t think Artell is anywhere close to being sacked. Expectations within the club (rather than fans) are so low we’d have to be in the bottom two around January/February for his sacking to be entertained.

We’ve shown no sort of consistency in performances so far today could be anywhere from a 6-0 win to a 6-0 defeat.

 

[Crewelad87]

6 changes, both former Carlisle players Miller and Raynes come in. Ray and Pickering both out injured, will be big misses.

 

[hellogregory]

The quality of this game is dire. 2 really poor teams

 

[shoddycollins]

whatever anyone may think about how we play, we're beating teams who play badly themselves, which should see us safe.

 

[Carver]

Wow 3 wins in a row for us and we are 4th.

Maybe we won't be so bad this season after all.

 

[hellogregory]

Terrible game but valuable win.

I’d like to see us go to 4-3-3 with Glendon in next week as against stronger teams I believe the team we played today and Tuesday will get over run.

Good foundation we’ve given ourselves though with this start. Hopefully we’ll stay out of trouble.

 

[hellogregory]

Hope Paul Green and Joe Fryer have speedy recoveries. Looked like a broken leg each.

Never nice seeing players get really bad injuries, particularly at this level where you don’t have the financial security that you do at the top.

 

[Carver]

yeah we'll be ok

I just hope we try and entertain at home.

 

[JJ1532]

Well, last season we were 2-2-0 heading into September and then went on a terrible run. This time, we are 1-1-3. So hopefully, we can have a good run from here on out, although i'm not sure we will. No goals in our last 4 and none since the opening day. Ray rushed back too soon and now out injured again, played a total of 74 minutes so far this season. LB out, influential midfielder out long term, can't decide on which keeper he wants, strikers aren't firing, midfielders aren't creating. Not good.

Need a big result against Macc next weekend, especially with Mansfield up after that and games against Lincoln, Swindon and Notts County not far off. Artell needs to get his act together and quick.

 

[shoddycollins]

Well, last season we were 2-2-0 heading into September and then went on a terrible run. This time, we are 1-1-3. So hopefully, we can have a good run from here on out, although i'm not sure we will. No goals in our last 4 and none since the opening day. Ray rushed back too soon and now out injured again, played a total of 74 minutes so far this season. LB out, influential midfielder out long term, can't decide on which keeper he wants, strikers aren't firing, midfielders aren't creating. Not good.

Need a big result against Macc next weekend, especially with Mansfield up after that and games against Lincoln, Swindon and Notts County not far off. Artell needs to get his act together and quick.

interesting that you're playing Macclesfield next. The last manager to face Carlisle and Macclesfield in successive games was Gary Johnson and we all know what happened there.

 

[shoddycollins]

Apparently the Crewe player who broke his leg was shown the yellow card as he was being stretchered off. Seems a bit harsh, it seemed like a freak accident as two players went for a 50/50 ball. Nobody noticed it in the crowd and neither did our commentators but I'm just reading Artell's post-match comments and he's fuming, probably rightfully so.

 

[Carver]

Apparently the Crewe player who broke his leg was shown the yellow card as he was being stretchered off. Seems a bit harsh, it seemed like a freak accident as two players went for a 50/50 ball. Nobody noticed it in the crowd and neither did our commentators but I'm just reading Artell's post-match comments and he's fuming, probably rightfully so.

Booked for breaking your leg?

lol

 

[cufc17]

Good win yesterday, not a pretty match but will take the 3 points and 3 wins this week. Gerrard has looked very solid from what I’ve seen so far, pleasantly surprised. Shame for Fryer as it looks as if he’ll be out for quite a while, need Collin to step up to the plate now.

2 tough away games to follow, I’d take 2-3 points.

 

[Carver]

Good win yesterday, not a pretty match but will take the 3 points and 3 wins this week. Gerrard has looked very solid from what I’ve seen so far, pleasantly surprised. Shame for Fryer as it looks as if he’ll be out for quite a while, need Collin to step up to the plate now.

2 tough away games to follow, I’d take 2-3 points.

Gerrard seems like a relatively decent replacement after us losing Clint Hill, hopefully.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Bit late with this one but I predicted the exact result and how the game would flow at 8am on Saturday Morning. It was so fucking obvious we were going to attempt to score the perfect goal all day as we've tried doing since the Morecambe game to no avail. It was obvious Raynes was gonna have another shocker against his old team and it was a largely crap game with very little quality in it whatsoever.

Far too many injuries in the opening month of this season. Some like Green's can't be helped and I hope he and the keeper Fryer recover as quick as possible. But Pickering, Ray, Porter and Miller have all had injuries this month. What exactly are we doing in pre-season?

Dreading a midfield with Jones and Wintle together for the foreseeable. I like Wintle but he won't get much protection that he gets from Green off a half arsed Jones. I think teams will cut through our midfield like a knife through butter if Green is out for a very long time.

No pace, no fit LB, no natural width. We're in big trouble.