Crewe Alex v Southend Utd

[JJ1532]

Well, back at home, this time facing Southend.

Team will be the same one that started against Walsall I have no doubt. But personally, I would give Colclough a rest, he can barely last 70 minutes in games at the moment. Give Wilson a start on the RW. Tempted to also start Baillie at RB. Need a few fresh faces in the team I think. Would be amazed if Harry avoided a serious injury, either way he is almost certainly out of this game. So Ray will likely step in in his place.

As for Southend, they like Millwall and a couple of others have started well away from home, winning 1 and drawing their other 3 games. Got some quality players in their ranks. Mooney and Hunt are a handful and they have a strong spine with Timlin and a solid defence. Involved in low scoring games this season, haven't scored or conceded 3 in a game as yet. So I wouldn't bet on a high scoring game here, especially with our struggles upfront.

Going to be a very tricky game. I'd probably take a point now if offered. So I'll go for a 1-1 draw. Safe journey up Shrimpers.

 

[Shrimpurh]

We are a different side with Noel Hunt in the team, pray he is fit for tomorrow. Joe Pigott is well out his depth in L1, really hope we aren't signing him perm in Jan.

As for this game, we are better away from home and I fancy us to grind a 1-0 out.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Colclough was poor on Saturday but when we're terrible he is about the only spark we can rely on. Not too sure LDV deserves to stay in the side either, not that we're playing to his strengths but damn, he's slow.

I think it'll be score draw, although I'm not sure how much longer we can rely on the opposition scuffing shots from 8 yards.

 

[dannyc5]

We managed it for a whole season, the year after we got promoted.

 

[JJ1532]

True, but we also had a much better team bar the goalie. Ellis and Davis, Osman and Murphy, Pogs. Strong spine that. Then Inman, LDV, Chuks on loan.

That team would be a top half contender this season given how weak L1 is at the moment.

 

[SRNP]

Crewe 0 - 1 Southend
Attendance 3,895 (310 Southend)

 

[Brammer_£500000]

2-1 to the Alex, keeps our little run going and it will piss some of our so called fans off. Lovely.

 

[JJ1532]

Not even going to waste my time reporting on that. Could sum it up with 1 word: GARBAGE!

Seriously, there are no excuses left for any Davis sympathisers. None. Nobody could do better? I could go down to the local playing fields on Sunday and grab the nearest pub team manager to do better with this group. Davis has not got a clue. There are so many problems with the team from back to front and they are mostly of his doing.

The "who could do better" argument is totally redundant anyway because we are heading double quick into League Two with this clueless fucker in charge. What more evidence do the board need? Sick of it now, well and truly sick of it. Just fuck off Davis, FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!

 

[The Alex]

HOW DOES THIS MAN STILL HAVE A JOB

 

[SkyBlueElephant]

Not even going to waste my time reporting on that. Could sum it up with 1 word: GARBAGE!

Seriously, there are no excuses left for any Davis sympathisers. None. Nobody could do better? I could go down to the local playing fields on Sunday and grab the nearest pub team manager to do better with this group. Davis has not got a clue. There are so many problems with the team from back to front and they are mostly of his doing.

The "who could do better" argument is totally redundant anyway because we are heading double quick into League Two with this clueless fucker in charge. What more evidence do the board need? Sick of it now, well and truly sick of it. Just fuck off Davis, FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!

A group of our fans kept giving us the nobody could do better line with Pressley and Thorn, a common line trotted was that Sir Alex couldn't do any better with this team.

 

[JJ1532]

No, you know what, I'm going to rant.

First of all, some of his selections today, wow. George Cooper?! The lad has not made one meaningful contribution in 2015, so why on earth did he start over Wilson? He was terrible as per tonight. Would rather he goes out on loan than gets another shot in the team. Not even convinced he'll make it as a footballer, got the whiff of Brendan Daniels about him.

Colclough has been all tricks and no end product for weeks. Got the skills, but under this management he's going backwards. No wonder him and his dad wanted out during the summer. Marcus Haber is an abomination of a footballer. He literally has 1 thing he is good at. Peel off to the backpost and wait for a floated cross in there for him to attack. He has no other useful skills. Shite technically, can't win headers or direct them. Can't hold the ball up, can't link play. Shows no desire, doesn't move, at all. He is a waste of oxygen. He should never be leading the line on his own, especially not at home.

The subs, holy christ the subs. Start 4-2-3-1, end 4-2-3-1. Erm, why? Took the only physical presence off up front(however useless he might be). Why? Left LDV on the bench. Why? Brought on Ainley. Why? Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the next batch of promising academy players come on, but if we are turning to a 17 year old 2nd year scholar to try and rescue games, something is seriously going wrong. Ridiculous sub to make. What, does Davis think giving Ainley a go will earn him some brownie points with the board/fans? Or is it a sly way of pointing out to the board that he needs more quality up front?

Then we come to the actual football. We are slow, lethargic, lack ideas and a spark. There is no game plan for when we are on the ball and all we do is chase shadows when we are off the ball. We never try to win the football back and just let teams control possession and have all the time in the world to do what they like, home or away. But when we are in possession, every other team closes us down and makes life uncomfortable. So why are we different? The full backs don't get forward anywhere near enough and when we do, only 1 goes forward at a time. Makes it so easy to defend against us. The defence is a shambles, the odd good display from individuals and as a unit, but generally it's shocking. This coming under the management of a man who made his living as a semi decent defender back in the day.

We bring every man back for corners and set peices, why? We are supposed to be a footballing team, yet we look technically and physically inadequate against almost every team in this league. How has that happened? How are the board continuing to let it happen right infront of them? We aren't scoring goals and haven't scored goals for ages, yet this too is now acceptable to our board. OK, maybe we don't have a big budget, but this garbage goes way beyond a poor budget. Walsall, Rochdale, now even Colchester. They don't accept garbage football, so why do we? Why do some fans still continue to make excuses and make out this situation is acceptable? It isn't and we shouldn't belittle ourselves by believing the best we can do is scrape 20th or be a L2/L1 yoyo team.

The club is a rut and its slowly dying. The money from player sales is drying up because whilst we continue to play shit and lose games, we won't sell anyone. And if we don't, then our entire business model is fucked. The fans are leaving in droves, only 3,200 today. Be lucky to break 1,500 for next weeks JPT game. Once you lose fans, it takes a hell of a lot to get them back, if in fact you ever do. If Davis stays in charge, this club is in serious serious trouble and not just on the pitch. The only ones to break out of this rut are the board. We need to either give Collins a caretaker shot or more preferably, get in an outsider. We should try for Danny Murphy. I reckon if Dario rang him up and asked him to give it a shot, he would accept. I mean, he could take it knowing that his punditry is always a fall back option. Worked for Shearer.

But until the board do something and end this soon, we'll remain on a downward spiral and the damage might get so serious, it gets beyond repair. Act now before it's too late FFS Bowler!

 

[TimeyWimey]

We all dream of a team of Ollie Turton's, a team of Ollie Turton's, a team of Ollie Turton's...

 

[JJ1532]

As unfunny as ever Timey, thanks for contributing.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Imagine though JJ if Davis realised his dream of having 11 Ollie Turtons. Imagine.

 

[Crewealexfan123]

As we speak about Turton..

The RB situation sums it up for me. Now, don't get me wrong I'm sure Ollie is an honest hard working lad and trys as hard as anyone in matches. But the obvious thinog remains that the lad just isn't good enough, no other side in league one would have him playing every week because they'd have seen it by now, JB is the future and should be the first choice. However I think it's got to the point where Davis has fallen out with that many players he's taken to picking the yes men because they are the only ones who still listen to him (HD, Guthrie, Turton etc)

I might sound deluded but I honestly believe under the right management this team is good enough. Certainly man for man better then they were this time last season.

The scoreline last night read 2-1 to Southend.. But to be as honest as I can for large parts of the second half they took the absolute piss out of us. We looked like the away team and this isn't the first time, it's been happening for three years now. Davis just seems completely clueless when it comes to setting up a team to attack at home and it's resulted in no-one turning up to watch. I had a free ticket that i struggled to give away tonight, no-ones interested. The clubs board have to begin to worry or it'll be too late.

Davis out.

 

[Wootball]

Davis has to go. Our team is good enough, the way they are managed is crippling us from the get-go. For once, I agree with pretty much everything turncoat/part time fan JJ says.

Marcus Haber is an abomination of a footballer. Shite technically, can't win headers or direct them.

Except that. Haber isn't a bad player, he's just not a lone striker. He also got the assist by winning a header through to Inman.

 

[dannyc5]

HABER IS WANK

 

[Shrimpurh]

Yeaaahhhh Pig

 

[leedsvaliant]

Davis has to go. Our team is good enough, the way they are managed is crippling us from the get-go. For once, I agree with pretty much everything turncoat/part time fan JJ says.

I agree with you that Davis has to go - in virtually any other team in the country he would have been sacked long before now. However, do you really believe that your team is good enough? Virtually everyone outside your club recognised that you had the weakest squad in the league and after scraping safety on the final day and not really improving your team, can you really expect anything other than being in the bottom 3?

 

[Wootball]

I agree with you that Davis has to go - in virtually any other team in the country he would have been sacked long before now. However, do you really believe that your team is good enough? Virtually everyone outside your club recognised that you had the weakest squad in the league and after scraping safety on the final day and not really improving your team, can you really expect anything other than being in the bottom 3?

We've seen in a few games already that our players are good enough to survive this league - the problem is that half of them don't seem to want to play for Davis and the other half aren't suited for the system they're being played in. They're not good enough to mount any sort of surprise, but good enough to survive.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Fans need to grow a backbone in the ground and call for Davis' head in unison. Why aren't they more vocal with their opposition to this truly incompetent fuckwit? Hiding behind a keyboard ranting about Davis like we all do doesn't fucking help does it? A handful of shouts for Davis' head and a unison of boos at full time isn't enough to get Davis sacked. Shouting Davis Out for 90 minutes in the direction of him and the board will be. Remember the board saying they wouldn't have sacked Steve Holland if we didn't protest for his sacking??? Board are a total joke allowing this to go on for a third straight season and Davis won't do the honourable thing like Micky Adams did last season and resign knowing his time is up. The bloke is a complete wanker unfit for professional football management and none of this squad want to play for him.

And Ollie Turton is Nantwich Town standard, fuck me Davis bums endlessly off one of the most mediocre of our youth prospects I've ever seen.

 

[CFC91]

You will beat us on Saturday.

 

[The Alex]

Haber isn't a bad player

Hahahahaha

 

[The Alex]

I agree with you that Davis has to go - in virtually any other team in the country he would have been sacked long before now. However, do you really believe that your team is good enough? Virtually everyone outside your club recognised that you had the weakest squad in the league and after scraping safety on the final day and not really improving your team, can you really expect anything other than being in the bottom 3?

I don't think people, you included, have a clue about how good our squad is or isn't. They've just rightfully predicted us to do poorly based on the last few seasons, which is thanks to our manager.

 

[SRNP]

What a terrible terrible game.

Southend hit the woodwork 3-4 times, missed 2 inside the 6 yard box and scored twice. Could have easily been 6-7 nil to them last night. We looked like the away side from the off, towards the end of the game when they were running the clock down, they were honestly taking the fucking piss out of our defence. 2 of them in the corner had our defenders off it was fucking embarrassing, they weren't even doing anything special. It didn't look like we were chasing the game with 5 minutes left to play. Colclough clearly doesn't want to play for the manager any more, bags of talent being wasted because of our useless twat of a manager. Haber looked disinterested. The players clearly have no motivation or confidence, and that's down to Davis entirely imo.

The few Crewe fans on here and social media really need to kick on and start the Davis Out chants properly this saturday.

 

[TimeyWimey]

I think it's the fact that it seems there's so little to gain from sacking Davis it's not worth the energy. We all know James Collins will step in and, right or wrong, after Steve Holland, he doesn't excite.

I also think our team is largely shit. Will need a couple of [better] loans to save this season regardless of manager.