Crewe v Vale

[Fuzzyvalefan]

What I liked on Saturday was that even after we’d scored we didn’t just sit back. We looked to get a second and kill the game off. That’s what we want to see at away matches. Thought the timing of bringing Joyce on was good too. Allowed Manny a bit more license to roam. Hopefully it seems like Aspin is learning from his mistakes

 

[The Alex]

Thought long and hard about this game. Prior to the season I thought we had a good chance of being up there thanks to getting our talented youngsters signed down, but injuries to Green, Pickering and Nolan have shown when we're down to the bare threads we are completely fucking average.

Vale deserved the win, I called it as well, they've recruited well from the transition I have seen from April's side to now, where as we've signed Alex Nicholls whoever that is. We've no attacking prowess, which is very rare for a Crewe side as it's usually all we're good at, scoring in 2 out of 8 games is terrible. We controlled the first half without doing too much in the final third but the second half was Vale's. If we didn't have those 3 injured I think it would be a different story, but still it's up to Artell to deal with that and he hasn't.

He's on thin ice, especially after the silly shit he was spouting in the lead up to the game. I'll give him 4 more games and judge him after that. This squad has talent, recruitment has been poor, should be doing better. Sick of the disappointment.

 

[The Alex]

The difference between Artell and Aspin, other than tactics, is that Aspin is gracious in defeat and in the lead up to games isn't a speculative, antagonising git. Artell says everything he thinks he wants us to hear. We don't know how lucky we were to have Gradi for 20+ years.

 

[leedsvaliant]

The difference between Artell and Aspin, other than tactics, is that Aspin is gracious in defeat and in the lead up to games isn't a speculative, antagonising git. Artell says everything he thinks he wants us to hear. We don't know how lucky we were to have Gradi for 20+ years.

Say what you want about dario but he would never have been that classless both before and after the game.
Artell doesn't come across as very bright and much like Vale managers of recent years, he smacks of the cheap option.
I still see both teams as mid table. We haven't got that one special player that you need and crewe will dig out the results when needed, especially with players coming back from injury. I'd bite your hand off for 12th now.

 

[valefan16]

Artell just has had a mare really, he’s disliked by Valiants obviously for being the only one to leave when Ryder disappeared out of the whole squad who had to have their contracts redrawn up, think he dropped to non league and obviously we went up that year but the lack of loyalty was never going to go down well...

The issue then is his comments after both last seasons fixtures, having to apologise once and gloating after the win at Vale Park... but obviously the problem then is barring one of the two clubs getting big investment we’re both likely to meet regularly so one beating the other and vice versa is inevitable. Saturday after that loss he just seems to have lost the plot and it’s played right into the Vale fans hands who are in fairness mocking him big time. Even the sentinel have had a chuckle about the murder comments!

Maybe inexperience as a young manager, trying to impress his fans by joining the bants or something. Aspin just says it like it is, we got battered by Crawley but won 1-0 and he rightly said we didn’t deserve it. The 2-2 last season Aspin rightly said we wouldn’t have deserved the win (compared to Artell who went on the offensive) The problem is if Artell then believes his own comments as it suggests then less needs to improve in his mind. He’s got that brashness of Micky Adams but Micky generally said it how it was even if bluntly.

Can’t knock Artells passion mind, sounded broken in the interview so shows he cares and it hurts I guess, suppose it adds some spice to the fixture with a pantomime villain and if Crewe win at VP dare say it will play out again.

 

[The Alex]

Say what you want about dario but he would never have been that classless both before and after the game.
Artell doesn't come across as very bright and much like Vale managers of recent years, he smacks of the cheap option.
I still see both teams as mid table. We haven't got that one special player that you need and crewe will dig out the results when needed, especially with players coming back from injury. I'd bite your hand off for 12th now.

Dario's a football genius, and to be fair to Dave, he did get a degree from Chester I believe a few years ago so he can't be that thick.

 

[The Alex]

It also doesn't help that we've got about 10 centre mids and no wingers or full backs. The mind boggles.

 

[JJ1532]

The mind doesn't boggle, this is the culmination of years of poor planning and decision making. Whereas in the past, we used to produce different types of players, we know only produce identikit players. 5ft 7-10in technically solid players that will get knocked over by a stiff breeze. With the very odd exception, we don't produce anyone with any genuine pace, skill, physical presence, ability to head a ball, ability to tackle etc. We produce one dimensional players, mostly who play in midfield.

When we do have a player with a standout attribute, like Pickering's set pieces or Jones' long range finishing or Cooper's crossing, they stand out.

The players currently in the side with the most potential are Kirk, Ainley and Jones. Jones seems to have properly tailed off after his 2 goals on the opening day, at least in terms of his all round play. Kirk has shown flashes of talent, but has to yet to consistently produce. The big disappointment for me though is Ainley. With his skill and football IQ, he should be dominating this level, especially if he has designs of playing at a higher level. But so far this season, he has made 7 starts and 9 appearances and has 1 measly assist to show for it. He hasn't scored since January. That's pathetic, he should be bagging 10 a season at this level. He turns 21 in 2 months, it's time for him to step up.

I also don't think recruitment was poor. I think the club weren't planning on having all 3 of the above sign their deals, it's why they were so short on money to sign a RB and ended up having to sign Hunt on a cheap deal and loan in extra cover.

Without watching us since Fleetwood, I think losing Green and Pickering has really hurt like you say. Pickering's set peices were excellent, and he gave us a good attacking outlet at LB. Clearly with O'Connor being limited to a couple of appearances and hoofball Hunt being the current mainstay out there, we've lost that thrust Pickering gave us. Green caused havoc with his unpredictable runs and bursts into the box, we miss his all action style in the middle. But still, Jones and Wintle should be a good enough pairing to take control of games, but all too often, they seem to get overmatched, which shouldn't be happening.

I find it odd that Artell says Bowery and Porter have been his best 2 forwards. Based on what exactly? Bowery has 2 goals, probably 1 given the opener against Macc was scored by Jones. Now, I know he gives you good effort and an all round game, but 2 goals from 7 starts isn't good enough. As for Porter, he made his first start against Colchester and was apparently so good, he didn't start against Carlisle or Macc. He then scores 2 in the Checkatrade against a League 2 backup, which were both helped by huge keeper errors, and now apparently he's in form? Eh, what? And yet again, he was so in form, he didn't start the Cheltenham game, yet was in form enough to start the Vale game? Baffling.

Meanwhile, one the big reasons for our turnaround last season, Shaun Miller, gets 3 starts before he's dropped. Despite the fact statistically, we are better when he starts. We win more, score more and concede fewer when he starts than when he doesn't. We take the piss out of our social media accounts for calling him the Vale assassin, but he does usually play well against the Vale. He should have started on Saturday and imo, should start as often as possible going forward.

And what is also baffling about this decision to start with Porter and Bowery is that one, it was obvious if the defence and midfield got under pressure, they would lump it out. So yes, blame the players but also Dave, you hold your hands up, because they are your players. You don't want them to lump it, take the option away from them. Then two, he should have enough evidence to know this doesn't work. Morecambe at home in April, that performance was a car crash and not entirely because those 2 started, but they were a big reason why. Those 2 have started 10 games together since Porter joined. The Alex are 2-0-8 in those games. The 2 games they won were Notts County at home, an admittedly good performance. And Morecambe, which was won late on with those 2 off the pitch.

Artell has blown what on paper was an easier stretch of games. Now he has to pick up points against Notts County(who have no wins and we always struggle against), Swindon(who we usually struggle against), Lincoln(who are flying high) and Bury(with Ryan Lowe sure to want to get one over us). Needs to pull his finger out of his arse and start getting this team firing and quick.

 

[TimeyWimey]

I don't think we're any worse than we were last season under Artell. He's not a good manager by any stretch of the imagination, he's there as a puppet right now. Cheap, likeable and not Steve Davis. The board, the club, they aren't bothered about progression on the pitch, treading water in L2 will do just fine. For that reason he won't be under any pressure and I don't see his job being under threat any time soon (and I can't see fans turning on him as much as 'we' turned on Davis).

I don't think we'll go down, I still think we'll have less to do with the relegation scrap than last season. We'll shithouse a few results before going on a shit run, rinse repeat.

We've all been saying it for a decade or more. Problems are rooted deep in the club. We keep getting fed shite by that idiot Bowler and we all lap it up (Hassall will be gone by the summer... 18 months on, tick tock). Until the regime completely changes, the odd result against Vale or Mansfield is, in the long term, of little consequence.