Wycombe Wanderers v Crewe Alex

[JJ1532]

Urgh. Next.

We're in an atrocious run of form at the moment. Can't even create decent chances, let alone score a goal. And now the defence, which had been solid up until the Exeter game, has fallen to shit and started haemorrhaging goals. We've got no chance in our current state, not unless their is a massive, massive improvement, which doesn't look like coming anytime soon.

I'd make mass changes for this one, can't justify some players starting at the moment. I'd have Richards in goal, not because I think he's better than Garratt, but because Garratt needs a game out of the firing line to get his shit together. If Richards is terrible, bring Garratt back for Coventry.

Back 4 should be Nolan, Raynes, Ng(if fit) or Stubbs, Bakayogo/Pickering. Midfield, I'd have Walker, Grant and Lowery. Have Walker sit in a defensive mid role screening the back 4 and telling him to pounce anytime Akinfenwa gets the ball. Upfront, I'd drop Dagnall and Cooper and start Dale and Ainley. Yes, you lose some proven goalscorers, but Dagnall and Cooper have been toss since the turn of the month. Get them out of the team.

As for Wycombe, they seem a strange one. Poor at home, decent away. But saying that, they have proven strike force of Akinfenwa, CMS and Nathan Tyson, plus a few other tidy players as well. We struggle at Adams Park on the best of days, but Wycombe, coming off the back of a win, should have no trouble with this one.

3-0 defeat. Akinfenwa to bag at least one. If we get more than 50 away fans after yesterdays shit show I'll be amazed.

 

[mowgli]

3-0 really? can't see it mate as the only team we've beaten at home was Forest Green. Even though we won yesterday i bet the **** Ainsworth will tinker with the team for no reason and fook up our chance of 3 points and say sorry afterwards as he picks his mates rather than players in form.

 

[thewwfc]

Shit @ home vs shit away. All the ingredients for a classic, I don't think.

If it's any consolation to Crewe fans, this will be my first game that I watch this season, as a lazy fairweather exile, so that generally will help curse the result against us somewhat.

Plus we generally tend to be a bit poo on a Tuesday night, which is of course when I'm most likely to go to a game.

We no longer seem to be capable of clean sheets, but hilariously are joint third top scorers in the division (can't remember the last time we hit such lofty heights) so I'm going to go for the 1-1 draw, with Akinfenwa's arse being our goalscoring saviour.

I don't understand why we'd be OK away but gash at home though, I would expect the 'tactics', such as they are, to be identical home or away, i.e. thump it up to The Strongest Player in FIFA 18™ at any given opportunity, and foul, niggle and whine till we're (dark and light) blue in the face. No?

 

[TimeyWimey]

Long trip south on a Tuesday night. Even if we were unbeaten at the top of the league this would be a stonewall defeat for us.

 

[Crewelad87]

This has got bad defeat written all over it.

Wycombe 3-1 Crewe (Makail-Smith, Akinfenwa, Stewart, Porter) 3312 (103 Railwaymen)

 

[JJ1532]

Hmm, lot to make of the team selection. Cooper dropped deservedly, but Dagnall keeps his place. Strange. Bowery in for his height. Ng comes back in, but with Wintle out for 2 months(maybe more) with a stress fracture in his leg, we're very light on midfielders. Must be starting Walker in CM alongside Lowery and Ainley given Grant has been dropped. But if he's gone with a 3 man defence and is planning on a midfield of Ainley and Lowery, we could be in serious trouble.

 

[JJ1532]

Holy shit on a stick, we actually scored a goal! Scenes! Big goal for Dagnall, he's been toss for the most part this season.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Different manager. Same Crewe. Despair.

 

[thewwfc]

Well holy shit I didn't see that one coming. The defensive frailties perhaps, but I can't remember the last time I saw us score a couple of crackers in one game - CMS' one-on-one was good too but I couldn't enjoy it cos I was too convinced he was going to screw it up, I'd have to see the replay to check if it was as touch and go as it looked at the time.

Crewe looked like an old-school Keef Alexander side with giants all over the pitch, which wasn't great when we were challenging for headers but maybe encouraged us keeping it on the deck a bit more than usual.

Hell, even Bean had a good game, albeit with a few of the classic 50p-head moments.

Crewe were all right though, I expected them to be worse based on the doom and gloom on here, and the current run of form. Should be fine.

The other thing about chasing the game was that it meant we couldn't timewaste - felt like barely 3 mins stoppage time at the end rather than the usual 6. That *never* happens.

 

[JJ1532]

Dear oh dear, what a complete shock. Up late on, crumble to lose it. Rinse and repeat every season. Sounds like a better display than the last 2 at the very least, but the same old result. Now got 2 more promotion chasing sides in Coventry and Stevenage. Fail to win either of them and we'll be right in the mix at the bottom.

 

[mowgli]

Well holy shit I didn't see that one coming. The defensive frailties perhaps, but I can't remember the last time I saw us score a couple of crackers in one game - CMS' one-on-one was good too but I couldn't enjoy it cos I was too convinced he was going to screw it up, I'd have to see the replay to check if it was as touch and go as it looked at the time.

Crewe looked like an old-school Keef Alexander side with giants all over the pitch, which wasn't great when we were challenging for headers but maybe encouraged us keeping it on the deck a bit more than usual.

Hell, even Bean had a good game, albeit with a few of the classic 50p-head moments.

Crewe were all right though, I expected them to be worse based on the doom and gloom on here, and the current run of form. Should be fine.

The other thing about chasing the game was that it meant we couldn't timewaste - felt like barely 3 mins stoppage time at the end rather than the usual 6. That *never* happens.

Looking forward to seeing Tyson's goal later as everyone who posted on our forums say it was an absolute stunner,at 2-1 down i thought bollocks not again then 2 late goals had me smiling for ages after the final whistle. Like you most of our fans raved about Bean's performance and Eze got a lot of praise too,El-Abd though was slated by everyone god knows why Ainsworth gave him a 2 year contract.

 

[JJ1532]

Sorry, but watching the highlights back, it makes me laugh that Artell has come out with this "we were hard done to" attitude. Maybe he should be asking why his most experienced CB got sucked up the pitch for the equaliser, meaning Ng had to tuck in to cover the gap. That allowed Tyson to put a cross in. That then meant Bakayogo had to tuck inside also to cover, meaning their RB had the freedom of Wycombe to fire in the equaliser. The defensive shape is fucking abysmal, but yeah, we were hard done to.

Then for the winner, Garratt is beaten by a shot that simply has some power behind it. Its not a wonder goal, Tyson has just hit it hard and it's beaten Garratt at his near post, which I don't think should happen in that situation.