That's pounds for Hope House, not season tickets for the Alex! The Crewe ASi fans’ group is delighted to announce a guaranteed £750 donation to Hope House Children's Hospices, money that was raised at their Christmas Party and recent Race Night. In an attempt to increase that amount beyond the magic £1,000 barrier, ASi Secretary David Coleman completed the BUPA Great Manchester Run. David take
Yawn. After last Sunday's dismal showing away at Donny most Alex fans hoped for a display similar to that seen vs Huddersfield at the Alexandra Stadium the other week. As ever, the players forgot their lines (that seems to be a common theme, with even Dario Gradi despairing that he has to go through everything on a Friday to avoid players forgetting their roles). Play was stifled, good chances were few and far between. The second half served up a handful of opportunities but there was no quality in front of goal. Lowly Millwall (with only four points before today's game, complete with former Alex general Dave Brammer) dominated large portions of the play and any thoughts about Crewe returning to winning ways were dashed as this match ended goalless. The sparse crowd (4,478) was a good indication as to what the Crewe public thinks about on-the-pitch matters, and only points on the board will put bums on seats for future home games. The "Fun Day" scheduled for the visit of Bournemouth
Last of four views from the top of Delamere House in the centre of Crewe. I'll pop a 360 degree slideshow up over the weekend showing a few more snaps taken from one of the tallest building in the town, one that will also be bulldozed when the new council offices are built on the site of the outdoor market. That, I believe, is the current plan, although reshuffling the Cheshire administrative centres following the reorganisation of the county (final decision pending) might see Crewe council jobs disappear. We'll see...
It's another memory lane photo today, showing Alex fans away (somewhere) at the start of the 1997-98 season. The reason I used this image is because Crewe travelled to Swindon today. Many supporters will recall that incredibly hot August afternoon at the County Ground when Dario's young side stepped up to what later became The Championship (the First Division back then). It was sweltering. And we lost 2-0. I think this snap was taken a few weeks later at one of the other away games, but I can't remember. I recognise three of the faces in the picture so maybe they can email Crewe blog if they recall which games they attended in the hot sun. Still, back to the future and today's Alex side is very different from the one that took to the field ten years ago. No Shaun Smith or Jason Kearton (keeper) at the back, no [very young] Kenny Lunt or Seth Johnson in midfield. Certainly no man-mountain like Dele Adebola up front! Instead, it's an evolving team. It's still of the Gradi mould but
The Alex has been criticised for various things over the summer, but offering free tickets to kids accompanied by an adult is a massive step forward and should be applauded (club feature here). Tonight (Wednesday 1st August) Derby County come to Gresty Road, then on Saturday it's Stockport County. The freebie offer applies to both games, so at just £10 for an adult (excluding season ticket discount) that's great value for a family. Make the most of it...
The Bullets (Alsager Town) were well and truly shot down by a, erm, makeshift Alex side that had been spread between Alsager's Wood Park ground and Quorn FC (the latter game, btw, ended 5-0 to the Alex). It was a memory lane trip for yours truly, my old stomping ground. We had a quick beer in what was The Grove in our youth, then the Devonshire and is now called something so memorable I can't remember some three hours later. So we wandered down to the ground that is just a few minutes away and tried the bar. Graham McGarry (he of Radio Stoke) is involved (chairman) these days and he seemed to be busy all over the place. The ground has been improved, with a bigger fence to stop people peeping over without paying! The game was OK, but the lure of the bar (inc a terrace view across the pitch) was too much. That and being able to chat to people we hadn't seen for ages, including a few from way back at school. Gary Roberts looked better than usual, Danny Woodards OK, Matt Bailey is no St
Miserable day, plenty of doom and gloom in the news, so a splash of colour as I continue to showcase some of the many Crewe Alexandra shirts worn over the last 20 years...
Wow! Just watched this video clip posted by W. Gibson on the Google Video site and the memories came flooding back. I walked down South Street this morning, part of a general walk-about around the Alexandra ward. I always take a peep into the ground, through the fencing on the corner of the Gresty Road End and the new main stand. But I miss the old Popside, the open Railway End and the tatty GRE. That's progress, I suppose. But with the new-look, all-seater stadia something was ripped out of football's heart. It had to happen but for many I suspect the magic was lost forever. The main snap shows the massive main stand, seen from the platforms of Crewe station.
It's a simple subject, but there's a storm brewing concerning season tickets for the 2007-08 League One season. The Alex, on the back of a very mediocre season, has chosen to keep season ticket prices the same (£285 for adults) as the current season. Great, you might think. However, there has been no "early bird" deal this April, unlike last season when the club offered adult STs at £270. So some think that actually equates to a £15 rise. Andy Scoffin is one disgruntled supporter and has sent numerous posts to the Crewe Internet message boards, written to the club and, today, had a letter of complaint published in the weekly Crewe Chronicle. The image shows a selection of Andy's season tickets from across the years. He's so dismayed at the club's treatment of long-standing, loyal supporters that he has vowed to keep his cash in his pocket this summer and refuse to be "milked" by the Alex. He will not be buying a season ticket this summer. He has a point. The casual support has
There's a reason why some sides pick up points and stay in the promotion pack. Others slip up, make the odd mistake and don't get the breaks. That's what we saw today. Harsh, yep. Sadly, they probably had the edge although the Alex gave it a good go. We miss Varney, although he appeared pre-match for photos and to collect various awards on the pitch. As always following defeat I'm a tad deflated, so I'll post more of the match tomorrow...
The Alex get criticised by many supporters for failing to market the club effectively, and also for missing out on money-making schemes that would ease the annual loss. Well, in the last few weeks you can't complain about the efforts made. First we saw posters dotted around the town publicising the forthcoming league game vs Rotherham (24th March, adults only £10 btw). Many fans have called for such advertising in the past, so well done to the club (I've posted it on this blog a few times, and will do late next week as the match approaches). They are trying. Sadly, the match is against the rock-bottom Millers, plus the Alex are now very unlikely to scrape into the play-off positions. So it's a tricky game to sell to the casual. Then, thanks to eagle-eyed Maggie, I snapped the top of the Alex main stand where one of those mobile phone masts has appeared. Fair play, it's hard to spot, blends in well with the rood structure, and they club will, I assume, be making a few grand from ho
For the first time in what seems like years the Alex will probably play out the season with no promotion or relegation battle to sustain the casual fan's interest. That's sure to hit the club hard in the pocket as attendances drop still further for the final home games. The Alex needed a win at Gillingham to keep the hazy play-off dream alive but couldn't convert chances. It's almost certainly gone now, with a draw or defeat away at Millwall on Tuesday night likely to rubber stamp it. Nicky Maynard and Luke Varney are both out and, despite giving it a good go, Rodney Jack, Ryan Lowe and Michael Higdon couldn't deliver in their absence. Shame. Another season in League One is likely to see more of the older and experienced players move on. However, as one door closes another opens. The highlight of the defeat down in Kent was the introduction of academy youngster Shaun Miller. On his first team debut the lad almost grabbed a spectacular equaliser. With Nicky Maynard, Michael O'Conn
A bit of fun ahead of the weekend's footy. Alex 'keeper Ben Williams and striker Ryan Lowe swap roles to see who is penalty king. Uneathed by Matt, posted to YouTube by the prolific Crewie. Enjoy...
According to Dario we practice penalties. Three missed today! Is this the video he's been showing the players? Ok, so we beat Huddersfield today (brilliant) but we don't half make it hard for ourselves. Watch this clip if only for the cheeky 'keeper who chucks the ball at the kicker's head. Fair play, as the despondent striker doesn't bite!
The latest from the never-ending YouTube resource. But it's a bit of pain, I'm afraid. Worth watching for the young lad doing keepy-ups at half-time. Awesome. It's a bit stop-starty quality, and then you have to watch Donny taking (and scoring) a penalty twice! What could have been...
Sometimes, you take what you can get. For those of us forced to limit away trips you rely upon the TV, Teletext, radio and even the Internet. I've subscribed to Crewe Alex World in the past but, I'm sad to say, the matchday coverage (linked to Radio Stoke) was poor, and that's being polite. Today, like other days, there was no coverage of the Alex on Radio Stoke FM (the only channel that I can get a decent signal for) although Crewe were away and Stoke were at home. Surely that can't help the Stoke attendances, knowing that their home games are likely to be on live most weeks? Still, getting any kind of Crewe news or sport via the BBC is a tough task. We are caught somewhere in between the Midlands and North West media centres. We are the poor relations. I learnt about today's winning Alex goal (a Ryan Lowe strike in the 89th minute - come on!) via the text feed at the bottom of the Sky Sports page. A minute later Graham McGarry was allowed a few seconds to update listeners about
Indeed, it's Donny Day! The Alex need a win tonight, and they need one bad. Confidence hit rock bottom across the fast-depleting fan base after Saturday's shocking 4-0 home defeat. That's history, but defeat tonight will effectively end the season. That's no exaggeration, so anyone considering going to the match please do so - and make some noise! Night games always have that special edge, flootlights on and the atmosphere seemingly electric. Come and enjoy it, for just a tenner... The players must be feeling lousy. The fans do, but not only do the Alex players have to suffer on the pitch, knowing that they are inferior, they then must face friends, family and supporters. I don't doubt that they give 100% but many remain unconvinced that the manager is motivating them sufficiently to be winners, rather than just pretty footballers. The supporters are not best happy, and the natural reaction of footy fans is to find a scapegoat when things go wrong. Personally, I believe that the b
Woeful. Disgraceful. Hapless. Heartless. Pitiful. Inept. Just a few words many fans used throughout and at the end of today's dismal home game. It was a bad day at the office for Dario Gradi and his players. A very bad day. You just don't lose at home to a team who are 4th bottom, do you? Well, not when you're doing ok and confidence is relatively high. Whatever, the "Egg on Face" award must go to the Alex gaffer who chipped in with a classic earlier this week: "We're becoming hard to beat." Right. Spot on , Dario. I suspect a few of the paying punters will beg to differ. I have a mate who travels down from Nuneaton to Alex home games. He deserves a medal at the moment, as does another who is based in Chesterfield. After today's match (although it was no contest) one of them suggested that today's performance was "the worse I've ever seen at Gresty Road." It will be interesting to see if many readers of this blog agree with that rather harsh comment. If you do, please say so. It
Ok, so Deano's long gone. But the memories, eh? How time goes by... two years since the Holmes Chapel lad was sold to Norwich (and then on to West Ham). Here's hoping Luke Varney doesn't follow in his footsteps and cut our season short! This clip robbed from Crewe Alex World and then posted to YouTube (by someone a little bit whoooa), which is very, very bad. Make sure you turn up the volume for the thumping tunes that accompany the spectacular clips...
A few years ago losing points to Cheltenham would have been a disgrace. Tonight, just a couple of days into 2007, Crewe Alexandra must be grateful for a point. Spending almost a decade in the Championship (level two of the English pyramid) is but a faint memory. Desperate fans can now smell the bottom division. The worst thing about the whole fiasco is that the club seems to be powerless (or unwilling) to tackle the issues head on. I've backed manager Dario Gradi for years. He's gives 100% and has worked hard to build a solid foundation at the club. However, things have gone horribly wrong at Gresty Road since Dean Ashton moved on. Secrecy behind the scenes is one thing, but stories about the gaffer losing the dressing room have done little for supporter confidence. Moreover, after 23 years you have to ask if the great man has taken us as far as he can? Perhaps it is time to move aside. Let's get one thing straight - I DO NOT want to see Dario sacked. He does not deserve that. The t
Absolute garbage. After a few beers and a natter with Mr Fat Fakir I had said that I'd write a match report in the style of a shopping trip. Really! However, I am in no mood for such mirth. It's a depressing time as an Alex fan just now. So maybe another time. Anyway, the football - or lack of it. Crewe Alexandra are officially rubbish. If questioned, I'm quite sure that 8 out of 10 cats would agree. Yeovil, a modest club from Somerset, were made to look good. Their passing was poor but Dario Gradi's men were worse. Constantly giving the ball away, failing to clear the ball, slack marking, few ideas between midfield and attack. Only Nicky Maynard stood out as a talent. As for want-away players David Vaughan, Jon Otsemobor and Billy Jones, well, they looked like average lower league footballers. Pathetic. We sat up in the gods at the top of the main stand. You get to see how the game pans out from up there. You can assess players' movement. The Alex don't create much space. They c
