Crooked Spire vs Bent-ley Motors - Chesterfield vs Crewe

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

This thread will firstly commemorate our respective towns finest exports whether it be a unique steeple or a luxury saloon car.

Anyway to the game, Saunders in for Seager will probably be the obvious change. Sadly be Semi Ajayi's last game because Davis prefers Dumb and Dumber to the Ajayi-Nugent partnership that has improved us defensively in my opinion. We really need to go for it here and not turn the game into the drabfest the second half was at Rochdale. I felt at times we had Rochdale on the rocks and if it wasn't for Seager's injury, we may have capitalised further by receiving all three points.

In our previous two trips to the Proact we've drawn 5-5 despite being 3-0 up after 12 minutes and 4-1 up at HT and we lost a 1-0 game last season we should've lost by 10. I'm going for a 1-0 defeat here again in a very tight game. I just think we're utterly incapable of winning games in any convincing fashion and we're so lightweight up front with the injury to Seager.

Also with the Fans Forum on Thursday for us, it'll be interesting to see what developments occur from that. Hopefully the future of our club will be a lot clearer by tomorrow night but not expecting too many fireworks.

 

[Westbars_Spireite]

Biggest game of the season. We simply have to win.

 

[Chris]

Big game for both sides which could influence the season outcome for several teams including ourselves

 

[Chris]

I suppose a draw would be the best result for us

 

[Spire1866]

Must win. Say no more.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Ajayi's loan cannot be extended tbf, though I still don't get the fuss over him (his last ditch tackle at Rochdale was v.v.v.good mind). I reckon another draw, which will keep the illusion we're still in with a chance of surviving.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Ajayi's loan cannot be extended tbf, though I still don't get the fuss over him (his last ditch tackle at Rochdale was v.v.v.good mind). I reckon another draw, which will keep the illusion we're still in with a chance of surviving.

He's not exactly Vincent Kompany but he's hardly put a foot wrong whilst he's been here. Same can't be said about that brainless tit Ray. I reckon we'll loan another CB in again soon because Harry's knee is bound to go west for the umpteenth time as well. Don't get why we just don't play Bakayogo in his actual position, put Guthrie and Nugent in at CB and keep the immovable object who'll never be dropped at RB (even though he was decent at Rochdale).

Too many draws spoil our survival hopes. Making my decision on whether or not I'll actually go this game based on the fans forum tonight. Let's hope it's positive news for once.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Picture of forum on twitter with powerpoint titled "Mission and Purpose".

It's blank. Lol.

No, but seriously. Interesting.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Picture of forum on twitter with powerpoint titled "Mission and Purpose".

It's blank. Lol.

No, but seriously. Interesting.

"We'll go with what we've got"

John Bowler and Charles Grant attending is encouraging though.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Dream: Hassall has cut all ties with the club. Grant has taken over as majority shareholder with big ambitions which will be detailed in powerpoint.

Likely reality: Status quo. Mission and Purpose just pure Bowler spin.

 

[JJ1532]

Crewe Alex mission and purpose presentation: to play at the highest level possible.

Hmm, I smell bullshit already.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Norman Hassall set to leave later this year, brilliant news!

 

[TimeyWimey]

Well done to Bowler and co for putting evening on and answering questions. Great Hassall is nearly gone too. But answers are same, club stuck in its ways dismissing other clubs as unsustainable whilst we have one foot in League Two. no real desire to show ambition on the pitch, all talk about next big sale. A player sale is our promotion. It'll placate a lot of fans because Bowler and Dario always speak well but in essence, no change.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Well done to Bowler and co for putting evening on and answering questions. Great Hassall is nearly gone too. But answers are same, club stuck in its ways dismissing other clubs as unsustainable whilst we have one foot in League Two. no real desire to show ambition on the pitch, all talk about next big sale. A player sale is our promotion. It'll placate a lot of fans because Bowler and Dario always speak well but in essence, no change.

Very disappointed with the forum post Hassall announcement but nonetheless happy because Hassall's departure is imminent.

Shame really that there were no questions on Davis' future, no questions on why Holland got a huge budget in 2008-09 yet we've been pleading poverty since. The answers post-Hassall were largely generic except for quashing HS2, that Davis appears to be here next season (great) and for ludicrously saying our business model is better than Walsall's which is hilarious.

Club will always be stuck in the Academy philosophy until Dario passes on/retires for good. It will only have half a chance of working again if we sack Davis. But we won't do, so I'll give this forum a 5/10 for relevance.

 

[JJ1532]

Not a waste of time, but I leave that forum more concerned than reassured.

Bowler deflected the questions on Hassall. Yeah great, they are trying to buy him out, but we've heard that shtick before, not holding my breath. He got very confrontational and almost angry with some who dared to question the policy of carrying on with the Cat 2 academy. Like he doesn't see a problem with us probably having the best academy in League 2 next season. But then Davis said we weren't going down, so I feel relieved, I was getting worried for a moment. They are so stuck in their ways. "This is the way we've always done and this is the way we'll continue to do things". Doesn't matter that we have no money to invest in the first team, meaning we'll have a 25 man squad consisting of 5 players over 22 and the rest being 17-21 year old kids with no experience and no support to help them develop. Doesn't matter that the first team is struggling year after year under EPPP, it worked 3 years ago, so whats the problem?

Bowler didn't believe reducing tickets prices was worth bothering with because it wouldn't attract the extra numbers.

Davis said that he felt he had an excellent working relationship with every player he's worked with and hasn't fallen out with any of them. Flat out lie, what about the time he suspended Inman and Grant? I suspect Clayton and Colclough would disagree with you there as well. He was another who simply didn't think that what they were doing was in any way up for question. Made another laughable reference to Coulibaly and us not signing him because he didn't want to block our young lads. Yeah, we've just signed Lowe and Seager instead. He is full of shit.

Most of the fans who spoke up were generally supportive of the manager and the clubs way of doing things. All the gobby ones on twitter crawled up their own arses and said nothing all night, quell surprise. So that gives them the illusion that everything is ok.

The club is in a mess, nothing could have convinced me of that more than what I saw and heard tonight. Just as the issues don't end with the manager, they won't end with the club buying out Hassall at the end of the season, if that indeed happens. Davis will blow the extra money because our scouting department is terrible. Or it'll go towards funding an academy that they believe is sustainable going forward. I hope they are right, because if they get this wrong, they won't be able to compare us to the Stockport's and Tranmere's of this world, as we'll be alongside them. We are in trouble, even getting rid of Hassall won't change that.

 

[Westbars_Spireite]

We're in a mess so you'll feel at home at the weekend.

 

[spireite]

If we don't win, my relegation concerns will turn into sad acceptance.

At least we've got Jordan Slew to shoot us out of trouble now...

 

[TomPNE94]

lol

 

[TimeyWimey]

Very disappointed with the forum post Hassall announcement but nonetheless happy because Hassall's departure is imminent.

Shame really that there were no questions on Davis' future, no questions on why Holland got a huge budget in 2008-09 yet we've been pleading poverty since. The answers post-Hassall were largely generic except for quashing HS2, that Davis appears to be here next season (great) and for ludicrously saying our business model is better than Walsall's which is hilarious.

Club will always be stuck in the Academy philosophy until Dario passes on/retires for good. It will only have half a chance of working again if we sack Davis. But we won't do, so I'll give this forum a 5/10 for relevance.

Would love to have gone (but 2hr drive to Crewe for 7 on a Thursday is a impossibility, esp with two away games this week) as what struck me from reading twitter updates was how defensive Dario and Bowler were of the academy and how it's the only way we can operate. Then in the next breath bemoan a list of players who have gone for peanuts in comparison to what we could have got for them. It's evidence of the complete blinkered view within the club, that the trend of players leaving earlier and for cheaper gathering pace is ignored because it flies in the face of the "We are Crewe" mantra. From Marshall and Lund through to Colclough, players aren't sticking around like Murphy and Ashton and hell will freeze over before we get another Seth. The likes of Nick Powell are becoming outnumbered and it truly undermines the academy and the stabilisation of the club. However, we're assured the likes of Ainley and Kirk will each fetch £1m+....and these will definitely not run down their contract when the time comes? Or force a early move?

I also think it's quite insulting to other clubs to dismiss them as unsustainable. It would be an interesting debate between Walsall/Burton and Bowler on how to achieve a stable but successful club because right now it feels nothing more than the dismissing of facts because it doesn't fit with Bowler's spin. If it's truly unsustainable, I wonder what he measures that on. Is he saying Burton will inevitably fall back below us in 5-10 years? 10-20 years? Or is it, as I suspect, he is saying you can't get to the Championship with our academy and Burton/we can't realistically stay in the Championship for long so therefore why bother? Academy comes before the first team for this club and that is my biggest issue.

These forums have always been the same however, for years upon years. They are good to hear the club's views but they are strictly the club's views, there is never any interest in the fans. It's a like it or lump it approach. You're dead right, it'll stay that way until Sir Dario passes and I truly, really hope we sustain a decent level of football until that day as the only thing worse than us dropping out of the FL would be seeing his legacy tarnished in any way.

 

[3Loggerheads]

Well a draw please
Failing that a Crewe win
I have a nasty feeling Chesterfield will win this!

 

[3Loggerheads]

I suppose a draw would be the best result for us

Would Fleetwood be kind enough to lose at home to Scunthorpe please!

 

[Crewelad87]

Got a bad feeling about this one. Not every team can be as wasteful vs us.

Chesterfield 3-1 (Inman for us) 6,112 (360 Crewe)

 

[Westbars_Spireite]

Got a bad feeling about this one. Not every team can be as wasteful vs us.

Chesterfueld 3-1 (Inman for us) 6,112 (360 Crewe)

I hope you're right. Think our odds on price with the bookies is massively poor value though.

 

[Buxton Vale]

what is it with Crewe letting 2 early goals in constantly?

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Spineless bastards. Least the flawed "unbeaten run" will be over. Wonder if our propaganda like media will keep reminding us that we're on 1 win in 12 the same they reminded us constantly of the 6 game unbeaten run that included 5 draws.

 

[spireite]

Spineless bastards. Least the flawed "unbeaten run" will be over. Wonder if our propaganda like media will keep reminding us that we're on 1 win in 12 the same they reminded us constantly of the 6 game unbeaten run that included 5 draws.

pulled one back pal!

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Convinced we're in League Two now, absolutely furious Davis is getting a fourth chance to cock up another season out of this.

 

[Westbars_Spireite]

Crewe are shit. Why hasn't their manager been sacked?

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Crewe are shit. Why hasn't their manager been sacked?

Because the club is run by amateurs - https://twitter.com/crewealexfc/status/701086422153953280

Absolutely despise pretty much everything about this football club apart from Garratt, Inman and Bakayogo at the moment. Spineless and rotten to the core.

 

[Westbars_Spireite]

Interesting take on the game. Do they not realise other people were at the game too and saw it?