Standing Alone 1877

It always feels good to step back into Gresty Road a couple of months away. I know it's only a friendly, but its nice to start to get back into the routine of making the short(if you live local) journey to the stadium. Today's game wasn't a classic, but in the Alex's draw with Stoke there was plenty to take away from it. Here are 7 thoughts I had from the encounter: Squad numbers revealed The Alex don't usually reveal their squad numbers until later in the pre-season, usually

Crewe Alex's midfield has been a problem area for years. Ever since they lost Ryan Wintle and his controlling presence in there, they have struggled to maintain control of games. And as England have just proven, a team who can't control the tempo and pace of games isn't going to be very successful. They've tried many things since dropping into L2 in 2022, none of which have been particularly effective. However, one of the most promising groupings they got was in 2023-24, when

I keep saying England have to be better. They can't keep playing poorly and dodging bullets. Well, all the evidence so far is to the contrary. Because despite truly playing well for possibly 90 minutes across their 6 games so far at this tournament, they are into the final 4 of the World Cup. A position they've only been in 3 times previously in their history. This was another performance full of holes, with more questions than answers and more doubts over their ability to go

The Alex started their pre-season off with a visit 30 minutes up the road to face Witton Albion. It was a mixed bag of a game where there was some good, some bad and some stuff in the middle. Here are 7 thoughts I had on their narrow 3-2 win: Trialist Everyone's eyes lit up at the sight of the name 'trialist' on the Alex's first half team sheet. Was it Joe White? Well no, unfortunately not. It was actually 23 year old former Harrogate midfielder Tom Hill. He hails from Formby

England have had some memorable wins and runs in the Euros. But at the World Cup, those moments have been few and far between. Before this tournament, they had just 8 knockout wins in their last 14 World Cups. And aside from their 2018 penalty shoot out win over Colombia, I would say there hasn't been another truly statement game and result for a long time. But this win, over Mexico, given all the context and all that happened in the game, is up there with their greatest Worl

I hope you all enjoy your final Saturday without Crewe Alex football for 10 months. Next Saturday, their pre-season begins with a trip to Witton Albion. The next 3 Saturday's after that are home games with Stoke and Birmingham, then a trip to Chester. Then of course, it's the league cup and then the league. So yeah, scrambling around to find weekend activities can officially end. With a week of pre-season training done at the Alex, their first friendly a week away and their f