Crewe Alex 1-1 Harrogate Town 25-26 Review - Drop Off

When the post mortem is held on the 25-26 Crewe Alex season and we ask why they didn't get promoted, the 3 home games against Newport, Bristol Rovers and Harrogate will be exhibits A, B and C for why. You are allowed to have one shocker. Ok, you draw with Newport. Never mind, move on, win the other 2. Ok, you lose a man against Bristol Rovers and that turns a 1-1 draw into a more acceptable result. But to draw today, giving them a home record of 2-3-0 against the current bottom 5, is totally and completely unacceptable. And the reasons why they failed to win all 3 are pretty much the same. Here is my review of yet another collapse from a winning position:

A Drop Off

I've said it before, but the Alex have a truly decent starting XI. I really believe that. The XI we saw on the pitch today isn't perfect. It has a few warts. But compared to other L2 squads, it's mid-table at worst and top 7 at it's best. But football is a team game and you need more than a decent XI to reach the top end of the table. Yes, they were once again missing players who could have made a difference, 6 of them in fact.

But that doesn't excuse the shambles that has led to some of the other players being in the squad currently. It's the same names causing the same problems. Charlie Finney, Jack Powell, Adrien Thibaut. All 3 were terrible when they came on. Again. Louis Moult not even considered, a terrible signing. Jay Mingi and Dion Rankine nowhere near the squad. Conor Thomas and Omar Bogle injured, as per usual. Fin Roberts, Phil Croker, Oli Armstrong, Luca Moore, Jordan Hodkin and Stan Dancey being all but useless as they aren't considered ready for the first team.

No L2 team can carry 14 players that are essentially of no value to them at the present moment in time. If money was no object and the club could make all the changes needed, we would see at least 5 of the above names moved out of the club and replacements brought in. That won't happen of course and it shows how big a mess the management and recruitment teams made of building depth in this squad. Because there isn't any.

Defend Properly!

That being said, there is simply no excuse for some of the play seen today. They were slow and turgid in the first half and were fortunate not to be behind as Harrogate created a few decent openings which a better side would have taken. And the attack that led to the equaliser was pathetic. Players not in position, not tracking men, not doing their jobs, leading to their striker being wide open in the middle of the penalty area to smash home. It's not good enough. I rate the starting XI, but there was enough of them on the pitch at the end to see that game out. And they didn't. Again.

Scrappy

Credit to Harrogate, they came with a game plan and it worked. They were defensively solid for the most part, blocked shots, were smart when they got the ball and probably could have even snuck ahead in the first half. They were poor in the 2nd half and were closer to going 2-0 down than equalising right up until stoppage time, but they got their rewards for staying in the game.

A Pivot

I suppose we can't not talk about the total 180 degree turn the Alex have done at the goalkeeping position either. For the last 4 years, the club have gone down the route of having 2 young goalkeepers in the squad, one a contracted player and the other a loanee. It's been hit and miss if we're being honest. Okonkwo, Beadle and Marschall were hits. Davies and Waller were misses. With Tom Booth being the constant throughout as the homegrown player.

Well, the club flipped that whole philosophy on it's head with the signing of Ian Lawlor on an 18 month deal from Doncaster. They have now decided to have an experienced option in net, with him being the first 30+ keeper signed since Paul Rachubka in 2014-15. He was decent on his debut and deserved a clean sheet after a couple of decent saves in the first half. But questions need to be asked of the clubs goalkeeping philosophy and why they felt there was a need to totally change it mid-way through the season.

Ref Assessment

I could get angry at him allowing Harrogate to take the fateful final free kick about 5 yards away from it's proper position. I could get angry at the ridiculous 5 minutes added on when 3 would have been enough. But he didn't cost the Alex the game.

Management Assessment

Yes, the subs didn't help at all. But given March, O'Reilly and Holicek needed to come off. I don't see what else they could have done. Criticise the process which led to Finney, Powell, Moult, Mingi and Rankine being in the club. That's the real issue.

Player Assessments

Ian Lawlor

Could have won the man of the match award after several decent 1st half stops. Looked solid and assured on debut, one nervy moment in the first half aside.

Lewis Billington MOTM

I can't disagree with the sponsors award. He was solid down the right and his ball in for Agius' goal was outstanding. We just need to see more of it.

James Connolly

Still has a penchant for conceding unnecessary free kicks, but he was fine for the most part today.

Mickey Demetriou

Won most of his headers against a poor Harrogate front line, but he and the players don't get off scot free for their poor recent form, not by a long stretch. Better is needed from both himself and those around him.

Reece Hutchinson

A usually solid display down the left, I'd have liked to see him get the ball out quicker as he wanted too many touches on occasions.

Max Sanders

A decent enough display where I don't think he could have done much more.

Owen Lunt

Fine, but we do need to have conversations about how he struggles to influence games on a regular basis. Sanders has 7 goal contributions from deep, sets the tempo, takes set pieces. What does Lunt do exactly?

Tommi O'Reilly

He tries his best, but he was snuffed out in pretty much everything he did today. He's their biggest creator, but he needs to be less predictable and release the ball quicker at times.

Matus Holicek

Was getting better as the game went on, but was cramping up, so I get why he came off.

Calum Agius

Not really a factor for the majority of the game, but he popped up with his 4th league goal of the season with a well taken goal.

Josh March

Once again could get nothing going against a stingy Harrogate back line. Is it a concern that he could only do 67 minutes this week whilst he managed 83 against Cheltenham?

Subs:

Adrien Thibaut

He did actually show some moments of promise, but yet again, it was his petulance in giving away the free kick which led to the equaliser, which also got him a booking. I said it after Bristol Rovers, but no L2 side should have him in their squad. He's a non-league player in every measurable way.

Jack Powell

Slow, didn't influence things and his free kick at the very end summed him up. Woeful, he needs to be gone by the end of the window.

Charlie Finney

Not directly to blame, but it's another game where he's come on and a lead has disappeared.

Overall Verdict

Another massively missed opportunity. Of which there have been plenty already this season. On to another struggler at home next week. Enjoy the draw Barrow fans.