Crewe Alex 1-3 Milton Keynes 25-26 Review - Season Over

Crewe Alex will be League Two club in 2026-27. For the 5th straight season. Their longest run of time at this level since the 1980s. A dwindling academy, dwindling finances, increasingly being left behind after leading the way for so long when it came to youth development and how to run a football club. It's ok to feel sad and concerned about the future of this great club, which next year will celebrate it's 150 year anniversary, but that's for another time. Let's try and pick the bones out of a defeat which confirmed what had felt inevitable for a while now, that the Alex's promotion ambitions are over for another year:

Too Much Respect

I get you have to show a team respect. MK after all are a very good team packed with quality throughout. But the Alex seemed to forget you only give guard of honours to already promoted sides and you only do it before kick off. Today in the first half, they sat way way too deep and allowed MK the freedom of Gresty Road to have their way. And to nobodies surprise, they used that freedom to score 2 very simple goals that didn't require any real quality. Just 2 crosses into the box, not defended properly, 2 headers and bang, 2-0 down and out of it.

Bell and the management group got their first half tactics badly wrong and by the time they rectified it, it was too late. They are going to come under a lot of scrutiny in the coming weeks and this has simply fed more ammunition to those that want them gone. I have no sympathy I'm afraid.

Improvement

There was an improvement in the 2nd half. Yes, it was at 2-0 down when MK had dropped into cruise control, much like Grimsby did last week. But they did create some very good chances at 2-0 which they simply had to take. Thibaut hit the post. March and Holicek both tested the keeper and both should have probably done better. Had one of those gone in, MK might have got nervous. But as it was, they didn't.

Game Changer

For the 2nd week in a row, the Alex have been on the short end of a game changing missed call from the ref. A ball over the top got March in behind and the MK defender clips his legs and down he goes. It's a penalty and a red card all day. But the referee didn't want to make a difficult decision, so he waved away the protests. It's a horrendous call, but what do you expect from Trevor Kettle's son?

The Alex aren't going up because they haven't been good enough in enough games, but you can't help but wonder had they got the rub of the green in the last couple of weeks, maybe their season would still be alive.

Think!

That being said, at 2-0 there was a glimmer of hope. But it was snuffed out by a 3rd goal which in honesty was the worst of the 3. Why on earth the Alex tried to launch a quick attack with Sanders off the pitch, god only knows. But it shows that what is lacking is not just managerial nous, but playing nous as well.

Lawlor has seen his form dip in recent weeks(as has been the case at other clubs, I'm just saying) and he didn't cover himself in glory on any of the 3 today, but especially the third. He's an experienced player, he has to know better there and not bowl the ball out the way he did. Sorry to say, but when searching for reasons why they've lost in the last 2 weeks, him and Demetriou's names are near the top of the list.

Big Games

Bell said last week he didn't want to hear about how the Alex were out of it. Well, he might have wanted to tell his players that message, because for the first 45, they played like they were on the beach. The Alex coming up short in crunch situations is not a new thing under them unfortunately. You can argue that they've only really shown up once in a truly do or die situation, that being the Doncaster play-off 2nd leg. Every other time, it has been no-show after no-show.

Planning

Look, the Alex aren't sacking Bell. I'm sorry, but they just aren't. Make peace with it now, it will save yourself a lot of wasted energy. Instead, at all levels of the club, we can start to plan for next season. Fans can start looking ahead to pre-season, transfers, new kits, the fixture list release, opening day of 26-27, etc etc. How much enthusiasm there will be for next season I'm not sure.

As for the club, they have to make some big calls, at all levels. The board do need to decide where they assign blame for this season. Because certain excuses aren't valid and places to hide for some are running out. That includes the chairman, board as a whole, management and recruitment team.

For the management team, they have a massive summer. If you want to make the argument that there has been progress under them, then I think that's fair. But what do they have in them to take this team into the 70 point range consistently? What do they have up their sleeves in terms of new players, in terms of coaching up the young homegrown talent etc etc?

And what more do the players have to give? There are big questions about a lot of them, as they've come up short, yet again for some who have been here multiple seasons. All those questions are for a deeper dive though. For now, planning for 26-27 can begin in earnest, with no more false hope. Good. Let's see what the next few weeks and then the summer brings.

Referee Assessment

Atrocious. Missed virtually every foul on March, including 4 body checks in the first half and the penalty & red card in the 2nd. Then hilariously it's an Alex player who is booked first. Because of course.

Management Assessment

One last point. Why no Shilow Tracey today? He came on last week with 10 minutes to go at 3-0 down, yet didn't see a minute today at 3-1? The fans needed a morale boost, especially late on. The game was stretched and so his pace and energy might have helped. Yet nothing. I don't get it.

Player Assessments

Ian Lawlor

Dreadful. Beaten too easily at his near post for the 1st, flapping for the 2nd when he should have come and claimed it and then his poor pass out whilst the Alex were down to 10 led to the game killing third. He's been poor and he has been for a few weeks.

Lewis Billington

Rinse and repeat really. Good defensively, not enough going forward. The same thing we say for weeks.

James Connolly

Outperforming Demetriou in recent weeks, I'll give him that. He's still poor and needs to be moved on, but he's not made many mistakes, so credit where credit is due.

Mickey Demetriou

He's no longer a consistently top L2 defender. He's just not. Again, time is sapping him and a replacement plan needs to be found this summer to take the pressure off him next season.

Reece Hutchinson

Lively and improved in the 2nd half.

Max Sanders

A decent display, but hopefully his injury doesn't mean we've seen the last of him in a Crewe shirt this season.

Matus Holicek

Needs to be played higher up, but I get why he's had to drop deep. I think he'd be better suited playing off the left wing from the start next season.

Josh March

Had 2 chances, 1 in either half, plus should have had a penalty. Not his day today, but he was slightly better off the right than he was the left personally.

Tommi O'Reilly

An early bang to his shoulder meant he spent most of the time he was on the pitch hobbled. Subbed at half time, another I hope we haven't seen the last of, as he deserves a proper send off for what has been an excellent season.

Calum Agius

On the end of a bad foul, but even before then he was an absolute passenger. Of all the players they will likely take into next season that I'm most concerned about, he's at the top of the list. He's nowhere near the top teams in terms of quality.

Emre Tezgel

A frustrating game where he struggled to get much going, but then he had little help from those behind him. A half chance at the end was as close as he came.

Subs:

Alfie Pond

Was ok, but he's been fairly average in his loan spell if we're being honest. The fact that he can't consistently dislodge Connolly says a lot. They need to find better CBs this summer.

Adrien Thibaut MOTM

Bundled in his 2nd of the season after hitting the post earlier in the half. There is a place for him as a third choice striker here next season, behind March and an Emre Tezgel replacement. I'd like to see him stay. I don't like giving subs MOTM but he earned it, so I'll make an exception.

Jack Powell

He's not what he was, but his delivery for the consolation was a superb one.

Conor Thomas

Lively when he came on in his 320372nd come back game.

Overall Verdict

A disappointing day and a disappointing way for the season to come to an end. 2 dead rubber games to come against 2 sides who are fighting tooth and nail for promotion. That'll be fun. Now though, the post mortem on this season can start, as can looking towards building again for 26-27. I can't say I've got too much enthusiasm for it right now to be honest.