Crewe Alex 23-24 End of the Season Grades/Awards

Here we are then, the end of the season. Unlike the EFL awards, I don't give out my top prizes until the season is fully concluded. This season was probably the most positive set of grades and awards I've written about, which was nice. There were also a surprisingly small number of players I made eligible for this. I only gave grades to those players who started 5 league games or more.

So, that meant that Regan Griffiths, Charlie Colkett, Charlie Finney, Owen Lunt, Nathan Robinson and Callum Agius didn't get grades of those who made a league appearance. Nor did Dave Richards, Keiren Westwood, Connor Evans and a handful of scholars who made the bench but didn't come on. That left me with only 23 eligible players. So, without further adieu, let's get started with those I think didn't have good seasons:

D - Not good enough, needs big improvement

Shilow Tracey

For all the talk of the Alex's recruitment being better, this was a failure. 4 assists and 3 goals from 33 starts just isn't good enough. It's a barely 1 in 5 ratio. He rarely looks like creating a goal and gets on the end of chances even less. He's a typical lower league winger, a pace merchant who relies on his speed, because in reality he has little else in his locker.

The most damning stat for Tracey is that he's managed just 35 shots on goal and only 10 shots on target. 10! Adebisi and Demetriou have managed more than that. His instinct for getting on the end of chances is abysmal. He has an xA of 3.21, which would rank him 90th in that category across the league. So he can't score and he doesn't create much either.

I was skeptical at the time he signed and I haven't been impressed with him for the most part. He needs to be a bench player next season and were he only on a 1 year deal, he'd be released for sure.

Aaron Rowe

I get enough stick off people, so let me give some back. People actually want to sign Aaron Rowe? Are you joking? He was not good this season. Sure, he had a good game at Derby in the FA Cup and then stepped up in the play-off 2nd leg. But outside of that? Flashes. Brief moments. Nothing consistent, nothing that ever translated to goal/assists production.

People will say he was messed around and moved positions. Wasn't he signed as a utility man who could play all over? And if he was so good on the wing, why did Bell insist on playing him in the number 10 role so many times? I saw a player that far too often went for the 30 yard piledriver and missed. I saw a player that picked up 13 bookings to just 7 goal contributions.

Let me throw some facts out. He managed 7(!) shots on target in the league. That ranks behind Demetriou, Adebisi and White, 2 players who are defenders and another who started 14 games as a midfielder and left in January. His shots on target per 90 ratio was 0.04, which ranked him 225th out of 256 L2 players to have registered a shot of some kind. He was in the squad for 40 games and started just 22 of them.

He managed 2 goals and 2 assists in his starts. Lachlan Brook last season got 3 goals in a much worse team and nobody was crying out to sign him. He is not good enough and was not good enough. I'll be very frustrated if he's brought back permanently next season.

Ryan Cooney

Cooney struggled a lot this season, let's be real here. He was an ever present in the squad, yet started just 20 games, was subbed on in 17 and went unused for 9 games. He was signed to be the Alex's starting RB and yet he never actually started more than 4 games in a row. He had his moments where he stepped up, winning the penalty against Notts County in November and scoring spot kicks in the shoot out wins over Sunderland and Doncaster.

But he completed just 9 league games and his performances were littered with errors that often led to goals. When you look across the whole season, I think this is a fair grade.

Harvey Davies

Summer signing number 4 of 7 to make this list. I won't drag the recruitment team for this one, but at the same time, how often do young keepers in their first loan spell work out? He looked shaky from day 1 and despite some stable if unspectacular performances towards the middle of the season, his constant conceding of soft goals saw him dropped for Tom Booth.

He got 2nd chance when Booth got injured, but another mistake against Morecambe saw him benched once again. Now, thankfully Booth was been able to steady the ship, so I hope they move away from the young keeper loan market in the future, as it's a minefield that does throw up occasional success stories like Okonkwo and Beadle. But far too often gives you shaky rookies who look miles off the level, like Davies.

C - Passing Grade, could do better

Charlie Kirk

Was the signing of Kirk a mistake or not? At the time, nobody thought so. But unfortunately, the Alex got the Kirk that all the clubs he played for since leaving, a largely ineffective one. However, let's also not ignore the fact that he probably could have had 2 goals and 3 assists since coming back, given he came close to scoring against Harrogate and FGR and should have had assists on Nevitt's goal at home to Morecambe, Nevitt's penalty at Notts County and again on Nevitt's goal at Colchester.

He put in a couple of strong performances and was probably more effective than Long, Rowe or Tracey were in the final months of the season. For me, with a full pre-season, bringing him back next season would make sense. However, if he was to move on, I wouldn't shed any tears either.

Lewis Leigh

You question Leigh's signing. He looks like a passionate and fired up player with plenty of technical ability. I'm just not sure what the Alex expected from him. He had some solid moments in the brief game time he got and he stepped up to bury a key spot kick to help the Alex to Wembley. He also had a dumb red card at Morecambe which could have been devastating to the Alex's season. Still, he tried hard and clearly cared. This is a bit generous, but oh well.

Josh Austerfield

It's hard to properly judge Austerfield. He started well, scoring twice in his first 4 starts. But as the Alex fell off a cliff from March onwards, so did he. So it depends on what you say is the issue. Is Austerfield part the reason why they looked so poor? Or have they looked poor and that's why his form has cratered? Had he not lost almost all of his experienced support in midfield, I don't think he'd have struggled as much personally.

But I can see both sides of the argument and that's what makes it difficult when assessing him.

Joel Tabiner

Tabiner was looking quite lively through the first 14 games. But then a badly handled foot injury took what was supposed to be a few weeks of recovery and extended it to 4 months. For a player I came into the season with high hopes for, to only get 18 starts out of him is very disappointing. He needs a full, clean 24-25 to hopefully show his quality.

Chris Long

Well now, this section needs a rewrite doesn't it? I'll keep it what I had written before the PO Final, which was:

How good a season did Long have? Sure, he stepped up in September with some big goals and was rightly nominated for the L2 POTM award. But after that? He had a quiet October and then the injuries kicked in, which saw him start just 9 games from December onwards.

He did score 9 goals and had what pretty much was an assist on the Alex's 2nd goal at Doncaster, but the truth is, we never saw him at his best for very long, what with his injuries remaining a constant frustration.

I'll now add this. The dive in the play-off final when he should have been scoring was inexcusable. It'll be the defining moment of his 3 years at the club and it should be his last in a Crewe shirt.

Zac Williams

Williams showed glimpses of the player he could become at times this season. 2 goals and 2 assists from defence is a solid return for him and his ball carrying ability and maturity did show signs of improvement.

But the concerns from 12 months ago are there. There are still moments when he's reckless, he lacks a clear position with Demetriou likely occupying his spot for the next 12-24 months and his injuries have been constant, restricting him to just 22 starts. What the future holds for him this summer, I don't know.

Courtney Baker-Richardson

CBR had a solid start to the season, scoring 8 goals by the end of November. He'd even managed to avoid any injuries. However, his form struggled from then on. Nevitt became the clear cut number 1 striker and CBR was relegated to a bench role, starting just 2 of the previous 10 games before his unfortunate shoulder injury against Sutton.

He might criticise me on social media, but what can't be denied is the fact he didn't manage an open play goal as a starter from December onwards. He was one of the big players to step up and score at Doncaster in the shoot out and I can't deny his big time defensive contributions. He's one of the best strikers I've ever seen at defending his own box. I won't use this to discuss whether to keep or release him, that's for later.

But I can't overlook the fact that for the most of the 2nd half of the season, he was a non-factor. in attack Hence this grade.

Matus Holicek

Holicek has had a mixed season. He was getting some game time early in the season, but then a groin injury saw him miss November, December and most of January. When he got back into the team, he had his moments where he looked like a star, such as Stockport away and Harrogate at home. But he found adapting to the number 10 role tough.

Still, he is only a first year pro and he coped better than other youngsters in similar positions over the years. It took Kirk 50 games to score his first goal after all and Holicek managed a goal and an assist. As with Tabiner, a full undisrupted season in 24-25 should see him kick on to new heights hopefully.

B - Good Season, Done Well

Max Stryjek

I wasn't going to rank Stryjek, but I suppose he technically passed the appearance threshold with 3 league and 3 play-off games. He struggled in the league games, but stepped up big time in the PO 2nd leg, saving 2 key penalties. He also was solid at Wembley and made some good saves there as well. He won't be back next season as he'll go to L1. Best of luck to him, instant cult hero status.

Lewis Billington

Billington earned breakthrough player of the season and it's easy to see why. He got his opportunity in November and put in some solid performances after that, being a regular until he was bizarrely dropped for 4 straight games. He came back into the team and once again looked solid, if unspectacular. But given this was his real exposure to league football, he did about as well as can be expected.

Ed Turns

Turns started his loan spell really well, playing with a calmness and confidence. However, as time wore on, the mistakes began to creep in. His overeagerness to challenge for every high ball meant he often got drawn into challenges he could never hope to win and that left him out of position. It's a shame he got injured right as the season was entering it's climax, but he returned in the nick of time to help the Alex win at Donny and get through to Wembley.

Tom Booth

I've seen some people doubting Booth which I find strange. I think he's shown enough to suggest he should be the number 1 keeper next season. Sure, find him some competition in the form of a capable backup, but given he's not 20 until August and is making his first run of starts, I think he's done all that can be asked of him.

Conor Thomas

I won't let me personal bias of Thomas ignore the fact that when called upon, he's been reliable this season. I can't find many stinkers from him and he's done all that was asked of him. The Alex midfield definitely missed him in the final few weeks of the season. The worry will be keeping him fit for longer, as his career injury issues cropped up repeatedly.

Jack Powell

Had he played the full season, I might well have ranked him higher. His ability to get on the ball, make passes and generally be a reliable and steady presence in midfield has been badly, badly missed since he did his ACL in October.

I think with him and Tabiner fit, the Alex would have finished closer to the top 3 and wouldn't have flopped in the play-offs. They need to hope he can get himself fit and back to the same player he was pre-injury, as ACLs can take a long time to recover from not just physically, but mentally as well.

A - Outstanding, No Notes

Elliott Nevitt

Is there a more improved player than him? From 0 goals in half a season in 22-23 to 16 goals this season in the league and 18 in all competitions. Without his steady production, the Alex would be nowhere near the top 7. His durability, workrate and passion are all big pluses and he will be a huge miss if he doesn't return to the club next season.

Joe White

He started slowly, but eventually he was asked to emerge from the shadow of Powell and Tabiner and did so with aplomb. He grew into his starting midfield role more and more and by the time January came around, he was already drawing admiring glances from higher placed clubs. Unfortunately, Newcastle wanted him back and put him sporadically on their bench. His loss, along with a few others I've mentioned, was another brick in the wall they could have done with in the final few weeks of the season.

Connor O'Riordan

Of all the players I think the Alex have missed, O'Riordan is up there for me. Not only was he a steady presence at the back that they found it tough to replace, but they lost his ability at attacking set pieces. They struggled to pose the same threat from corners and free kicks and that was because they lacked the dual threat of him and Demetriou.

I do wonder if he regrets his move to Blackburn though? His bank balance looks good I'm sure, but the club look in rocky waters and he's been stuck playing for their U21s. Had he thought about it a little more, maybe staying at the Alex and helping them win promotion would have been a better career move for him? I get him doing what he did, but I wonder how he feels about it all now?

Rio Adebisi

I asked if Nevitt was the Alex's most improved player? Well, Rio has a case also. Ask fans last summer if they thought he was any good and I'd say a good portion of them would have said no. I doubt many are saying it now. 4 goals and 7 assists from LB is a fantastic total and he's been superb for the majority of the season. His levels have understandably dropped in the final few weeks as the physical toll of playing 46 games hit him.

But he's been amongst the Alex most consistent performers. His defensive work has improved dramatically and at the other end, his threat both in terms of shooting and crossing has come on leaps and bounds as well. He could be a dark horse candidate to move on this summer if a club wants to pay the compensation fee for him.

Luke Offord

Offord, in his final hurrah for the club, has been excellent. He was solid at CB alongside O'Riordan and Demetriou, but its his mid-season move into midfield that saw him hit new levels. Why it's taken his 5th season to finally try him there on a consistent basis, I don't know.

But he looked like the all action CDM they've lacked since Wintle left. It's not a coincidence that since his injury, the Alex have completely fallen apart. How much better off would they have been had he been fit the last 8 weeks?

Mickey Demetriou

What a signing. What a player. What a season he had. He was immense for the vast majority of the season, coming up with some massive contributions at various at times both in defence and upfront, where he had a season for the ages, with 10 goals and 6 assists in all competitions.

He stepped up as captain in the absence of Offord and led the Alex to Wembley.

Conclusion

I think several things stand out when I do these ratings. First, the group of players who I think had poor seasons is slim. And even then, I can see the case for each of them being ranked higher.

But what I also think stands out is that the Alex heavily relied on the top 6 performers to carry them through games. I'm not saying a lot of the others didn't contribute in their own ways, but the core 6 were what dragged them through some games. I think that's why their performances started to struggle, when some of those key foundations were removed.

Overall though, it was a positive season and most of the players can consider themselves as having excellent, good or even passable seasons. Let's hope for similar grades next season.