Crewe Alex 25/26 Monthly Review - October

August started well and ended poorly. September started poorly and ended well. October started well, dipped badly in the middle and ended well. So we've had a little bit of everything through the first 3 months of the season haven't we? And whilst we all knash our fingers and cry for a managerial change(of which I'm probably in that camp), the Alex are currently only 1 point off the play-offs after 14 games. Which if offered at the start of the season I'm sure we'd have all taken. Strange isn't it? Let's break down month 3 of the season:

Looking Back

The Alex came into the month off the back of a much needed 3 points against Notts County and they made it back to back wins as they saw off Harrogate on Monday Night Football. They fell behind early to a Jack Muldoon header, but they responded 20 minutes later when a clever corner routine fell to Reece Hutchinson and he scooped an unorthodox finish into the far corner to bring the Alex level. They pushed hard for the 2nd goal and got their reward late on as a Max Sanders thunderbolt from range flew in via a deflection to give them a thoroughly deserved win and lifted them up to 5th in the table.

Unfortunately, things didn't go so well back at home, as they lost 1-0 to Bromley. The manager bizarrely switched to a back 5 and it didn't work as intended. They did miss some big chances early, but things fell apart after that and Bromley snatched the lead just after half time. Bell threw the back 5 in the bin, but the damage was done and they were unable to muster a response and fell to their 3rd home defeat in 6 games. It wasn't just the defeat that stung though, as Josh March went down with a hamstring injury with 20 minutes to go and it was revealed to be an 8-10 week recovery, a bitter blow for their most productive attacker.

A tough trip to MK followed and whilst I didn't expect a result, I expected a performance of fight and grit. Instead, we got a meek display as 2 first half goals put MK in control. A 3rd early in the 2nd half killed the game as a contest and a scrappy goal from Louis Moult(more likely an OG) with seconds remaining was barely even a consolation. This led to loud calls for a managerial change.

Bell seemed to have lost his head for the final game of the month when he dropped Reece Hutchinson and Jack Lankester for the visit of Dave Artell's Grimsby to Gresty Road. And things got even worse when they fell behind after 6 minutes. But to the team's credit, they clawed their way back into the game as 2 Emre Tezgel goals from 2 Tommi O'Reilly setups got them ahead. Unfortunately they conceded a 2nd a minute before half time to leave the game in the balance. Thankfully though, they upped their levels after half time and got their reward as a beautiful cross from Max Sanders was nodded in by Tezgel for him to complete his 2nd hat-trick of the season and his first in the league. It meant they ended the month with a badly needed home win via a late goal at the Gresty Road end for the 2nd month in succession.

U21s

I don't know what else I can say about the U21s that I haven't already. It was another tough month as the defeats continued to roll in. They fell to 2 defeats against Sheff Utd and Hull, losing 3-2 and 4-1 respectively, although the latter was with a mostly U18s team.

They ended the month on a relative positive note by drawing 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday, but they are now rock bottom of the league after 11 games played.

U18s

It's been another off and on month for the U18s. They only played 2 league games in October and they managed 3 points from them, with a 2-0 win at Fleetwood, but a 3-2 defeat at Coventry. That was likely revenge for the Sky Blues after the Alex beat them 4-1 at home in the Development League Cup, their 2nd win in the groups. A point in their final game against Bolton would see them top the group and progress to the knockout stages.

In the FA Youth Cup there was better news, as they beat Notts County 2-1 at home thanks to goals from Billy Baker and Lucas Swann to progress to the 2nd round.

Injuries

The room is still reasonably clear, although Josh March is a very unwelcome addition to the group, as he is out for a medium level of time and probably won't return until around Christmas/New Year.

Player	Injury	Possible Return Date
Jack Powell(CM)	Groin	Mid-November 2025
Josh March(ST)	Hamstring	Late 2025
Shilow Tracey(RW/ST)	Broken Leg	Late 2025
Joel Tabiner(RW/CM)	ACL	Summer 2026

Loans

Zac Williams continues to sit on the bench with Kilmarnock. He's now managed just 90 minutes of league football for Killie and continues to waste his career away sat on their bench.

Fin Roberts has become a forgotten man at Chester as their struggles continue. Jordan Hodkin continues to start for Leek, although the goals seem hard to come by for him lately.

Adrien Thibaut is getting decent game time for Southport, although his initial month there has resulted in just 1 goal and 1-1-3 record so far. Not terrible, but not brilliant either.

Player of the Month

Max Sanders

For the 2nd month in a row, I'm picking the central midfielder. His goal against Harrogate was a cracker and he picked up an assist on Emre Tezgel's winner against Grimsby, which means he's now on a career high for goals and assists in a season. Not bad given we're only 14 games in. I'm not sure why he still takes free kicks though.

Previous Picks:

August: Josh March

September: Max Sanders

Step It Up

Calum Agius

I could have picked plenty of players for this, as most of them could do with upping their game. For now I'll stick with Agius. Yes he's young and only in his 2nd year as a pro, but his impact on games recently has been non-existent. He's without a goal contribution in 5 games and without a goal in 8. They need more from him off that left hand side.

Previous Picks:

August: Emre Tezgel

September: Tom Booth

Underrated Player

Tommi O'Reilly

Maybe an odd choice, but he finishes the month with 3 assists and whilst I find him frustrating at times, he starts every week and always looks like their most creative player. He could do with a break, but he's been solid so far and has 5 goal contributions through 14 games.

Previous Picks:

August: Max Sanders

Underrated Player: Conor Thomas

Analysis

It's been a very contrasting month. In the games against Harrogate and Grimsby, they were the better team and deservedly won both. They dominated the stats in both games and you could say they looked back to the version of them we saw in early August.

However, the games in between them against Bromley and MK were a shambles. Bizarre managerial decisions, poor choices on the pitch from the players, a generally confused and disjointed feel about the place and led to calls for the managers head.

In truth, through 14 games we've seen everything from this team. The highest highs and lowest lows. October was no different. 2 great performances and 2 wins. 2 shambolic performances and 2 defeats. Are the calls for the manager's head justified? Or are we getting sucked into that demand for instant success that any defeat prompts calls to sack Bell? For me, it's somewhere in the middle.

The Alex are 1 point outside the top 7. Perhaps we are being ridiculous to call for him to go whilst they are still in with a shot of the play-offs. But at the same time, their general form over the last 10 games has still been pretty poor, which combined with their form in the rest of 2025 is concerning.

Bell needs a steady run of results in November to settle things down you feel. The question is, does this team and do him and his managerial team have a consistent streak in them? Because through the first 3 months, I'd say that's a fairly comprehensive no.

Looking Ahead

Previous Predictions:

August: 2-2-2(Actual: 4-0-2)

September: 1-2-1(Actual: 1-1-2)

October: 1-2-1(Actual: 2-0-2)

Well, I predicted they would be 4-6-4 after 14 games, which would have been 18 points. They've managed 22, so are ahead of where I thought they would be. I suppose I can't be too upset with that right? Had they won the Harrogate and Bromley games, but lost to MK and Grimsby, would we feel better about things? One to ponder I think.

November Predictions:

Optimistic Prediction: 2-2-0(Beat Shrewsbury and Oldham, draw with Chesterfield and Cambridge, progress in the FA Cup)

Pessimistic Prediction: 0-1-3(Draw with Shrewsbury, lose to Oldham, Chesterfield and Cambridge, lose in the FA Cup)

Realistic(My) Prediction: 1-1-2(Beat Shrewsbury, draw with Oldham, lose to Chesterfield and Cambridge, exit the FA Cup on penalties)

November is a weird month. It starts off tough with Donny at home but then on paper eases off with 21st placed Shrewsbury and 17th place Oldham. Then it gets difficult again, as Chesterfield(7th) and Cambridge(5-1-1 at home) come up. Again, it's anyone's guess what they'll end up with. It could be 8-9 points, it could be as low as 1 or 2. Who knows at this stage.

Final Word

I can't help but feel that if the Alex can end November as they ended October, hovering just outside the top 7, they'll have done really well. I think 2 wins is possible from their 4 league games, but the 2 cup games could be distractions. They'll need a strong start you feel, as failure to beat Shrewsbury and/or Oldham would leave them in a tricky position heading into the Chesterfield game. Bell isn't out of the woods yet.