What Ian Lawlor's signing means for Crewe Alex

Just when you think you can predict what Crewe Alex are going to do(and in many ways you can) they still have the ability to surprise you. Sort of. But their move to sign goalkeeper Ian Lawlor from Doncaster Rovers late last week on a free transfer was a complete shock. And it has flipped a long established squad building philosophy at the goalkeeper position.

For the last 3 seasons, their approach has been clear. A contracted player(Dave Richards/Tom Booth) competing with a loanee(Okonkwo, Beadle, Davies, Marschall, Waller) for the spot. The results have been up and down, with 3/5 loanees working out and more mixed results out of the contracted players.

So to see them almost completely pivot and sign a 30+ year old keeper for the first time since Steve Davies brought in Paul Rachubka way back in 2014-15, it feels momentous. I want to talk about the signing of Lawlor, discuss his profile and then discuss what it means for the Alex in both the short and long term. So, let's start by looking at Lawlor and what he'll bring to the team:

A Career Backup

Lawlor came over from the League of Ireland at 16 in 2010 to join the Manchester City academy. He spent 5 years with City, gaining experience at Barnet and Bury on loan. He left City for Doncaster in 2017, making 70 league appearances over 5 seasons with them. He once again moved out on loan during his time with Donny, going to Oldham and Scunthorpe. A move for 2 years north of the border to Dundee followed, but he made just 13 appearances for them. He then moved back to Donny, but he again struggled to make many starts and appeared just 10 times in 2 1/2 seasons.

He's now made the step down to the Alex and his reasons for joining are curious. I don't think he's come to sit on the bench for the next 18 months. If he has, why bother signing in the first place? The fact he came straight into the team on Saturday is telling. He looks set to be the new number 1 going forward.

That being said, he hasn't started more than 10 games in the league in a single season since 2020-21, which is a long time in football. His debut was back in 2015-16, which means he's been in pro football for 10 1/2 seasons. Yet he's only made 189 career starts, less than 4 full seasons worth of games. Why has he been happy to be 2nd fiddle for so long? Why has he not started more? Is he actually a capable first choice keeper or will we see Tom Booth back in goal in a few weeks time? I'd suggest the jury is out, even in spite of his impressive debut against Harrogate.

Short Term

Moving away from what it means for the goalkeeping position at the Alex, what this does in the short term is free up another loan slot for them to use in the transfer window. With Sam Waller now back at Burnley and them not needing to replace him with another loanee, the Alex have 4 of 5 loan slots used on Jay Mingi, Alfie Pond, Tommi O'Reilly and Emre Tezgel.

With that extra slot free, I would argue that they need to urgently look at signing a central midfielder, as behind Max Sanders and Owen Lunt, they are thin at that spot, with Conor Thomas injury prone and Jack Powell not up to standard anymore.

Alternatively, a winger might be the more important choice, as they have no depth with Jack Lankester, Shilow Tracey and Joel Tabiner injured and Dion Rankine not considered usable. So short have they been for wide attackers that they have had to bring on players from other positions like Omar Bogle and Charlie Finney when they need to rest Tommi O'Reilly or Calum Agius. They need to get this slot used quickly though, as their lack of fit and useful depth is costing them points on a weekly basis at the moment.

In addition, if they end Mingi's loan(as they should), they'd have a 2nd slot freed up. Then they can sign both a midfielder and a winger perhaps. I would also argue with Tezgel set to miss the next 6 weeks according to Lee Bell, they maybe should look to get a 6th loanee in that can play whilst Tezgel is injured. Then when he returns, they can decide who should drop out from their 6 loanees. Maybe one has an injury. Maybe you drop Pond and roll with Phil Croker as your back up to Connolly and Demetriou.

I don't think it would be a mistake to sign 1 too many and deal with which 5 you pick when it becomes an issue, which won't be for a while yet. But with Lawlor's signing and Waller's departure, I'd hope they use that available 5th slot quickly.

Long Term

Coming back to the keeper spot, the club completely flipping their philosophy here is curious in one given it's timing. Were the results under Booth and Waller really that bad that the club felt the need to do a 180 degree turn and go in a totally different direction? Not for me they weren't. Sure, neither player was particularly brilliant, but long term, what does this say about the future at this position?

Lawlor signed an 18 month deal, which to me says both him and the club are keeping their options open. It'll be him and Booth as the 2 keepers for the rest of this season and heading into next season, barring something unexpected of course.

But who is likely to be the number 1 to open next season? If it's Lawlor, what does that say about Booth? He was backed with a 2 year deal last summer and was handed the starting job to open this season. He's had his ups and downs, but given Bell was recently praised for starting more homegrown players this season, the fact that he's essentially benched one of them and signed an external guy to replace him should sit uneasy with Alex fans, especially those who voicefully who defend the academy and it's importance going forward.

And what about the player? What does it do for his confidence that the manager not only dropped him for a loanee, but then went out and signed someone on a permanent deal to start ahead of him? Maybe it puts a rocket up him and inspires him to do better if/when he gets his next chance. But the fact is, players get better by playing. Obviously if Lawlor keeps Booth out of the starting XI for the rest of the season, it means Lawlor has done well. And if Lawlor plays 46 games next season, it also means they've found a consistent starter, which is good for the team. But it's not good for Booth, who is once again stagnating on the bench. He has to be very low on confidence right now.

Conclusion

The signing of Lawlor feels like it has fairly big ramifications, both long and short term, and they ripple out beyond just the goalkeeping spot. This is a fairly big pivot from the club in one of, if not the, most important positions in football. It allows them new found flexibility in the transfer market in the short term, which in turn could help save their season.

And long term, it hopefully gives them new found stability in net, something they've arguably not had for many seasons given their reliance on loanees to fill one of the 2 spots at that position. But it could backfire. Maybe Lawlor quickly shows why he's mostly been a number 2 throughout his career. Maybe they have to turn to back to Booth in a month or two. But on the flip side, they've taken what they feel is necessary step to improve the team and that might send a strong message to the squad that things need to improve in many areas. Where things go from here, I'm fascinated to see.