This Saturday we entertain one of the lower leagues iconic clubs. They have had a particularly difficult time over several years. The sexual abuse revelations at the club combined with continued historic failure to act ( we know all to well the same of that in Rotherham ) and resignation of director and the sad fall from Grace of legendary football coach and manager Dario Gradi. However, the scandal spread to envelop football and the investigations that started at crew led to 300 suspects being identified and 849 victims.
One can imagine the depression and damage to Crew and its fans. The original target of the investigation received a 30 year sentence but sadly its not all over for Crew or indeed victims. A few former players have hearings on the high court scheduled seeking significant compensation.
On the pitch Crew are nothing short of a footballing miracle. Despite their stature and finances they have managed to produce some very good footballers and have one of the best academy's pound for pound in the country. They have had some exciting times over the years although they have never won a title. The year of the curtailed pandemic season they may well have achieved that being top as play was suspended. However having played one more game than second place Swindon they finished 2nd after PPM was calculated. Crew were back in L1 for the first time since 2015-16 .
Crews current manager is a certain David Artell . Artell took over in 2017 , and eventually led them to promotion in 2019-20.
Rotherham born and bred , Artell started his career and spent a couple of seasons wearing the millers shirt around the turn of the century. He was a strong and brave big centre back. He won promotion with us during King Ronnie's reign as we went from the bottom tier to the championship. Artell was sold but went on to have a very decent career playing nearly 500 games and several caps for Gibraltar . Artell became the second crew manager to field a full team of academy graduates in a competitive league game. The team we face on Saturday will likely have half a dozen home grown players . Quite a startling fact.
Crew also have Billy Jones on their books although he hasn't been a regular starter.
Crew have had an indifferent start. They beat Burton but have drawn 2 and lost 5 so far. They tend to set up 443 and from what I can work out don't have any particular strengths. They do have a couple of speed merchants whom seem prepared to run from deep. They do like to pack the opposition box and of course try to play football the crew way. If the attack and midfield is unimpressive its the defence that looks weaker still.
The millers will face a lot of games like this both home and away. They have to be games we win if we are to be in touch with the likes of Sunderland, Wigan, Wigan, et al.
We saw how a poor performance can be taken advantage of when fleetwood humiliated us at home. This will be a test of both our mentality as much as our football status.
Nothing more than a win will do but I do respect this crew side despite my sincere but rather dismissive tones. Crew, historically have given us some real drubbings and lead us overall with 30 wins to our 29. We aren't strangers and with nearly 80 games between the teams over the years history once again demands respect.
Prediction.
Millers 3 crew 1
-- Edited by ian on Thursday 23rd of September 2021 02:27:41 AM
David Artells Crewe visit New York Stadium on Saturday. I know his dad Greg and have been in his company on several occasions. A smashing man who will be cheering the millers on to beat his lads Crewe.
I think David will do well to keep Crewe up this season. That doesn't necessary mean i expect us to wallop them on Saturday. Until their recent defeat against Morecambe where they let in three goals they have been competitive in most games and have only lost by the odd goal on most occasions in the league (Portsmouth beat them 2-0). I think that will be the case this Saturday. Set up to keep it tight, look for an outlet in the speedy winger on loan from Spurs. As Ian said they tend to play 4:3:3.
I am pretty sure we will go 3:5:2. I am also sure the front two will be Smith and Grigg. With Ogbene and Ferguson fit i would have those two as the wing backs. i think Mattock will get the left of the back three role but he could put Bola there. My side would be.
Viktor
Harding Wood Mattock or Bola.
Ogbene Rathbone Barlaser Wiles Ferguson.
Smith Grigg
That side should be good enough to beat most sides in this league never mind Crewe. I will go 1-0 or 2-0
I think Edmonds-Green has done well enough to keep his place. We should beat Crewe, but we have a habit of slipping up occasionally at home in games where teams sit back and break on us. We need to be patient and realise that we dont always have to go at 100mph. It sometimes feels like we are a bit too frantic too soon and then run out of steam.
I see where you are coming from with Edmonds-Green Smiler because he has done well. However, i think when fit and rested the best right sided pairing are Harding and Ogbene. It could be argued that Ogbene is not seen at his best as a wide player in a five, and i possibly agree with that against better sides away. At home on Saturday i would put Ogbene in with harding behind him pushing him forward at every opportunity and hurting Crewe in the final third of the pitch. Give him at least 60 minutes and see where we are. There are now plenty of options on the bench to change players and formation if necessary. It is also the same on the left side. It could be argued that Bola should keep his place, but if fit i would play Ferguson.
Thats a shame Whiston. I think his form before the suspension was better than ogbene. Quite a luxury to have 2 speed merchants of good quality on either side.
-- Edited by ian on Friday 24th of September 2021 12:36:44 PM
I think Edmonds-Green has done well enough to keep his place. We should beat Crewe, but we have a habit of slipping up occasionally at home in games where teams sit back and break on us. We need to be patient and realise that we dont always have to go at 100mph. It sometimes feels like we are a bit too frantic too soon and then run out of steam.
Yes. Home form does concern me. I agree, we do have to be a little more controlled at home. A little more patient.
Hopefully the addition of Grigg will give us that bit of quality
I must admit I'm looking to grigg to give us better balance both shape and temperament. Freddie, sometimes seems out of position and doesn't run through enough lines for me.
I see where you are coming from with Edmonds-Green Smiler because he has done well. However, i think when fit and rested the best right sided pairing are Harding and Ogbene. It could be argued that Ogbene is not seen at his best as a wide player in a five, and i possibly agree with that against better sides away. At home on Saturday i would put Ogbene in with harding behind him pushing him forward at every opportunity and hurting Crewe in the final third of the pitch. Give him at least 60 minutes and see where we are. There are now plenty of options on the bench to change players and formation if necessary. It is also the same on the left side. It could be argued that Bola should keep his place, but if fit i would play Ferguson.
I do like Harding and ogbene down the right if we are playing that 5 especially at home or against weaker teams. Against an expected 433 ot looks made for ogbene. Maybe Artell will change it.
REG, is definitely pushing for a place now and competing for one of those back 3 places. Then again mattock is now firmly back as an option and he loves that more flexible role that allows him more space and support wide.
In my mind I'm thinking icky is the one he's competing with. On the surface they have similar build and athleticism. Neither seem strong but they are mobile. REG perhaps has more composure but icky has more aggression and possibly more ability to work in a disciplined unit. I think REG might improve more and then it's fine margins for the rest of the season. If Angus can get back we will look really solid with options at the back-footballing options not just replacements.
Poor first half why take t and mattock off ferguson yes but harding out of position again
And why play deep 20 mins ago
Crewe were a poor side and warne tactics invited them off
And ladapo miss ffs
Great goal by rathbone
Ref poor but cant blame him.for our performance
2nd half when played on floor we played well then 20.mins reverted to hoof ball
Time and again we fall foul to the seemingly obvious. Most fans could see that coming and I sure the coaching staff could. So, why did they continue to play into their hands. Find margins for sure , but that set up at home needs some serious consideration. The subs I though should have been grigg and wiles off for lyndsey and icky. I have to say bringing Harding in again in that unnatural position is just bad thinking. It's plain wrong and we are paying dearly.
As it was it wasn't great either. Rathbone and wiles played well and barlasar looked good too. However , we still looked vulnerable even though Crewe hardly had a chance. Pressing high is great and having ogbene wide is also excellent but there is real unbalance defensively in this team when going forward.
Of course, we should have been out of sight , but we weren't and that's adding up over the games. Chances in every game, but a worrying conversion rate. Smudge , bola, grigg, and freddie all missed better than 50/50 chances.
Ferguson was great when he came on but ogbene and that right hand side looked vulnerable. The left looked better but to repeat, why put Harding on . You could leave it or switch him and drop one in the centre . It was clear that when Crewe needed to come forward we were actually getting outnumbered in the middle and the defenders were running backwards due to little protection in the middle. Wiles was blowing up and there was simply no need to bring freddie or Harding on.
It's very difficult to continue to give PW the benefit of doubt when you can see stuff from the stands on a regular basis that costs us at home.
What do others think because I can only think it's subs made to continue his philosophy at home and away that we just go forward . This was PWs modus operandi from day one and to be fair he hasn't relented.
No ifs or buts re the amount we miss. The strikers are of that quality and its plagued us or been the weak link in terms of how we play. Of course the alternative is to go back to the drawing board and really think about how we play. I don't think the coaching staff have the heart or head for that. It's a hard thing to do. We may know change is necessary and even what it is but its difficult. Fear, creativity, and knowledge and skill concerning your own ability but also what you are working with. Maybe we will get lucky and have a change forced on us...or we learn from mistakes .
We are still looking short of a top 6 challenge.
There are some issues to navigate up ahead for sure but we still gotta be finding a way to win at home.
-- Edited by ian on Saturday 25th of September 2021 06:49:25 PM
Apparently Mattock was injured. We have got forwards who have been there and done it before but at the moment we are letting ourselves down with our finishing or final ball. Its massively frustrating that we didnt win the game - that game should have been out of sight - but there isnt much at all wrong with us. Short of putting the ball in the net himself the manager couldnt do much more. He has assembled a good side with lots of good players and now playing some very good football. Unfortunately we arent putting the final piece of the jigsaw in by finishing off our good work, and our best defender last season seems to be a bit prone to schoolboy errors all of a sudden. The fact that he was on the left side is irrelevant. He excelled at left back many times last season. Harding is still a good defender, but that was a basic error. If Warne had any hair he would be tearing it out. If we werent making chances I'd be worried, but we are so I'm not. I dont think there is anything to get too disheartened about. It will come. We are misfiring slightly but are still well placed. It could be worse.
playing a player out of position where for 3 out of the last 4 home games he has made errors that have cost us 8 points is irrelevant, what a ridiculous statement to make. Smiler you are so stuck up the managers a**e you could taste the meals he eats before they digest. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is said to be the definition of insanity. Warne got his in game decisions wrong today and this is his biggest weakness. Yes Mattock was injured (again!!) at this stahe of his career he shouldn't be our first choice at the back, for the last couple of seasons he is getting more and more prone to niggly injuries, he played well today and he can do a job for us but to keep starting him is introducing unnecessary risk. Now it is clear at half time due to that injury we had to make a change, and rightly the management had noticed we were getting a lot of joy down their right, so fergusan was a good decision. Why not play Bola in Mattocks position and see how he did there, that would have meant we didn't waste that second substituation too early., this is a position he has played before in his short career We played some good stuff today when we passed through the middle, Rathbones work got us the goal and Wiles never stopped running, Barlasar played great for 75 mins but the last 15 he was getting overrun in midfield, the perfect sub would have been Lindsay for Barlasar to tighten up midfield, unfortunately due to poor team selection and poor substituations we did not have that option, this is time and time again, the management team get it wrong far too many times. Yes we have built a good squad and credit to all concerned for that, but we have to use them right and coach them right to get the best from this group of players a group that should be finishing in the top 6 in May if we avoid injuries.
Fergusan is clearly the best left wing back at the club, so why didn't he start? If he was fit enough for the 45 mins he shouild have started, but the real question is what has gone on with Ike if you have to bring on a CB at halftime why not our best most consistent CB a guy that was brilliant in the Championship and started well this year? Is this another player that Warne has an issue with or is it just a bad decision?
The sequence of events went Rathbone goal, Crewe brought on Porter 3 minutes later (he always does well against us) we made the final change 14 minutes later, another like for like change. That meant we had nearly 15 mins to watch how the game was starting to change and how Porter was causing our back 3 more issues and bringing their midfield into the game, so why oh why would you keep it the same and do a like for like change for a bloke that doesn't chase or close down, beyond belief that we make these in game errors time and time again, this is not a one off issue. Then we were pushed back and as others said we could all see what was going to happen. It is so annoying watching us throw home points away.
We should have won that game by 3 or 4, we do not hit the target enough with our shots we have that needs more work as well but we are creating chances and that is good.
Seriously we ******* hammered them and Freddie's sitter goes in at 88 minutes and we are laughing. This team is dynamic and exciting we just need a few more goals from the strikers and that will come. Crewe tried to time waste their way through 90 mins and got v lucky I can't recall any real threat during the game other than the pen.
Some people i know think my opinion of warne is wrong, but he keeps making same mistake from which he either incapable of learning or doesnt see them.
yes football is a fickle game but time and time again he gets it wrong
we was lucky to come away with 3 pts at bolton and today i said to my nephew and son its either going to be 1 nil or a draw, when we went one up warne sat back and look what happened .
for me something has to change either tthe management team stop looking through rose tinted specs or its time for a change
Gives me no pleasure to say that was another dire managerial display. If Bola‘s substitution was tactical I feel that was a wrong decision. He could have moved to back 3 for 10 minutes to see how it worked. Anyway, it’s not the substitutions I have an issue with it is the one that wasn’t made that I feel eventually cost us. It was obvious that Wiles was injured and should have been replaced with Lindsay. The two in midfield ran out of energy but The decision to replace Griggs had been made pr match so Wiles had to stay on. Poor management. If Grigg was coming off Lindsay should have gone on. Ledapo offers nothing.
