* This article was written prior to the departure of the manager Steve Holland last week
A bit about you:
Name: Sam Colclough, I’m currently a student at South Cheshire College, and enjoy travelling the country watching Crewe
Current home town: Crewe Birthplace: Crewe
How long have you supported your team? Probably since the age of about three. No toddler really cares about lower league football, but once I hit the heights of three years old, my dad started taking me, and I’ve been addicted ever since! So, since about 1995.
Overview of your club:
We’re a club built on an academy. The only reason we have been so successful over the last 10-15 years is because we have been able to produce (and sell-on, of course), some top quality youngsters.
In my time, I have been able to see the likes of Dele Adebola, Robbie Savage, Danny Murphy, Rob Hulse and Dean Ashton. And before that we had the likes of David Platt and Rob Jones. So this great production line that Crewe are renowned for has served us well. However, this seems to be drying up now. Although we made £2mill+ for Nicky Maynard this summer and £2.5mill for Luke Varney the summer before, it is hard to see where the next big sale is coming from.
There is a very promising youngster in the academy – Max Clayton – who looks like he will fetch a lot in the future, but he is only 14 at the moment! The money we have been making seems a lot, but when you consider that the academy costs us around £1.5 million a year to run, we need this sort of sale every year to keep in the black!
* Also, the management at the Alex probably have the safest job in the Football League no matter what, they almost certainly won’t be sacked! In fairness, this philosophy has worked well over the years, but we have been on a downward spiral for the last four years or so, and something needs to change….
Favourite thing about your home ground: I’m glad our ground isn’t one of those modern plastic ones that all look the same. Gresty Road has a unique feel to it, and the towering main stand certainly is quirky!
Favourite match played by your team & why: Unfortunately, I was on a family holiday in 1997, so I missed the playoff final that took us up to the (now) Championship for the first time! So for me personally, my favourite match would have to be Oldham away in the 2002/2003 promotion season. It was a crucial game, with both sides battling it out at the top of the table, but we came through 3-1 with two goals from Hulse and a goal from Ashton.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: For me personally, it would be a toss up between Kenny Lunt and Rob Hulse. Hulsey was inspirational in the 02/03 season, and always gave it his all, but Lunt was a creative genius in midfield who could make a pass out of nothing. These two used to famously link up for many goals, with Lunty putting free-kicks in at the front post, and Hulse nodding them in! I would have to say that Lunt just sneaks it for me, with Hulse in a close second place.
About our forthcoming match against you:
We’ve been on a terrible run of form as I write this. Our manager, Steve Holland*, doesn’t seem to be able to find the right mix, and his tactics look all wrong. The players lack confidence, and with Leicester being one of the best teams in the league, I don’t fancy our chances.
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? Joel Grant. He’s just a genuinely nice guy. Will happily stop and talk to you for about twenty minutes, and touches like this from the players are always appreciated. He’s also a very good player, and will move on one day I am sure, but at the moment he appears to be struggling with the step-up from the Blue Square Premier.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? Michael O’Connor is our most influential player. He is a centre-mid who puts himself about all over the pitch. He isn’t afraid to get stuck in, and also has international experience with Northern Ireland.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Max Gradel. Was just too good for our defence in the two games we played against Bournemouth last season, and I fully expect this to be the case again when we play you.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? Chris Clements. Looks like a decent prospect to me – an attacking-minded centre-mid, he’s small but quick with his feet. Don’t expect him to feature much this season, but his time will come.
Where do you think you'll finish this season? Honestly? I don’t fancy our chances. Although we have a squad competent enough to finish comfortably in mid-table, something just isn’t right, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see us go down. I’ll go for 23rd, just above Hereford.
How do you think you'll do against us? I fancy Leicester will be too strong for us. Leicester 4-1 Crewe.
Any other comments Good luck for the rest of the season (after the game against us, of course!), and just make sure you finish above Leeds!