Crewe Alex 24/25 Monthly Review - February

Well, after what I feel was a pretty spot on December and January assessment, I didn't have the Alex struggling so much in February. But then, I don't think anyone expected the club to be down most of their senior attackers and their captain through injury either. This was a tough month for them, but it did end on a high note and there might be light at the end of the tunnel for them as we head into the final 2 months of the season. This is my review of what is hopefully, the darkest moments of their season coming to an end.

Looking Back

The month started ominously with a trip to Harrogate. In a sign of what was to come, Kane Hemmings was sat on the sidelines watching as he'd picked up a knock. To be fair to those who were on the pitch, they did put in a decent performance, creating enough chances to have won the game. In the end a Chris Long goal was enough to cancel out a sloppy opener from Josh March and give the Alex a point that should have been 3. Unfortunately though, this was also to be the high point of the month.

The next game, at home to Newport, should have presented them with a real opportunity to capitalise on a poor away team. But the team news dropped that they were missing Omar Bogle, Chris Long and Mickey Demetriou from the side that had played at Harrogate. The flat atmosphere in the stands contributed to the Alex giving away 3 sloppy goals and missing a host of great chances at the other end to get back into the game, as they slipped to a heavy defeat, their first by 2 or more goals since Chesterfield back in August.

Things got worse a few days later as they headed south to the capital to face Wimbledon for the 2nd time in 14 days. In spite of holding their own for 40 minutes, Jamie Knight-Lebel's crazy holding of a Wimbledon attacker gave the referee a decision to make and he pointed to the spot. To make matters worse, Knight-Lebel was shown a red card. Matty Stevens buried the penalty and it left a man and a goal down. 2 more goals for Wimbledon followed and the Alex fell to back to back 3-0 defeats to leave the mood around the whole club pretty low.

Some pride was restored on another long trip south, this time to Gillingham. Despite being down 14 players through injury, suspension or loans, they put up a spirited effort and ground out a deserved 0-0 which could have been more had they taken some presentable opportunities and had Ryan Cooney not taken 2 yellows in 16 2nd half minutes to get himself sent off.

For the first time in 3 games, they managed to keep 11 men on the pitch for the whole 90 minutes as they hosted Barrow. They were outstanding to a man as they blew away a disinterested looking Barrow side, with goals from Connor O'Riordan, Tommy Lowery and Matus Holicek doing the damage in a comfy 3-0 win. It was their first win in 7 and first home win in 4 and it meant they finished the month on a high.

U21s

It was another tough month for the U21s. They played 4 games in February and only managed 2 points, with draws against Sheff Wed and Birmingham. They lost 4-1 at Wigan and 2-1 to Sheff Utd. Callum Agius, Owen Taylor and Xavier Smith grabbed the goals as they winless. Their March looks a lot busier. They have 2 games to catch up on, 3 already scheduled and the Cheshire Senior Cup Quarter-Final at Warrington Town to play.

U18s

It was a better month for the U18s. They picked up 2 home wins over Coventry and Birmingham, but did lose 2-0 at Barnsley. Like the U21s, they are playing catch up, with them currently 2 games behind in their schedule. So between the U21s and this level, the youngsters are going to be playing a lot in the coming weeks.

Injuries

Dear oh dear oh dear. Just the 9 players out at the moment. We found out that Nathan Robinson won't be reintegrated into even the U21s until the end of March, so he's still weeks away. We've had no update on any of the other 7 players, but Lee Bell seems optimistic some of the below names will be back in the coming weeks, but I'm not sure how accurate that is, so these return dates could be way off.

Player	Injury	Possible Return Date
Nathan Robinson(CB)	Knee	April
James Connolly(CB)	Hamstring	March
Jack Lankester(ST)	Foot	April
Kane Hemmings(ST)	Calf	Mid-March
Chris Long(ST)	Hamstring	Mid-March
Omar Bogle(ST)	Hamstring	Mid-March
Mickey Demetriou(CB)	Calf	Mid-March
Charlie Finney(LB)	Hamstring	Mid-March
Shilow Tracey(ST)	???	Early March

Loans

There was a lot of movement on the loan front in February. Oliver Armstrong, Lucas Sant and Fin Roberts all saw their loans at Newcastle Town, Matlock and Chester cut short to help fill the Alex's bench.

Owen Lunt thankfully recovered from an injury scare at Southport to stay a regular. Will he be recalled as they get the likes of Thomas back in the squad I wonder? Jordan Hodkin didn't play for Hanley last Saturday, so I'm unsure if he's still on loan or not.

Player of the Month

Connor O'Riordan

I'll admit, I felt his signing was a luxury one they didn't need. In my defence, I didn't expect Jamie Knight-Lebel and Zac Williams to get suspensions and Mickey Demetriou to get a calf injury though. But O'Riordan has been outstanding on his return, looking every bit the player he did when he left 13 months ago. He capped off an excellent month with a goal against Barrow, his first since returning. He's been fantastic.

Previous Winners:

August: Filip Marschall

September: Ryan Cooney

October: Ryan Cooney

November: Matus Holicek

December: Jack Lankester

January: Jamie Knight-Lebel

Step It Up

Jack Powell

Honestly, I could have picked about 5 players, as quite a few need to up their game. But for me, the vice captain is one I'm highlighting. Don't get me wrong, I get he's probably still lacking fitness and they are managing his minutes, but I've been underwhelming by him so far. Have they moved too early to give him a new deal I wonder?

Previous Winners:

August: Everyone

September: Shilow Tracey

October: Matus Holicek

November: Joel Tabiner

December: Max Conway

January: Zac Williams

Underrated Player

Tommy Lowery

Maybe calling him underrated is not accurate, but he's stepped back in like O'Riordan and looked like he's never been away. He's looked really lively and is trying his best to create things, which is a really positive sign. He's helped get them ticking in midfield and scored a big penalty in the win against Barrow.

Previous Winners:

August: Jamie Knight-Lebel

September: Zac Williams

October: Fillip Marschall

November: Max Sanders

December: Matus Holicek

January: Ryan Cooney

Analysis

Yes, the results haven't been there thanks to injuries and suspensions in February, but their all round performances have, in my opinion, been so so much better. In their first 28 games, they averaged 235 successful passes per game. In their last 5, they've managed 348. And they've looked a lot better for it.

Yes, there are issues in both boxes, but for me, they are down to the squad available. I'm a purist, I want to see them pass the ball. Yes, pass with purpose and don't pass it for the sake of passing. Be smart about it. But these last 5 games are the template we need to see going forward.

I don't care if it means being more open and I don't care if it means leaving some regulars out more often. The 4-3-3 should be here to stay and this style of play should be here to stay. If they revert to a back 5, instantly throw Williams back in and undo all the work they've done in the last 5 games to build this more positive style of play, I'll be very annoyed.

Looking Ahead

Previous Predictions:

August: 1-2-1(Actual: 1-1-2)

September: 2-1-1(3-0-1)

October: 2-1-2(Actual: 3-2-0)

November: 0-2-1(Actual: 1-3-0)

December: 2-2-1(Actual: 1-3-1)

January: 3-3-0(Actual: 3-2-1)

February: 2-1-2(Actual: 1-2-2)

Well, I wasn't a million miles off my prediction for February. I said 7 points, they got 5, which in the circumstances isn't a disaster. It's not great, but not a disaster. However, in March is where things step up, with some very tough games.

Optimistic Prediction: 3-2-1(Beat Fleetwood, Port Vale & one of Chesterfield or Salford, draw with Chesterfield/Salford and Donny, lose to Notts County)

Pessimistic Prediction: 0-2-4(draw with Fleetwood and Salford, lose to the other 4)

Realistic(My) Prediction: 2-2-2(beat Fleetwood and Port Vale, draw with Salford and Chesterfield, lose to Doncaster and Notts County)

Tough. Very tough. Ok, the first 3 could go either way, as Chesterfield, Fleetwood and Salford are hardly in great form of late, but all 3 have individual quality to cause the Alex issues. And the 3 to end the month, Notts County, Doncaster and Port Vale, are horrible. If they can be on 60 points or more come the end of this month, they'll be in a great position I think.

Final Word

The Alex's season feels like it's balanced on a knife edge. On the optimistic side, they could get key players back at just the right time, find form once again and kick on in March to solidify a play-off spot. Or, the players could be slower to return, the Barrow win could have been a false beacon of hope and they struggle to pick up points, leaving them out of the top 7 and suddenly playing catch up. If they are still holding onto a play-off spot at the end of March, I think they'll have done very well.