Crewe Alex 24/25 Monthly Review - January

I told you. Go back and look at the Alex from December and January of last season. It was the same story. A dip in form in December, followed by a resurgence in January. I don't know why it happens like this, but this is the 2nd time it did and I totally called it.

Looking Back

The Alex started 2025 with what looked to be a favourable home game against Carlisle, the 4th time they've faced each other on New Years Day at Gresty Road in 11 seasons. Ridiculous. Well, if we thought it would be smooth sailing, an early goal for the away side told the Alex they were in for a game. A fortunate Chris Long equaliser meant both sides were level heading into the final 15 minutes. Then a defensive breakdown allowed Carlisle to go back ahead with 12 minutes to go. It looked like the Alex were on course for a shock defeat which after a sluggish January could have killed their season. But impressive cameos off the bench from Jack Powell, Omar Bogle and Jack Lankester swung the game back to the Alex, with 2 stoppage time goals giving them the most unlikely of wins.

Things were a little more routine against Bromley, as the Alex played them off the park. 3 first half goals from Bogle(x2) and Lankester had them in control, even if a Michael Cheek penalty gave Bromley some hope. However, they wrapped things up with a late Jamie Knight-Lebel header to give them a commanding 4-1 win.

They headed on the road for their next outing at an improving Swindon. The game was halted for an hour due to fog and it looked like the game might not continue. But thankfully conditions eased and they were able to continue. In terms of the performance, the Alex struggled and in truth, only Swindon's lax finishing saw them not concede. Although, Chris Long missing another 1-on-1 denied them the win at the other end.

Thankfully they got over the disappointment to record a scrappy 1-0 win over Morecambe and continue their great run of form at Morecambe's new stadium. It was not the finest of performances, but they held the Shrimps attack at bay and snatched a goal off the bench from Long for his 2nd in 4 games and giving them 4 points from 2 away games.

A busy month continued with a home game against Accrington. Unfortunately, transfer speculation over Mickey Demetriou dominated the pre-match build up and it felt flat in the stadium as the game started. The Alex struggled out of the blocks and fell behind to a stunning chip from Shaun Whalley. They huffed and puffed, but despite their best efforts and some frankly baffling subs, they weren't able to force an equaliser and saw their game unbeaten home run come to an end.

They were given the chance to respond days later with another home game, this time against fellow high flyers Wimbledon. However, in what looked to be an act of self sabotage, Bell opted to start 2 midfielders, drop Max Sanders, move Conway into midfield and push Zac Williams to LWB, starting 6 defenders in total. The resulting performance wasn't a surprise, as they looked solid at the back but lacked any sort of balance. A set piece goal from Jamie Knight-Lebel was cancelled out before half time by a stunning strike from Josh Neufville. Wimbledon dominated the 2nd half and the Alex struggled to string 2 passes together. They eventually emerged with a 1-1 draw they didn't deserve. It meant they finished the month 3-2-1. Which looks more impressive than it feels.

U21s

The U21s had a reasonable enough month, although they did only play 2 league games. They battled back from 2-0 down at home to Burnley to rescue a point, with late goals from Lewis Billington and Callum Agius earning them a share of the spoils. They followed that up a week later with a 1-0 win away at Peterborough. A side containing Tom Booth, Billington, Agius, Thibaut and Owen Lunt saw them win their first away league game, as a 2nd half strike from Olly Armstrong was enough to bag gad the 3 points. They are currently 9th out of 11 teams in the North division, so will need to keep picking up wins to avoid slipping further down the standings.

They are facing a big back log of games in the final 3 and a bit months of the season though, as they've only played 16 league games and have 15 more to play. Plus a Cheshire Senior Cup Quarter Final away at Warrington in March. They're going to be busy.

U18s

It was a mixed month for the U18s. In the league, they only played twice but won both games, 3-0 away at Fleetwood and 3-2 at home to Sheffield United. The Sheffield United result was particularly impressive as it was only the 2nd game the Blades U18s had lost in the league.

They are 5th in the North Division and closing in on the 3 teams above them, who are only a few points ahead.

There was disappointment in the FA Youth Cup however, as they fell 4-1 to Watford on some pudding of a non-league pitch in King's Langley, which given Vicarage Road was available felt like a slap in the face for both teams. Still, they put up a good effort and can feel proud of the run they went on this season.

Injuries

Conor Thomas' knee injury thankfully wasn't as bad as first feared and they got Kane Hemmings back in the team after a 4 month lay off. But no sooner had they got him back, but they lost their best attacker in Jack Lankester to a serious looking ankle injury which might well curtail his season. James Connolly also picked up a nasty hamstring injury which could see him miss several weeks, if not months. It was a mixed month, as they so often are.

Player	Injury	Possible Return Date?
Conor Thomas(CM)	Knee	September 2025
Nathan Robinson(CB)	Knee	February 2025
James Connolly(CB)	Hamstring	March 2025
Jack Lankester(ST)	Ankle	April 2025

Loans

Lucas Sant concluded his loan at Hanley Town and he was quickly replaced there by scholar Jordan Hodkin, who joins on a work experience loan. Sant this week moved to Matlock Town. Oliver Armstrong remains at Newcastle Town. There was a surprise move for Fin Roberts, who went out to Chester in the National League North. He enjoyed a stunning debut, scoring 1 and creating another as the Seals won 4-2 at Scarborough. Hopefully he flourishes there. And with Tommy Lowery coming in, Owen Lunt has gone out, heading to Southport for a month. That's 5 players out of the club.

Player of the Month

Jamie Knight-Lebel

This was a really tough one, as nobody can say they had a particularly great month in January. I suppose it'll have to be the solid CB, who ended the month as their joint 2nd highest scorer with 2 goals, good going for him.

Previous Winners:

August: Filip Marschall

September: Ryan Cooney

October: Ryan Cooney

November: Matus Holicek

December: Jack Lankester

Step It Up

Zac Williams

The general consensus is that Zac has been really good this season. He's been better than last season for sure, But I'd question how good he's actually been, especially in the last couple of months. After 1 booking in his first 14 starts, he now has 7 in his last 13. I'm sorry, but that is totally unacceptable from a player in a position of leadership. For me, it raises questions about his mentality and discipline, which has dogged him since he stepped into the first team.

Previous Winners:

August: Everyone

September: Shilow Tracey

October: Matus Holicek

November: Joel Tabiner

December: Max Conway

Underrated Player

Ryan Cooney

Whilst I've been frustrated by the lack of attacking output from him, he's been a steady presence on the right hand side, just quietly going about his business and even putting up a lovely assist against his former club Morecambe, which must have been nice for him. I feel he could step it up a touch, but overall he's not been noticed, which is fine with me.

Previous Winners:

August: Jamie Knight-Lebel

September: Zac Williams

October: Fillip Marschall

November: Max Sanders

December: Matus Holicek

Analysis

Hmm, where to even start? Well, let's start by saying the Alex are not playing well and haven't been since the middle of November. The late 2 goals against Carlisle mask what had been a poor performance. Bromley was excellent, but that was followed up with 4 shocking efforts. The tactics are muddled and confused, they aren't creating enough chances and the midfield is non-existent. How they managed to 3-2-1 in January through all that I don't know.

The defence continues to do it's job, letting in just 5 goals across the 6 games in January. But the midfield shape is all wrong. Various combinations have been tried, but we're 28 games into the season and I don't think Bell knows his best 2/3 in there at all, with each of the options being very up and down. Upfront minus Lankester, the attackers are starved of service and whilst Bogle got 3 and Long 2 in January, none of them look confident.

Bell talks about his confidence in them coming out of this performance rut, but I don't see how that happens given what he has at his disposal and his seeming inability to form them into cohesive group that can control the flow of games and create chances consistently. February will see how true his comments are, but if things continue on the path they are doing, serious question marks will be asked over Bell and the style of football he chooses to employ.

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)

On the face of it, a 3-2-1 January was pretty good. But what about a tricky looking February where yes, you don't face many promotion chasers, but you have 2 clubs under new managers, a midweek visit to the capital and 2 home games which looked favourable a couple of weeks ago, but now don't as much.

Optimistic Prediction: 3-1-1(Beat Harrogate, Newport and Barrow, draw with Gillingham, lose to Wimbledon)

Pessimistic Prediction: 1-2-2(Take 4 points from the 2 home games, draw 1 of the 3 away games and lose the other 2)

Realistic(My) Prediction: 2-1-2(Draw with Harrogate, beat Newport and Barrow, lost against Gillingham and Wimbledon)

The Alex losing 2 in a month would be unheard of after losing 2 in their last 26. But given their current wobbles, I'm keeping my expectations low and hoping they once again surpass them. 3 wins from this month is more than possible, but I'd take 8 points to be honest.

Final Word

February is massive for their promotion ambitions. Will they rediscover new levels of form and push themselves back into the top 3 race? Will they limp along as they are doing now, scrapping out the odd win and lots of draws to tread water. Or will things blow up in their faces like they did last March and April and see them clinging onto a top 7 spot as we head into March and beyond? This really does feel like a make or break period for them.