upthecherries.co.uk are building a section on the site called ‘look around league one’. Every thing you need to know about our opponents and a lot of stuff that you don’t need to know!
Crewe Alexandra
Who are ya?!
Team Name: Crewe Alexandra FC
Nickname: The Railwaymen or more recently The Alex
Ground Capacity: 10100
Rivals: Stoke City and to a lesser degree Port Vale, Wrexham, Chester, Stockport, Walsall
Favourite Chants: ‘David Vaughan, my lord, he loves porn’
Website: Vital Crewe
Where are ya?!
What is your ground like (seated, covered etc)? Covered seating all round. Three tiny stands and one main stand that dwarfs the rest of the ground and the surrounding neighbourhood. The stands hug the pitch, making it awkward for teams who take a lot of long throw-ins and corners. The small stands on three sides ensure we need a few replacement footballs in each game. Ex-captain and club stalwart Shaun Smith probably holds the record for most number of lost balls. One old player allegedly managed to land a ball on a freight train, destination Carlisle, when his penalty rattled off the bar and over the stand behind the goal.
What is your away section like? The away section is approx. 2,000 seats on the opposite side to the main stand. The view is decent and its close to the pitch. The clubs that need more seats may be given the tiny 600 capacity stand behind the Railway End goal if they promise theyâ??ll behave themselves.
How much does it currently cost for away fans? �18. Sorry.
Tips on where to park if travelling by car? There is ample parking in the official car park, but if you begrudge an extra �2 then park in the industrial estates on the right as you come into the outskirts of Crewe from the motorway; its well signposted for away fans’ parking.
If travelling by train, how far away is the stadium? 3 minutes’ walk.
Best places to drink/eat etc(for away fans)? We’re a friendly lot and you won’t see any trouble in or outside the ground. The Royal Hotel splits the distance between the station and the ground nicely, has a good range of beer and an away and home section. There is a decent couple of chippies nearby too.
What do you think of the Cherries?
Got any memories of previous games with AFC Bournemouth?
4-0 at Dean Court where the referee gave some astonishing decisions in our favour, including Robbie Savage pushing the Bournemouth keeper over the line in the style of Nat Lofthouse. The Bournemouth fans in the seats threw cushions at the ref.
In the return game your players were well up for some revenge but were denied a certain winner when the ref and linesmen were the only three people inside Gresty Road who didn’t see the ball roll around in the stanchion for about 10-15 seconds from a Chris Casper header before being cleared. Too make it worse, we scored two in the remaining five minutes to win 2-0.
Who do you see as AFC Bournemouth’s best player? James Hayter is the guy I always seem to see amongst the goals.
Why were Bournemouth at the wrong end of the table this season? Don’t know, sorry.
Look ahead to the new season
What are the finances like at your club? We’re rolling in it, but we just haven’t got anything to spend it on without smashing the wage structure to pieces. Best estimates put the Gresty Rd coffers at + �3m.
Are you happy with your Chairman? Yes, he’s realistic, if unadventurous. He doesn’t interfere in footballing matters and will ensure there’s always football at Gresty Rd.
Are you happy with your manager? For the first time in 23 years, people are starting to question the Great man’s ability. This probably sounds ridiculous to fans of any other club who can remember what our ground, training facilities and team was like before Dario waved his magic wand. Mr Gradi’s failure to replace Ashton and shore up a defence, (that hasn’t looked sound since we lost Steve MaCauley three years ago), have lost him some friends. To the majority, including the writer, he is still a hero and the best man for the job.
What players are you frightened of losing over the summer? We’ve lost 8 first teamers on Bosmans, including four long serving youth team players, but no-one that was irreplaceable, with the possible exception of the wonderful centre half Madjid Bougherra, a late season loan signing from France. Everyone that’s still here should still be here in August, unless someone’s talking silly money. David Vaughan and Billy Jones have supposedly attracted Premiership interest.
What areas on the pitch do you need to improve? We need a striker and a centre half, as well as a left footed left back .The jury is still out on our goalkeeper, Ben Williams too. Our midfield should carry us through many games next season though.
Thanks
upthecherries.co.uk would like to thank Tim Robinson from Crewe’s fanzine “Once In a Blue Moon”.