FM10: Official Crewe Alexandra Thread - Sponsored by the King is back on the throne

Founded in 1877, Crewe Alexandra are a professional English club currently playing in Coca-Cola League 2 after their relegation from English League One during the 2008/09 season. The club play their home games at the Alexandra Stadium and possess top class training facilities and a good youth set-up. The Crewe reserve team play at Reaseheath. The club is affectionately known as The Railwaymen and retains a fierce rivalry with Stoke City.

The club enjoyed probably their best spell of success during the 1930s. Although now enduring a seventy-two year barren spell, having not won a competition since 1937, The Railwaymen still have a history of which they can be justly proud. Crewe finished runners-up in the English 3rd tier for the only time in 2003, and won the Welsh Cup in 1936 and 1937.

Football Manager Information

Legends: None

Icons: Dario Gradi, Dean Ashton, Danny Murphy

Favoured Personnel: Luke Varney, Rob Hulse, Neil Lennon, Seth Johnson, Madjid Bougherra, Robbie Savage, Rodney Jack

Fierce Rivals: Stoke City

Other Rivals: Port Vale, Stockport, Chester, Wrexham, Cardiff

Stadium Name: The Alexandra Stadium

Stadium Capacity: 10,153 (all seater)

Current First Team Squad:

Those with details given were not part of the first team squad last season nor were they given squad numbers.

Goalkeepers:

1 Steve Collis

13 Adam Legzdins

24 David Button - signed on a loan deal until New Year from Tottenham

Defenders:

2 John Brayford (DR)

3 Billy Jones (DL)

5 Danny O'Donnell (DC)

6 Patrick Ada (DC) - signed from Histon on a Bosman. 2 year deal

12 Mat Mitchel-King (DC) - signed from Histon on a Bosman. 2 year deal

17 Scott McManus (DL)

26 Harry Davis (DC) - promoted from the Academy

27 Harry Worley (DC) - signed on a loan deal until New Year from Leicester City

-- Kelvin Mellor - promoted from the Academy

Midfielders:

4 Steve Schumacher (MC)

11 Joel Grant (MR)

14 Byron Moore (MR)

16 James Bailey (MC)

18 Luke Murphy (MC)

19 Ashley Westwood (MC)

20 Danny Shelley (MR)

21 Chris Clements (MC)

23 Matt Tootle (MC) - promoted from the Academy

28 Simon Walton (MC) - signed on a loan deal for the season from Plymouth Argyle

Strikers:

8 Clayton Donaldson

9 Anthony Elding

10 Calvin Zola

15 Shaun Miller

22 AJ Leitch-Smith - promoted from the Academy

-- FW Alex Titchiner - promoted from the Academy

The Academy:

Crewe, since the start of the Dario Gradi managerial days, have wanted a youth academy to bring through youngsters that they can bring through the Crewe set-up and sell on for a sizeable fee. They have also brought in youngsters that have been released from bigger clubs. The academy at Crewe has brought Crewe £20million worth of talent and reportedly costs between £600,000 and £1.2million per year. Players that have come through the Crewe academy include Rob Hulse, Dean Ashton and Billy Jones.

Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers

Button will probably be your first choice until the end of his loan deal. IMO you should sell Collis and use Legzdins unless you can find a useful backup keeper as Legzdins is a capable backup for the first season when you could probably get a better backup keeper.

Defenders

This depends on the system that you like to play obviously. I'll try to help with each system.

If you play with a back 4, I recommend that you play with John Brayford and Billy Jones in the full back roles. Both are attacking full backs so this may influence your centre back partnership. Backup for the full back positions comes in the form of Scott McManus (L) and Danny Shelley ®.

The best 2 centre backs in my opinion are on loan Harry Worley and Patrick Ada. So far I haven't conceded more than one a game with this partnership. Backup comes in the form of Mat Mitchel-King, Danny O'Donnell and youngster Harry Davis.

If you play with a back 3/5 I recommend that you use Mitchel-King as your 3rd DC.

Midfielders

I use a Mourinho-esque 'V' shape midfield and recommend that Mitchel-King plays as the anchor man if you ignore any potential signings. Westwood, Bailey, Walton and Schumacher can also play here.

Central midfield is a strong area for a League 2 team with Bailey, Westwood, Walton, Schumacher and Murphy can all play here. Despite this I recommend signing a loanee that can play as an attacking midfielder as there is no attacking midfielders except for Chris Clements (who would be better if he was loaned out for some/all of the 1st season)

There are 3 people who can play wide midfield/winger naturally in Grant, Moore and Shelley. Shelley is more a defensive right midfielder/ defender so I use him as backup for Brayford. Both Grant and Moore can play on each wing and with McManus able to cover all of the left side of the pitch I feel that he is OK as backup for both roles.

Strikers

As I only play with one striker who is Liverpool loanee Lauri Dalla Valle I cannot comment on Crewe's strikers very well. Zola is the only target man in the squad, Elding is a goal poacher and both Donaldson and Miller are smaller, quicker strikers. As i've not seen anything of Leitch-Smith and Titchiner so cannot comment on them.

Recommended formation(s)

4-4-2

Button

Brayford Ada Worley Jones

Moore Schumacher Bailey Grant

Zola Elding

4-3-3/4-5-1

Button

Brayford Ada Worley Jones

Schumacher Mitchel-King Bailey

Moore Zola Grant

3-5-2/5-3-2

Button

Ada Mitchel-King Worley

Brayford Bailey Schumacher Westwood Jones

Zola Moore

Squad Changes for Patch 10.3.0:

Ins:

27 DF Harry Worley - loan extended until end of season in December

31 GK Steve Phillips - on loan from Bristol Rovers for the full season

*Phillips should be 1st choice keeper on 10.3.0*

Outs:

1 GK Steve Collis - contract mutually terminated in December. Signed for Bristol City in January.

9 FW Anthony Elding - contract mutually terminated in January.

24 GK David Button - recalled by Tottenham in September. On loan at Shrewsbury on 10.3.0

Could you also post a badge. Looking good.

Looking good, hope more people play as the Alex this year than last year, though we had more players than most teams in the league the thread still felt empty:(

P.S. Dario's a legend:p

Are stoke seriously down as crewe's main rivals? Seems a bit odd because they were only in the same leagues for a few seasons would have thought Port Vale would have been the big one considering both clubs spent far more time together in the leagues and continue to do so now. Stoke and Crewe relations were always quite amicable as well until a certain Dario incident lol.

Are stoke seriously down as crewe's main rivals? Seems a bit odd because they were only in the same leagues for a few seasons would have thought Port Vale would have been the big one considering both clubs spent far more time together in the leagues and continue to do so now. Stoke and Crewe relations were always quite amicable as well until a certain Dario incident lol.

They were in last year's game. I haven't checked the demo for this but I think it may be the same.

Just finished playing the demo half-season as crewe, came 2nd in league 2. Play a direct 4-4-2 with Zola as a target man and hes absolutely immense; 21 goals in half a yr. Agree with most of your squad assessment, altho i found o'donnell and mitchel-king to be the best centre back pairing at the club.

Anyone playing as Crewe since the game has been released?

I've signed Magnus Wolff Eikrem on loan from Man Utd for the season and signed a French free agent called Bakayoko (D/WB/ML). A mate of mine has got Freddie Ljungberg apparently for £22k and £2k/week wages.

Any decent signings do you think I can make?

Signed Gardar Gunnlaugsson (ST) on a free in the 1st season. Scored about 20 goals then sold him for £900k in the summer.

David Noble (AMC), former West Ham and Arsenal, quality playaker. Umpteen assists then got £1.1m for him.

They got me promoted as champions.

Just about to start as Crewe, been having trouble getting into this years FM due to not much free time but I reckon I can have them in the Premiership before 2010 so long as I have time to play

In February of the first season, 10 points clear at the top

Summer Signings:

Jonatan Berg - AM R, £16k

Stephen Rice - M RC, £1k

Helgi Sigurdsson - ST, Free

Joe Hamill - AM L, £6k

Soren Jochumsen - GK, £45k

Gustave Bahoken - D RLC, Free

Jonathan Obika - ST, Loan

Frank Matingou - DC DM MRC, Free

Denis Tsoumou - DM MC, £10k

Jan Signing:

Kyle Bartley - DC, Loan (Brought in to replace Harry Worley)

So far Calvin Zola's scored 16, Sigurdsson 15

Berg has 10 assists

Patrick Ada has been superb at the back

I'm currently playing with Crewe.

3rd in League at around Xmas.

Have brought in Willy Topp, who is by far the best signing, scored 26 goals in 25 games. Leitch-Smith alongside him has scord 17 in 19 games.

Also brought in Shinnie (AMR), and McManus (AML) on nominal fees from Scotland.

Things progressing well. Still in the FACup and in the Final of the JPT

Anyone having any success bringing the kids through the ranks?

Played Cheynne Dunkley (sp?) who despite his lack of heading ability played brilliantly at the back. in League 2 though. he's just captained the England U19s as well

Murphey, Bailey and Shelley are looking decent league 1 squad players. Waiting for the next academy star though.

Juventus have just poached Dario from me. Sorry to see him go but £200k makes up for it.

Roma took Gradi off me. Managed to get 875k for him though

Finished the first season as Champions. Got 105 points

Helgi Sigurdsson got 31 in 41

Roma took Gradi off me. Managed to get 875k for him though

Finished the first season as Champions. Got 105 points

Helgi Sigurdsson got 31 in 41

875k for a pensioner?! Brilliant.

started with crewe. first time ive been them.... fancied notts county but with all that money it would feel like cheating, also crewe are a little closer to home.

got promoted to league 1 as champions 4 points clear of county.

as u start with hardly any cash i had to sign most of my players on frees.

my best players were

lucien mettomo(free)-former man city center back, great stats for league 2 despite his age and will do a job in league 1 i think

willy topp(free)-immense for me. finished the season with 34 goals in 39 games. hopefully can step up to league 1

ousmane n'gom camara(free)-good stats despite his age. can play in def or midfield. shef weds bid 65k for him in jan and with his contract up at the end of season decided let him go. fans were not happy though.

also got in terry cooke and sofiane zaaboub as frees and did a fine job on each wing. also got mark fotheringham but only used him as a squad backup however manged to sell him for 300k!!!!

however the cash i did spend ultimately gave me my two best players and i highly recommend them.

davide bottone(22k)-brought from torino and he is without doubt my best player. got amazing stats for a midfielder and will defo do a job in league 1 and prob championship. he is valued now at 1.2million. good age too he starts the game aged 23

luigi castaldo(10k after promotion)-great stats for a striker, 18 dribbling, 17 heading and 15 finishing says it all really. hes not slow either with 12 for pace and accelleration. finished the season with 27 goals and 19 assists.

cant recommend these italian boys enough

brought in jason steele from boro in jan for 50k after buttons loan ended and was desperate for a keeper.

maybe i was lucky to go up as champions as i didnt have any major injurys and most weeks could pick my strongest team

league 1 seems a big step up especially since ive got a very small squad

got rid of fotheringham as mentioned for 300k and also bailey (170k) elding (35k) zola (30k) ada (10k) and a host of players leaving on a free.

managed to sign up kozluk, adam eckersley, cureton(backup), john kennedy, agustin delgado(former southampton) all on frees.

despite having a bank full of cash for the first time ive only spent 50k on henri camara. got good stats for his age and should tear it up in league 1. retraining him to mid right as i think hes got the pace to play there and saves me dipping in the transfer market again.

also managed to get man utd as my parent club and got oliver norwood and magnus eikrem on full season loans.

had to let dario go as i couldnt justify paying him over 4k a week wages and gutted no one came in to take him off my hands for some compensation as many of u have had.

5 games into the new season atm and started surprisingly well. won 3 draw 2 lost 0

eikrem has been a beast with 3 goals already. castaldo has continued his league 2 form with 2 goals and 2 assists as has willy topp who has 3 goals.

i cannot comment on delgado or henri camara yet as they have not played.

did get offered the alaves job but didnt want jump ship as i want to see how far i can get crewe.

I've noticed that Eikrem is a quality player in League 2. Was he loaned out during the 1st season of your game or sitting in United's reserves?

I started a Journeyman game yesterday, and I'm now on a season-long contract with Crewe. I brought in Prince Rajcomar for free. He scored two in his first game, so he seems like a good signing. I joined early season with 11 games already played. I've played 2 matches, won one and lost one (both 2-1) and we are now 21st in the league. My predecessor did NOT do a good job! lol

I'm new with this team, so any pointers would be appreciated

I'd say keep it simple. You'd probably want to play either a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1. Button (who sits in the reserves - on loan from Spurs) would probably be your 1st choice keeper. Brayford and Jones would be your full backs and any of the centre backs. Bailey, Grant and Moore should be part of your midfield while rotating Schumacher, Westwood, Walton for the (2) other positions. Zola, Elding and Miller should be rotated up front.

Gudjon cut the squad in the summer by letting 12 players leave and 6 loanees went back to their clubs so a lot of change from the team that finished last season.

Thanks ssestig. I use a 4-5-1 formation. Button as temp keeper until I can get a better, permanent one. I use Jones on the left back and Brayford on the right. Brayford scored a goal against Notts C, then he got injured We lost 2-1.

At the moment I have Patric Ada and Harry Worley as center backs.

Bailey is injured, Grant is right wing and Moore will get his chance next match.

I'm still balancing my squad, so I'll see what I can do with the rest. I agree with you about the rotation players but I think I need to sell a couple of them to get ANY sort of transfer funds. I have £800 left for wages and 0 for transfers, so in my opinion someone has to go. The reason for this is that I have a fantastic goalkeeper prospect who demands 1k-1,5k per week. Suggestions?

You may want to sell one of the strikers and use Titch (who will be a Welsh international if you play on a small database) and Ajay as backup. Don't forget you can short term loan someone to cover if necessary.

I started an Alex save, lost my opening match and lost on penalties in the cup. Despite this, I'm pretty optimistic I can do well. Dionisio, Langston, Rudd, Skarz were all brought in. As well as Exeter centre back Matt Taylor. Donaldson has started well and there looks to be some real hot prospects as you'd expect with Alex. Titchner has just been called up to the Welsh national squad, on a large database and looks like a very good player and Clements earned a start in the Cup game.

Despite me promising free flowing attacking football, we are grinding out 1-0 wins like the old Arsenal back in the day. Conceded 4 goals so far this season in the league and we are on game 14. Out of the league cup to a 3-1 loss to Huddersfield after the CB I signed to lead the team to league 1 decided that he wanted to be sent off 3 games out of 4 appearances, including this game. He finally has played 2 in a row now though.

Only game we lost in the league so far is a 2-0 defeat against Bury, got completely outplayed in that one.

Started with Crewe and got promoted in my first season in the 3rd promotion place. Now in my second year in League 1 and treading water as mid-league team.

One thing I would like to know from others. I am constantly losing money and can only keep my head above water by constantly selling my best players which of course makes it more difficult to challenge for the League 1 title.

Any tips on dealing with this money problem?

That's part of the enjoyment of the Alex Rustyman. Best bet would be to make friendly leagues/tournaments during pre-season and/or when you have a week/10 days without a game.

Currently sitting in a 3 way battle in league 1 in my second season at the top. 1 point covers us, Derby and Millwall and we are trading places on a weekly basis. Finances are fine, that's mainly to my chairman selling my best striker last year for 2m to some french side and only signing free transfers

Anyone still playing as Crewe going start a game up today and see how I do.

I'll have a main game once the last patch is out.

i've just started my 3rd season with crewe and we are in the championship!

champions first season in league 2, 4th second season in league 1 and won playoffs.

standout players:

tomas pekhart (ST) - signed for free at the start of the 2nd season and he scored 32 goals and added 15 assists. highly recommended

mariusz zasada (AML) - signed for 9k as soon as i started the game. really consistent performer - 23 assists 1st season, 33 in the second and scores a couple of goals on top of that. (not sure he is good enough for the championship)

josh lambo (GK) - nice young goalie, signed for free at the start of the 2nd season...really good at one on ones.

aiming to get a mid table position and keep building my team!

Got Lambo myself at the start of the 2nd season. Will look at Pekhart on the next patch when I do my proper Alex save.

Thought i'd start a league 2 game as i was getting a little bored with my newcastle save. Randomly picked a club and i landed crewe. Interesting squad lineup. This challenge will be quite a blast. I'll post updates later when i get more game time.

I play as Crewe. It is now season 6 (November 2014) and I'm sitting 2nd top in the Championship. We were promoted to division one first season, then to the championship in season 3.

Sounds good mate. I'll update the OP with any changes once i've had a look at the patch. Squad changes are in the 3rd post.

Boxing Day 2014 and we're top of the championship.

Boxing Day 2014 and we're top of the championship.

nice

what's your squad like? could you name some of your standout players and the like

Luca Caldirola £1.9m from Man Utd, after having him on loan for 2 or 3 seasons, is my biggest signing, he is now captain. John Fleck also on loan at first now bought for 825k. Lars Stubhaug is in goals. Branimir Kostadinov i got for free first season and he's still scoring in the championship. Ahmed Khalil 325k from Al-Ahli. Kelvin Mellor at right-back is my only original player that is still here and he's in the first team. At the start of season two i got two excellent regens Damian O'Neil - striker and Darren Mellor - Left midfielder.

Anyone got Crewe into the Premiership and Champions League on FM2010 yet? Obviously I mean without ever reloading, my game is online with my friend who is Swindon, he's also in the championship and it's very competitive. No cheating.

Can I ask you a favour whilst i'm here? For any original database players can you write me a little player description about how good he is on FM10 and basic information like position, wages and starting club like i've done for David Button here. If you are interested in doing that can you post your player description in this thread please and you'll get accreditation on the FM wiki site - www.footballmanagerwiki.co.uk. Thank you for your time.

I am going to start as Crewe but cancel all the loans before I load the game up. I know it's cheating but I want to make the club my own from the start, hope nobody minds me posting in here.

Go for it mate.

what nation do you need loaded for Willy Topp?

what nation do you need loaded for Willy Topp?

He has a club now irl.

on patch 10.3?

on patch 10.3?

Yep he should do.

bugger :/! I wanted to sign him for my Notts County team, what nation do you need loaded?

He plays for some team in Belgium ITFC1.

thankyou ssestig

2015 Crewe promoted to the Premiership.

:-)

2015 Crewe promoted to the Premiership.

:-)

well in mate!