My Crewe story - The Railwaymen on track to the top…

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of update this past week. Been very busy at work and home as well and didn't have time to play nor update!

November 2018
Premier Division
Man City – Crewe: 2 – 0
Viqueira scored from the penalty spot after Devlin was adjudged to have tripped Glam in the area following a corner. I was not happy of our first half performance and made it clear to the team. However, in the first action of the second half, Man City got a free-kick on the right of our penalty box where Modric passed to the unmarked Kompany who scored. We tried but could not get back in the game and I was very disappointed in the end.

Other results:
Newcastle – Arsenal: 2 – 0
Bristol City – Man Utd: 2 – 1
Blackpool – Chelsea: 0 – 0
Liverpool – Watford: 1 – 0

Bristol City's win against Man U helped us not to lose more ground to the leaders!

Champions Cup Grp G
Lyon – Crewe: 0 – 2
Goals: Goikoetxea(2)
Goikoetxea's 2 goal in an even match helped us to a crucial win that ensured qualification from the group stages.

Premier Division
Crewe – Watford: 6 – 0
Goals: Devlin(2), Novotny, Svensson, Goikoetxea, Ollivier
Devlin broke the deadlock on the 12th minute when he met Gommers freekick from the right with a header. Novotny increased our lead 5 minutes later. Svensson got the third on the 32nd minute when he met Gommers cross from the left to score. Devlin got his double on the 55th minute from Svensson’s corner when Ollivier’s header was blocked on the line and he turned in the rebound. Goikoetxea added a fifth 4 minutes later. Ollivier got his first goal for the club on the 78th minute when his header from Svensson’s cross went in off the bar.

Other results:
Ipswich – Man Utd: 2 – 3
Birmingham – Arsenal: 2 – 0
Man City – Blackburn: 1 – 0
Liverpool – Southampton: 4 – 2


Premier Division
Southampton – Crewe: 2 – 2
Goals: Goikoetxea, Janach
Injury to Gernsoe on the 5th minute forced an early substitution on me, replaced by Janach. Goikoetxea opened the scoring on the 33rd minute. Southampton leveled on the 47th minute. Janach restored our lead 10 minutes later with a well taken shot on the edge of the area. Novotny missed the chance to increase our lead 4 minutes later when he shot on the keeper. Southampton equalized on the 73rd minute and we could not step up to get a winning goal. Disappointing draw and we have now dropped to fourth!

Other results:
Blackburn – Liverpool: 1 – 2
Man Utd – Newcastle: 0 – 1
Wigan – Man City: 0 – 1
Arsenal – Fulham: 3 – 1
Chelsea – Tottenham: 0 – 0

Man Utd surprise defeat again means that we have not lost too much ground.

International Friendly
Rwanda – Nigeria: 0 – 2

Goikoetxea injured on international duty and will be out for around 2 months with a torn hamstring.

International Friendly
Ethiopia – Nigeria: 0 - 3

Premier Division
Crewe – Blackburn: 7 – 0
Goals: Novotny(3), Gro(3), Catalano
Novotny scored in the 4th minute after a great passing move. Novotny doubled the lead with a powerful shot 3 minutes later after being put through by Gommers. 3 minutes later, Novotny sealed his hat trick after collecting a fine pass from Tirloni and blasting the ball in the corner of the net. Gro got the fourth on the 21st minute when he controlled a great pass over the top from the half way line by Tirloni, got in the area and fired a low shot in the left corner of the net. 3 minutes later, Catalano scored a tap-in from Tirloni’s corner. It was one-way traffic with Blackburn not a threat at all up to this point with no shots on our goal. On the 29th minute, from a Townsend throw-in, in a Barca’ style one-touch passing move, Gro got his second goal. Janach swept Townsend’s throw-in to Tirloni who passed straight away to Gro into space who controlled and shot into the left corner of the net. Gro got his hat trick on the 66th minute with a powerful shot into the net having been put through by Townsend.

Other results:
Tottenham – Man Utd: 2 – 2
Birmingham – Chelsea: 0 – 1
Man City – Arsenal: 0 – 0
Liverpool – Wigan: 2 – 1

Wow!!! 9 Crewe players in the team of the week! Only the keeper and another midfielder came from other teams!

Champions Cup Grp G
Fiorentina – Crewe: 2 – 2
Goals: Haddad, Ollivier
With Hettich sent off on the 10th minute for a two-footed challenge, our task seemed very difficult, considering the fact that I put out my ‘second’ team for this match. I retreaded Novotny on the left in Hettich’s place, pushing Gernsoe further up the field in the middle, though we were now without a striker. We were playing well and having more chances that Fiorentina, but in the 33rd minute, Pintos scored with a scissor kick. Gernsoe’s bad luck with injuries continued as he had to be replaced by Jonker on the 37th minute, forcing me to shuffle the team again. I pushed Haddad further ahead with Jonker taking his place in the middle. Di Maio increased Fiorentina’s lead 3 minutes later following poor defending. Haddad reduced the score in added time with a powerful shot from outside the area. We continued to threaten with 10 men and in the 61st minute, our efforts reaped rewards when a badly cleared throw-in was collected by Ollivier, unmarked in the box, to smash high into the net. Svensson hit the bar with a free-kick on the 72nd minute, but I felt that the foul resulting in that free-kick should have seen Fiorentina’s defender Benedikt Howedes sent off for a foul as the last defender on Haddad! Had it not been for the sending off and Fiorentina’s keeper, it’s a game we would have won even with 10 men!

December 2018

Gernsoe 'luck' with injuries continues... He will be out for 2-3 months with a torn hamstring after his latest injury in last match! Bummer!

Premier Division
Wigan – Crewe: 0 – 3
Goals: Townsend, Tirloni, Janach
Townsend opened the scoring in the 25th minute after Gommers initial shot was blocked by the keeper and fell to him. Wigan was reduced to 10 men 3 minutes later after Benatia fouled Gommers when clean through. Tirloni doubled the lead on the 49th minute when found in space in the area by Gommers. We continued to press and Hoekstra made a fantastic save from Townsend’s shot. Janach got the 3rd on the 68th minute from a great Gommers’s cross. Tirloni hit the post with a shot from outside the area soon after.

Other results:
Aston Villa – Man City: 0 – 5
Chelsea – Fulham: 6 – 1
Arsenal – Liverpool: 0 – 1
Man Utd – Birmingham: 3 – 1

Champions Cup Grp G
Crewe – Schalke: 2 – 0
Goals: Tirloni, Catalano
Tirloni opened the scoring on the 12th minute with a shot from the edge of the area that whistled into the left corner of the net. Catalano got the second on the 55th minute when he stole in at the far post to get to the ball before the keeper and headed in from Svensson’s freekick.
Devlin picked up an injury and will be out for about 3 weeks.

Premier Division
Crewe – Arsenal: 4 – 1

Arsenal scored first on the 21st minute after a counter but we equalized 4 minutes later from an own goal. Catalano gave the lead on the 32nd minute. Novotny scored a sublime goal on the 47th minute when he lobbed the keeper from the edge of the area. Novotny got his double on the 69th minute when put through by Janach.

Other results:
Fulham – Man Utd: 2 – 4
Man City – Chelsea: 3 – 0
Liverpool – Aston Villa: 3 – 0

Premier Division
Aston Villa – Crewe: 0 – 5
Goals: Hettich, Dekker, Novotny(2)
Hettich gave us the lead on the 4th minute, firing low after receiving a Janach through ball. Novotny got the second on the 20th minute again assisted by Janach. Dekker made it three 3 minutes later from Tirloni’s corner. On the 31st minute, Hutton turned Janach’s corner into his own net for our fourth. Novotny got his double on the 35th minute.

Other results:
Chelsea – Liverpool: 2 – 2
Man Utd – Man City: 5 – 1

League Cup quarter final
Crewe – Man City: 1 – 0
In a match we dominated but could not find the breakthrough in normal time, the winning goal arrived when Tirloni played a delightful ball to release Gommers on the left whose cross was deflected into his own net by Glam past Hart in the 119th minute.

We will play CSKA Moscow in the Champions Cup First Knockout round

Premier Division
Crewe – Chelsea: 3 – 1

Janach opened the score with a cracker from 25 yards. Pancik leveled for Chelsea in the 49th minutes with a similar scorcher from distance. Chelsea was in the ascendency at this point and pressed on, but we held firm. And on the 74th minute, on a counter, Svensson ran down the right and crossed the ball for Gommers to slide in and turn the ball into the net. On the 84th minute, Svensson weaved his magic down the right again and put in a cross and Novotny did well to get ahead of his marker and put the ball beyond Cech for the third goal and put the result beyond doubt.

Other results:
Man City – Everton: 5 – 0
Liverpool – Man Utd: 2 – 2
Blackburn – Arsenal: 0 – 1

We will play Man Utd in the League Cup semifinal. They have beaten Liverpool 2 – 0 at Old Trafford.

Premier Division
Crewe – Everton: 2 – 1
Goals: Dekker, Svensson
Dekker opened the scoring on the 5th minute with a fine glancing header at the near post from a Svensson long throw into the area. Novotny missed the chance to increase the lead on the 14th minute when clean through by firing wide. Jagielka leveled on the 17th minute from a corner. We regained the lead on the 41st minute with Svensson’s long range strike from more than 30 yards out, hitting the post and going in, pure inspiration.

Other results:
Southampton – Man Utd: 1 – 0
Liverpool – West Brom: 3 – 0
Man City – Bristol City: 4 – 0
Watford – Arsenal: 0 – 2

Man Utd’s surprise defeat has put Man City and my team at an advantage in the title race.

Premier Division
Crewe – West Brom: 5 – 0
Goals: Lebourg, Novotny, Catalano, Gro(2)
On his return in the starting lineup, Lebourg scored to give us the lead in the 21st minute from a Svensson’s long throw. With West Brom’s packed midfield, it was difficult in the middle, but still on the 37th minute, Janach sliced open their defense to release Novotny who made no mistake, placing his shot in the left corner of the net out of the keeper’s reach. Catalano added a third at the start of the second half with a header from Janach’s corner. We were completely in control, passing the ball around and getting up the pitch, Gommers striding down the left to cross for Gro to tap in on the 53rd minute. Gro got his double on the 62nd minute, collecting Novotny’s pass and powering through the middle and hitting a thunderous drive to score. A 65% possession and the five goals underlined our dominance.

Other results:
Arsenal – Aston Villa: 2 – 0
Blackburn – Man Utd: 0 – 2
Liverpool – Bristol City: 0 – 0
Man City – Blackpool: 2 – 0
Wigan – Chelsea: 4 – 3

Table at end of December

January 2019

I’ve been asked to review the season expectations I have for the team and I am confident enough to tell the board to expect us to challenge for the title. I hope it does not backfire on me!

I have snapped up 16 year old promising goalkeeper Slavko Matic on a free transfer.

It is possible that I may lose Gro on a free due to him not wanting to sign a new contract. He has refused my first contract offer after taking time to consider a good offer that would have doubled his salary. But unwillingness to play second fiddle to Novotny and Goikoetxea seems to have been the deciding factor to want to leave the club.

Man City has made an offer worth 30,000,000 for Tim Svensson and Man Utd an offer worth 17,000,000 for Frankie Devlin. Both rejected.
As a result, Svensson’s agent has asked for improved contract for his client which I have rejected(though I know I will be proposing him a new contract soon. Concerned over my refusal, Svensson wanted a chat and I’ve ask him to prove on the field that he deserved a new contract and he is relishing the challenge.

Gro has agreed terms with OM. Transfer due on 1st July 2019. I had offered him a contract when he was released as a youth and no one wanted him and trained him to be the international he is today. And that's how he's repaid me! Reserve football awaits you for the next five month my friend…

Premier Division
Bristol City – Crewe: 0 – 2
Goals: Janach, Svensson
We needed to put things right in this match after suffering a surprise defeat at home at the beginning of the season to today’s opponent. We started brightly and a lovely one-two between Janach and Svensson saw us take the lead. Janach passed to Svensson and continued his forward run, received the ball back and shot into the left corner of the net to score. With Dekker’s injury on the 8th minute, I was forced to reshape my defense by dropping Catalano back to partner Devlin and Ollivier coming on in his defensive midfield position. We doubled the lead on the 61st minute on a counter. Svensson fed the ball out of defense to Novotny who sped down the right towards the goal-line and crossed back for the oncoming Svensson to drive low into the back of the net. Catalano should have scored 3 minutes later with a downward header from Svensson’s cross that hit the side-netting.

Dekker will be out for 2-3 weeks with a groin strain.

Other results:
Man Utd – Wigan: 3 – 0
Ipswich – Man City: 1 – 0
Blackpool – Liverpool: 0 – 3
Chelsea – Arsenal: 1 – 1

Next match against Man Utd at Old Trafford...

→ This post was edited by Webslinger (2012-07-13 20:13, 11 months ago)

Premier Division
Man Utd – Crewe: 1 – 0

With players like Gernsoe, Jonker, Dekker and Goikoetxea injured, potential players vying for a first team place were missing for this top of the league title clash and I took the risk of putting Crewe academy graduate Daryl Long in the starting lineup in the Old Trafford cauldron so as not to break up defensive pairing Devlin and Catalano, Long lining up in the defensive position, his natural position. We threatend first but Utd were awarded a penalty for a dubious foul by Foster on Hernandez that Sigurosson converted. We could not find the equalizer though and now trail Utd by 2 points.

Other results:
Everton – Liverpool: 0 – 5

FA Cup 3rd rnd
Crewe – Gillingham: 7 – 0
Goals: Vince, McAuley(3), Gommers, Townsend(2)
A good win against much weaker opposition and I’m happy that 19-year old academy graduate McAuley grabbed his chance with both hands with this MoM performance.

Next match against Man Utd again in the League Cup semis, first leg away

→ This post was edited by Webslinger (2012-07-15 19:44, 11 months ago)

We will travel to Bristol City for the FA Cup 4th round

League Cup semifinal 1st leg
Man Utd – Crewe: 2 – 1

McAuley kept his place in the starting lineup. We scored just before half time when Tirloni floated a freekick in the area that Catalano headed into the net. Sigurosson equalized on the 65th minute with a shot from 20 yards. Leon Bakker scored for Utd in the dying minutes to give Utd a precious win. This is a match we should not have lost based on our performance!

Premier Division
Crewe – Blackpool: 1 – 0
Goal: Townsend
Townsend scored from the spot on the 16th minute after being brought down in the area for the only goal of the game.

Other results:
Liverpool – Ipswich: 3 – 1
Man City – Newcastle: 3 – 0
Aston Villa – Chelsea: 1 – 3
Arsenal – Man Utd: 4 – 2

Man Utd defeat against Arsenal means we regain the top spot!

I have made an offer for exciting young Israeli striker Sagi Ben-Yahuda. Vitoria Setubal has as well bid for him.

African Cup of Nations Grp A
Burkina Faso – Nigeria: 0 – 3
Goals: Ideye(2), Agu
A good opening win in the competition. Can we go on to keep our crown as African champions?

African Cup of Nations Grp A
Nigeria – Sierra Leone: 3 – 1
Goals: Moneke(2), Ighalo

Premier Division
Ipswich – Crewe: 1 – 4
Goals: Townsend(2), Novotny(2)
Ipswich scored first through Larsen on the 11th minute but we hit back immediately through Townsend. Townsend gave us the lead in the second half on the 54th minute. Novotny, who has come on for the unusually ineffective Svensson, made sure of the win on the 72nd minute with a well-placed finish. He doubled his tally 5 minutes later when put through by McAuley.

Other results:
Man Utd – Aston Villa: 1 – 0
Chelsea – Watford: 3 – 2
Everton – Arsenal: 4 – 3
Newcastle – Liverpool: 0 – 1
Tottenham – Man City: 2 – 1

African Cup of Nations Grp A
Nigeria – Ghana: 4 – 3
Goals: Moneke, Ighalo(2), Babatunde
We scored with one first attack in the 1st minute through a great goal by Moneke on a quick counter. We missed the chance to extend our lead on the 21st minute a cross from the right by Moneke was met by Ighalo who could only steer the ball onto the post and it bounced in front of the line only to be cleared by the defense under pressure. Moneke missed another chance 5 minutes later when he hit the ball just outside of the post from a superb through ball by Babatunde. Boateng equalized on 35th minute when he latched onto a freekick. We hit back immediately through a powerful finish by Ighalo. Boateng equalized again on the 42nd minute though. Babatunde gave us the lead again on the 47th minute. But then Alex Odita was sent off 4 minutes later for bringing down Ayew when through on goal. I had to shuffle the pack and introduced Agu in place of Uzochukwu. Ghana were awarded a penalty on the 55th minute for a foul in the area by Babangida. Ayew converted. Ighalo scored again on the 73rd minute after Babatunde’s shot wsa blocked by the keeper and fell to him. Moneke missed the chance to put the game beyond doubt on the 89th minute on a quick counter when he shot just wide of the post. we finished the game with 9 men due to Ndubusi Agu’s injury on the 90th minute but held on for the win to finish top of the group.

Sagi Ben-Yehuda’s transfer delayed due to work permit application.

League Cup semifinal 2nd leg
Crewe – Man Utd: 3 – 1

We were the better team from the start but could not find the net. Townsend opened the scoring on the 37th minute when made his way in the area, dribbled past his marker, then the keeper to score. Devlin doubled the lead 3 minutes later when he latched onto a low corner from Tirloni at the near post to score. Novotny got the third when he met Svensson’s cross to hit a fierce shot. Man Utd managed to get one goal on the 81st minute on a counter after they cleared a corner but we were in control and managed the remaining time to reach the final yet again. I knew my players had it in them to win this match at home to get to the final!

We will play Tottenham who have beaten Fulham to reach the final.

Ben-Yehuda work permit has been approved and he has now signed.

Table end of Jan 2019

Hi mate,

Pretty good job you're doing there with Crewe.. I used to manage it in FM2010 and got to PL too but then I stopped, was a little boring tho..

One question, how do you crop your pictures when you save them ? for example, in last post you put EPL table , but not the rest of the picture .. Are you using some program or what ?

Thanks in advance

#58478 archangel32 : Hi mate,

Pretty good job you're doing there with Crewe.. I used to manage it in FM2010 and got to PL too but then I stopped, was a little boring tho..

One question, how do you crop your pictures when you save them ? for example, in last post you put EPL table , but not the rest of the picture .. Are you using some program or what ?

Thanks in advance

Thanks mate.
Well, for cropping, I first print screen via the keyboard button, then paste the image to MS Paint. Note that to be able to print screen in this way, you have to be playing the game in windowed mode instead of full screen. In MS Paint, I select the part of the screen I want, copy and paste it in my word document, before saving as jpg and uploading...
Hope that helps!

February 2019

FA Cup 4th rnd
Bristol City – Crewe: 0 – 2
Goals: Kaas, Novotny
Kasper Kaas scored a good header on the 48th minute from Foster’s cross to give us the lead. Novotny doubled it on the 62nd minute from an incisive break away, assisted by McAuley.

African Cup of Nations Quarter Final
Nigeria – Ivory Coast: 3 – 0
Goals: Babatunde(2), Agu

Premier Division
Crewe – Newcastle: 0 – 1
Though we were the better team, we could not find a goal with Tim Krul at his best in goal for Newcastle, thwarting effort after effort by my players. However, they were not very clinical as well, hitting only 7 shots on target from 21. Jay Rodriguez hit the winner for Newcastle on the 69th minute and we could not get a goal to suffer our second home defeat.

Other results:
Chelsea – Man Utd: 5 – 0
Liverpool – Tottenham: 1 – 1
Man City – Birmingham: 4 – 0
Arsenal – West Brom: 2 – 1

The other main results mean we are still top though, equal on points with Liverpool and the Manchester clubs following with one point less.

African Cup of Nations Semifinal
Senegal – Nigeria: 0 – 2
Goals: Ighalo, Pape Sall own goal
Amadi will miss the final due to a groin strain suffered in the game.

We will play South Africa in the final. They have beaten Ghana 3 – 0 in the other semi.

Premier Division
Crewe – Birmingham: 3 – 0
Goal: Hettich(2), Mariko own goal
Ronald Kok was sent off for Birmingham on the 6th minute for a professional foul on Novotny. With the number advantage, we still could not find the breakthrough, Ben Foster, playing well in goal for the Brums. The playing field was leveled on the 33rd minute when Townsend was sent off for a two-footed challenge. Hettich scored in first half added time with a half volley after Tirloni’s shot was blocked by Foster. Hettich doubled our lead on the 67th minute assisted by Novotny. We scored another in the 89th minute when a cross by Foster was deflected into his own net by Mariko.

Other results:
Man Utd – Everton: 4 – 1
Arsenal – Blackpool: 1 – 0
Chelsea – West Brom: 4 – 0
Southampton – Tottenham: 1 – 3
Watford – Man City: 2 – 2

African Cup of Nations Final
South Africa – Nigeria: 1 – 3
Goals: Ighalo, Nwanganga, Ideye
South Africa scored first on the 7th minute. Ighalo equalized on the 16th minute. Nwanganga, who came on for the injured Temile, scored on the 57th minute. We made sure of the win on the 86th minute when a strange corner by South Africa to a teammate on the edge of the box had Khuboni retreating under pressure by Nwanganga and Babatunde and eventually dispossessed by Babatunde, Nwanganga feeding the loose ball to Ideye who ran the length of the pitch only for his shot to be blocked. The rebound fell to Babatunde whose shot hit the post and rebounded to the unmarked Ideye to put in an empty net. We have retained the African Nations Cup!
What is more pleasing is that we managed to win it without key players out injured like Obi Mikel, Chukwuma Obi, Bala, Ujah and Ejike.

We will play Man Utd again, this time in the FA Cup 5th rnd.

Premier Division
Tottenham – Crewe: 0 – 1
Goals: Novotny
Novotny scored on a quick counter, hitting a low placed shot to beat the keeper on the 10th minute. Hettich missed a penalty for a foul on himself. Fortunately, we were not made to pay for this miss.

Other results:
Fulham – Man City: 0 – 2
Bristol City – Arsenal: 2 – 2
Birmingham – Liverpool: 0 – 2

Champions Cup 1st Knock Out rnd
CSKA Moscow – Crewe: 0 – 2
Goals: Novotny, Lebourg

FA Cup 5th rnd
Crewe – Man Utd: 3 – 1
Goals: Novotny(2), Goikoetxea
Novotny scored 2 in the space of 3 minutes in the 1st quarter of the match to give us a comfortable lead. Goikoetxea intercepted a backpass to the keeper to score the 3rd on the 58th minute. Man Utd got one back 3 minutes later due to slack marking but we were in control and managed the match till the final whistle.

Premier Division
Fulham – Crewe: 1 – 2
Goals: Goikoetxea, Novotny
Goikoetxea scored on the 35th minute but a mistake by Redsted on the 69th minute, dwelling too much on the ball and getting dispossessed allowed Fulham to equalize. We pushed on and managed to get the winning goal on the 90th minute, when Gernsoe, who had come on for the injured Janach, made a forward run, received Tirloni’s superb through pass, pushed on and played the ball in Novotny’s feet, who did not miss.

Other results:
Ipswich – Arsenal: 0 – 2
Tottenham – Blackburn: 2 – 0

League table end of Feb 2019

March 2019

League Cup Final
Crewe – Tottenham: 2 – 0

Devlin opened the scoring with a header from Svensson’s freekick on the 12th minute. Though we had more chances in the first half, we could not add to the score and even restricted Spurs to only one shot. Catalano doubled our lead on the 51st minute with a header from Tirloni’s corner. Tottenham came more at us after the second goal but we were strong at the back and could also have increased our lead.

Other EPL results:
Man Utd – Bristol City: 5 – 2
Watford – Livepool: 1 – 0
Chelsea – Blackpool: 6 – 1
Arsenal – Newcastle: 3 – 1

Man City – Liverpool: 2 – 0
West Brom – Man Utd: 0 – 0

Premier Division
Liverpool – Crewe: 0 – 1

First half was goalless though Liverpool was at times on top. We scored at the start of the 2nd half when Tirloni played a low cross in the area and Goikoetxea surged past his marker and side-stepped the keeper to score. Devlin was sent off for a rash challenge on Leuci to leave us in a difficult position. A change in tactics was necessary to try to keep the scoreline as is. And in added time, Ronning got a second yellow but fortunately I still had one sub to make and introduced Dekker in defense and changed strategy and we manage to hold on for this vital win.

Other results:
Blackpool – Man Utd: 0 – 2
Ipswich – Chelsea: 1 – 3
Man City – Southampton: 1 – 2
Tottenham – Arsenal: 0 – 0

Champions Cup 1st Knock Out rnd 2nd leg
Crewe – CSKA Moscow: 4 – 2
Goals: Kaas, Dekker, Townsend, Gommers

FA Cup 6th rnd
Crewe – Bolton: 2 – 0
Goals: Goikoetxea, Catalano

We will play Blackpool in the semifinal.

Premier Division
Watford – Crewe: 0 – 2
Goals: Hettich, Goikoetxea

Other results:
Aston Villa – Tottenham: 2 – 2
Arsenal – Birmingham: 2 – 0
Chelsea – Newcastle: 3 – 1
Southampton – Liverpool: 0 – 2
Man Utd – Ipswich: 1 – 0
Blackburn – Man City: 1 – 4

We will play Lyon in the Champions Cup quarter final

International Friendly
Nigeria – Argentina: 0 – 0
It was a quite even match overall and I’m happy with this result against a team with the likes of Messi, Aguero and other stars.

League table end of March 2019

April 2019

Premier Division
Crewe – Man City: 1 – 0

First half was a pretty cagey affair with a couple of chances from both sides. In the second half, we upped our level and took the game to City who did not threaten at all. Svensson scored with a half volley inside the area when Hettich cross reached him after a small deflection off the back of a defender.

Other results:
Everton – Chelsea: 2 – 1
Man Utd – Watford: 1 – 0

Premier Division
Crewe – Southampton: 4 – 1
Goals: Novotny(2), Jonker, Amos own goal

Other results:
Newcastle – Man Utd: 1 – 1
Liverpool – Blackburn: 2 – 0
Fulham – Arsenal: 0 – 0
Tottenham – Chelsea: 0 – 0
Man City – Wigan: 3 – 0

Champions Cup Quarter Final 1st leg
Lyon – Crewe: 2 – 1

We lost but it could have been otherwise looking that we had more shots on target than Lyon.

Premier Division
Blackburn – Crewe: 0 – 1
Goals: Novotny

Other results:
Man Utd – Tottenham: 4 – 0
Wigan – Liverpool: 1 – 4
Arsenal – Man City: 0 – 0
Chelsea – Birmingham: 1 – 1

Champions Cup Quarter Final 2nd leg
Crewe – Lyon: 4 – 1

We scored early on the 3rd minute to level the tie and be the team to qualify for the semis when Catalano rose highest from Janach’s corner to head into the far post. Novotny doubled our lead on the 15th minute and got his double 6 minutes later. Lyon got one goal back on the 38th minute after a mix-up in the area. It was 4 on the 48th minute when Svensson’s goal bound header from Konig’s cross was deflected into his own net by Lloris. We had chances after that but did not score any more goals.

We will play Paris St-Germain in the semifinal. They have beaten Galatasaray. The other semifinal will see Barcelona against OM.

FA Cup semifinal
Blackpool – Crewe: 0 – 2
Goal: Gernsoe, Devlin
Gernsoe scored on the 81st minute with a cracking shot from outside the box that went in off the post. Devlin got a second goal in added time with a header from Svensson’s long throw into the box.

We will play Chelsea in the final.

Premier Division
Arsenal – Crewe: 0 – 0

Other results:
Aston Villa – Liverpool: 0 – 2
Man Utd – Fulham: 4 – 0
West Brom – Tottenham: 0 – 3
Chelsea – Man City: 1 – 2

Premier Division
Crewe – Wigan: 4 – 1
Goals: Novotny(2), Goikoetxea(2)

Other results:
Birmingham – Man Utd: 2 – 3
Man City – Aston Villa: 0 – 0
Fulham – Chelsea: 2 – 0
Liverpool – Arsenal: 1 – 0

Champions Cup Semi Final 1st leg
PSG – Crewe: 1 – 5

PSG took the lead on the 8th minute after a scramble in the box and Janach failed to clear and put in his own net. We were back in the game 8 minutes later through a PSG own goal this time when a Svensson’s cross was turned in his own net by keeper who could not hold on to Novotny’s ferocious shot. Svensson was at the centre of things again on the 24th minute when he danced his way through the box to the byline and sent in a low cross at the far post for Hettich to blast high into the net. We kept the pressure on PSG and it paid off on the 45th minute when a Janach corner was headed at the far post by Catalano back across goal and Lebourg dived into the ball to head into the net. It was 4 on the 60th minute when Hettich broke down a PSG attack deep into our own half, advanced with ball and then hit it forward to Svensson on the right. Svensson played it right away in the centre for Novotny who took 2 defenders with him and then played a weighted pass to the right for the unmarked Svensson, who controlled, got into the box and hit it low beyond the keeper. Lebourg’s dismissal for 2 yellow cards on the 84th minute did not stop us from getting a 5th when Novotny turned in Gommer’s low cross into the net.

League table end of April 2019

May 2019

Premier Division
Crewe – Aston Villa: 8 – 0
Goals: Novotny(3), Goikoetxea(3), Ollivier, Jonker
Simply great result to keep up the momentum at the top!

Other results:
Southampton – Arsenal: 1 – 0
Man City – Man Utd: 2 – 2
Liverpool – Chelsea: 2 – 0

Champions Cup Semi Final 2nd leg
Crewe – PSG: 6 – 4
Goals: Redsted, Novotny(2), Gernsoe, Tirloni, Sakho own goal
With qualification almost in the bag, I opted to field some fringe players like Dekker, Ollivier and Kaas with Sumner and McAuley on the bench. Though we shipped in some goals, we plundered the opposition some more and were quite comfortable winners in the end. Jonker MoM with 4 assists and Gernsoe as well put on a very good display in the middle of the park, bossing the midfield with his passing and workrate.

We will play Barcelona in the final. They overturned the 2 goal deficit they had from the first leg against OM to win 4 – 0 at Camp Nou. We will be up against the likes of Messi, Hazard, Sanchez, Fabregas… it would be epic!

Premier Division
Chelsea – Crewe: 0 – 2

We started brightly and pushed Chelsea right from the start but failing to hit the target or getting the post. We made our pressure count on the 33rd minute when on a quick counter following a well-cleared Chelsea free kick, Hettich released Novotny on the right just before the half way line and he ran unopposed towards the box and fired a low hard shot into the back of the net. Well deserved. Oliveira made an important save from Mata at the other end after the restart. Hettich tested Courtois again ho saved. We doubled our lead right after the restart when Catalano headed Tirloni’s corner into the net.

Other results:
Man Utd – Liverpool: 1 – 0
Blackpool – Tottenham: 1 – 2
Everton – Man City: 1 – 1
Arsenal – Blackburn: 2 – 0

Next up Man Utd. If we win, we are champions!

Premier Division
Crewe – Man Utd: 2 – 0

This was the match! And it showed in the engagement of the players. Tackles were flying though within the acceptable limits. Gernsoe hit the post with a speculative shot from outside the area. Hernandez did the same at the other end. And the first half finished goalless. We scored on the 63rd minute when Svensson’s cross was not cleared properly and fell to Gernsoe, whose shot at goal was deflected into the path of Novotny who made no mistake to give us the lead. Townsend hit the post again a couple of minutes later and the ball bounced in front of the goal but no Crewe player was on hand to push it in and Utd cleared. We made sure of our win and the Premier League championship on the 81st minute when Townsend’s cross from the right was headed by Novotny and came back off the crossbar with De Gea beaten and Gernsoe was on hand to head the rebound at goal with Corchia putting the ball in his own net when trying to clear. We cannot be caught anymore and are the champions again!!!

FA Cup Final
Chelsea – Crewe: 0 – 4

After a goalless first half, Devlin broke the deadlock right after the restart when he turned Dekker’s goalbound pass into the net. Catalano headed Tirloni’s free kick into the net for the second. Hettich got the third when released by Goikoetxea, with his shot hitting the post and going in. Hettich then converted a penalty for a foul on Janach in the box for the 4th.

Premier Division
Everton – Crewe: 1 – 0
With one eye on the Champions Cup final and having won the league already, I fielded a young team for the final league game. We hit the post twice, first Haddad, then Gommers and Fletcher made us pay in the second half with the winning goal for Everton and when we were wasting chance after chance to score.

Final league table:


Champions Cup FInal
Crewe – Barcelona: 1p – 1

First half was goalless with Barcelona having the better share of possession though only one shot off target. We have fared better with several shots and one on target but no goal. Second half saw the same script. In extra time, Foster turned a Sanchez cross into his own net to give Barcelona the lead. But we attacked straight away after the restart. Devlin played a long ball down to left that Gommers ran on to, got in the box and shot. Valdez saved and when Gommers chased after the ball, Briand hacked him down in the area for a penalty, coolly slotted home by Novotny. Gommers hit the woodwork on the 119th minute and it was down to a penalty shootout.
Sanchez missed, Novotny scored.
Messi scored, Svensson scored.
Grasa scored, Dekker hit the post
Briand scored, Jonker scored
Chevalier scored, Tirloni scored
Criscito scored, Catalano scored
Pique’s shot saved by Oliveira, Gommers missed
Willian hit the post, Foster the hero…. After gifting Barcelona a goal… it’s the fairy tale come true for local boy, academy product Foster. What a turnaround here tonight in this final!
Crewe Alexandra has beaten 8 times European champions Barcelona in an epic final to become the new European Champions!
We have done it!!!!

hey, crewe fan here, after reading all about your journey on here etc with crewe, i have just got a new job myself and find myself with some free time and have started to play football manager again, and have started with the team i support mighty crewe alexandra, started off fairly well, won league 2 by 8 points and am half way through league 1 and i am joint 2nd in the table with a game in hand and still in 2 cups, i was just wondering on some advice on how i can find the best youngsters to hopefully take me to the championship I've looked through a few of the players you used during your league 1 season and can't seem to find a lot of them is the a particular bit I'm missing on the game while searching, what is the best country to look through

thanks a lot of if you see this adam