Didn't see or hear anything of the game yesterday because I was working, but watched back this morning.
The comparisons to Blackpool last year were annoyingly accurate. We played some really nice football, and unlike at Lincoln, this included a number of great chances to score. The misses from Brannagan and Taylor were criminal, but there were several others where you would have also expected us to score.
Defensively we just not there. Comments about a Duberry type player are fair. We need a nasty bastard there who is going to scream and shout at his players to get into position. Elliott Moore is a decent centre back, but is not a leader. Sam Long is a player every club needs, but is also very quiet (and too small to player CB regularly). I like Atkinson and think he'll be a great player for us, but is also a quiet character. The defence is crying out for a Craig Short, and maybe that's something we can do more of behind the scenes.
In the same way, I don't see Henry as a leader on the pitch. Maybe Brannagan was struggling a little with the responsibility of being captain, but we need someone who can drag the team through these difficult games. It might not be a popular view, but I think we're missing Mackie on and off the pitch.
The questions over Eastwood are fair, he's made errors in most games this season which have cost us. But he's also made some fantastic saves, including at least 2 yesterday that he had no right to make. But he's got a makeshift defence in front of him and it's been a very stop start kind of season. I'd stick with him, and look to these next block of games to get back into top form.
Overall, a very disappointing result but a performance that was much more promising. With everything around covid and the way Crewe acted, I expect a real backlash on Tuesday and a thumping home win to hopefully get us back on track.