Steven Dale tells us why for the first time in a few years watching the Alex will give good value for money
All we ask is fans is to be entertained.
Supporting a football team is an expensive hobby; let`s make no mistake about it. It is something where unless you get a large amount of satisfaction from it and often it becomes unjustifiable.
At Crewe, we have been privileged over the years. Spoilt if you like. The ‘Crewe way` as we know it, has provided us with the kind of attacking football that other clubs admire and in some situations, envy.
As we all know, however, the entertainment we became accustomed to had dramatically dried up.
Whether this was a fault of the present management, or whether continuing Dario`s method, without the great man has proved an impossible task; remains up for debate. But for me, this has been the biggest positive to come out of the first two games.
From the feedback I have been given, it seems as though we have approached these last two games a lot more positively than what we`ve seen over the last few years and judging by reports, we`ve certainly tested the opposition keeper on a more frequent basis. There were times last season where I couldn`t even remember us having a single shot on goal, something that from an entertainment perspective, just had to change.
I don`t ask for much. I just ask that I get my value for money. That has been my biggest bugbear, bar none with the recent downward spiral we have experienced. I have always maintained that results aren`t as important to me as entertainment. People say that things like that just don`t matter; we`d turn up and watch a turgid game of football if we knew we were guaranteed to win 1-0 every week. That is probably true in most cases, but from my point of view I just couldn`t put up with that.
As a youngster, one of the things that kept me going to the Alex was how much enjoyment it gave me, something that a present youngster or even their parents, will need to experience if they are to return in the future.
But unless they are entertained, that just simply isn`t going to happen. Why would they come back when they can just simply find entertained at home, in front of the television, watching of the top four for cheaper? That is why Crewe needs to maintain its attacking identity, to keep people interested.
Continuing the theme from the first few games will go a long way in doing so. Something the club needs to provide in order to improve its match day experience.
The first two games have given me a certain confidence, where for the first time in a good few years, I think we have a team that will finally give me my value for money.