"I feel within our club there is a lot to be positive about' - Paul Cook strikes a positive tone ahead of visit from Crewe Alexandra

The Spireites go into tomorrow’s home date with Crewe in ninth spot in League Two having not got the points return that performances on the whole have warranted.

They have let winning positions slip, most latterly in the midweek draw with Colchester, and while the manager himself has been critical of the “gifts” that have been handed to opponents, he has liked the attacking, expansive football he’s seen from his players.

"I feel within our club there is a lot to be positive about,” he said. "Other people might disagree with me and they are full entitled to their opinion.

"When you come off a pitch at Cheltenham and you haven’t taken a point and you come off the pitch against Colchester and you haven’t taken three points, it can be disheartening for me, the staff and more importantly for the supporters.

“But how may games is it since we won? Three. How many of those games have we lost? One.

"The most natural thing in football now is frustration. We live in a world where talkSPORT and Sky and the media outlets, they are 24/7 now.

"A lot of the 24/7 is not positivity and niceness, just negativity towards clubs and managers.

“That’s the football world we live in and we’ve got to accept that.

"For us, since the Cheltenham game we have created a lot of chances, enough to have won all the games we’ve played.

"Unfortunately the result is the most important thing at 5 o’clock. We’ve got to make sure we take the positivity of what we’re doing well and turn that into the positivity of results going our way. That will get us into the position where we want to be.

"I have always been a manager based upon performance. I don’t think performances can lie.”

Cook has said that recent fortunes have made him as frustrated as he has ever been as a manager, with Tuesday a prime example.

He took exception to a minority of supporters who he felt took their criticism too far, and accepts the only way to quieten the noise is through results.

"First half against Colchester we were excellent but as everyone knows at 1-0 there is always a moment and unfortunately for us the moments are going against us,” he said. "Colchester had one attempt on goal in 90 minutes and we drew the game.

"You have to take whatever negativity comes now. It’s the world we live in and we’re not going to change that.

"We are a community club, so the fans know what goes on.

"I think our average attendances are up percentage wise by as much as most teams in the country.

"You will always get a percentage of a fan base a little bit disgruntled and unhappy.

"When you win games that will always go a bit quieter but the noise will always return. You can’t stop it."

Despite the “noise,” Chesterfield are unbeaten at home iin seven matches n all competitions heading into the tussle with Crewe.

"My message to the fans is as it always has been – we need you and you need us,” added Cook.

“If one wants to go in a different direction then you will soon find yourself having problems.

"The reality is Saturday comes around again and the best way to get to a position you want to be is by winning football games.

"We are in for a very difficult game tomorrow against a very good opponent and it is one we are looking forward to.”