OPINION; Time to cut losses and show Caldwell exit door

Chesterfield manager Gary Caldwell: Chesterfield manager Gary Caldwell: Picture by Steve Flynn/AHPIX.com, Football: Skybet League 2 match Crewe Alexandra -V- Chesterfield at Alexandra Stadium, Crewe, Cheshire, England on copyright picture Howard Roe 07973 739229

That's the end of that then. After our 5-1 capitulation at Gresty Road against a young, lively and well-organised Crewe Alexandra, I can't see where Gary Caldwell can go, apart from the exit door.

To surmise the match, we set off with the 4-1-4-1 formation that kept the might of Coventry at bay, but that lasted for all of six minutes.

It was a slightly unfortunate goal to concede but there was no decisiveness to clear the ball before a deflection teed the ball up nicely for Chris Porter to score.

Let’s not forget that when Porter played for us in League One he was on loan from Sheffield United, who seem to want to palm off their dud players on to Chesterfield.

At that point the club had the common sense not to sign him as he offered very little to our forward line.

At Gresty Road he ended with two goals, could have had a hat-trick and went home with the man of the match award.

But if you offer any striker time and space to hit a shot they will score.

For the rest of the first half Chesterfield dominated possession but most of it was crucially in our own half, with only the isolated O’Grady up front making headway.

In the second half we tried 4-2-3-1 and then 3-4-3 but got over-run in the midfield.

Crewe got everyone behind the ball and then broke quickly and did the simple things well. We were lucky with a disallowed goal that could have made it six and managed to kick one off the line, or it could have been seven.

In his post-match interview Caldwell was blaming the players, always a sign that it is the end for a manager, saying that we tried three different formations.

The players, for their part, don’t seem too enamoured with how they are trying to achieve things,

I’m sure that Kristian Dennis would like a run out as a striker and others would like to play in positions that they are comfortable with for 90 minutes.

If blame is to be laid at the door of the players, it is that heads dropped and there were players in the second half clearly quitting and not tracking back. Ian Evatt was exposed for pace at two of the second half goals and Tommy Lee’s throw-out straight to a Crewe player was Sunday league stuff.

So who next for Chesterfield manager? Apparently the word is out in the football community that the job is a difficult one due to the interesting set up behind the scenes at 1866 Sheffield Road. It’s a sad fact that the club will have to cut their losses and spend more money paying off Gary Caldwell.