Crewe boss, David Artell, will register his 200th game in charge of the club at Plymouth on Saturday and he has marked the occasion by saying that it has been an upward learning curve during his four years in charge.
Artell succeeded Steve Davis in January 2017 and successfully guided the club back into League One after finishing runner-up to Swindon on points per game. Crewe were top of the league when the season was curtailed due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Ahead of his landmark game, the gaffer told us: “As a staff we were looking back and talking about how far we have come over the past four years. It has been a learning curve and tough going at times, certainly when you first go in and the team is struggling and the squad is disjointed.
“It wasn’t particularly fun, especially when you are close to the bottom of League Two and you are losing football matches. It was a struggle but we learned a lot from it. We learned a lot from those first 18 months but we have managed to get the wheels in motion and that has set us up for the second 18 months and beyond.
“We felt we were getting places and on reflection we have built a decent team and are moving forward. Hopefully that progression will continue and we will have another successful four years. That is what we are aiming for and I thankful for the support I got in those first 18 months.
“The support from the board was unwavering and now we are reaping the rewards of that planning, stability and structure if you like.”