Roberts may have blown it

10:41am Thursday 31st July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

CREWE may be left with little option but to axe troubled midfielder Gary Roberts.

The 21-year-old’s Alex career is once again in the balance after another no-show at training this week.

And that could be the final straw with Roberts already sat in the last-chance saloon.

It’s been incident after incident over the last 12 months, resulting in the former England Under 17 skipper being placed on the transfer list this summer.

After failing to attend pre-season training, Roberts had been left out in the cold with no firm interest elsewhere.

But a squad number and recall was on the cards following clear-the-air talks with boss Steve Holland last Thursday.

Just 48 hours later Roberts failed to show at Crewe’s 4-0 destruction of Premiership Hull City and was also absent at Reaseheath on Monday.

So left with a real dilemma, Holland will look to find a resolution with both Dario Gradi and John Bowler.

Despite putting a decade into the development of Roberts, they may have to let him walk for nothing.

“It beggars belief given the conversation Gary had with me last Thursday,” explained Holland.

“I’ve given him chance after chance but it appears to have been a waste of time.

“It was agreed he’d be back with the first team training this week but he wasn’t at the game and didn’t train on Monday “The bottom line is that he can’t play for the first team anymore because not only are we cheesed off with him, the players are too.”

Anyone would think the class of 2003 was a bad batch as Crewe gear up for a reunion with Roberts’ old England mucker Billy Jones.

Having smashed Hull, the Alex look for more encouragement in their final major warm-up at home to Preston this Saturday.

The situation with one-time contract rebel Jones is well-documented and Holland stayed away from hype.

“I don’t want to make a big deal of it,” he added.

“It’s water under the bridge and we’ve moved on.

“But he’s a player we worked with for 10 years like Gary and one we had high regard for.

“We always felt that after another season he would have been ready for a big move.

“Billy was impatient, made a decision and that was the end of it.

“We’ve not had many of those situations fortunately or the club would be in a right mess.”

While Nicky Maynard is tipped to make that dream move, Holland believes it might be 2009.

“The signs are that Nicky will start the season with us,” continued Holland.

“But we’ve got a month to go and I don’t control that.”

Despite splashing out over £500,000 this summer, he’s still hopeful of more additions.

“Jake (Livermore) was going to solve that problem in midfield so that injury is a blow.

“I had a player from Arsenal thrown at me but I didn’t think he’d have anymore then we’ve already got.

“We worked hard to get Jake, it took time but we got the right player and we’ll do the same again.

“We’re also actively seeking a centre-half.

“I’m still concerned about the consistency and I’m not sure we’ve got the strength in depth.”