Crewe will be up for it on Saturday
Vale assistant manager Mark Grew knows what Crewe boss Steve Davis is going through at the moment, but says form means absolutely nothing in derby games.
Vale make the short trip to the Alexandra Stadium on Saturday with the fans’ expectation high, but Grew has warned they are likely to face a Crewe side who are up for the game.
Grew said: “Crewe are not having the best of times right now, but that means absolutely nothing in a derby. A lot and people raise their games and we are expecting a really tough time.
“Steve (Davis) is no mug and he will be getting them wound up for this game and there is talk he is trying to get a couple of new faces in before the game.
“Form means nothing because it is a derby game and it isn’t just the fans who want it, it’s the players as well - they have to suffer it too.
“I have played in derby games and as a player you don’t want to get beat, and for sure they won’t want to get beat on Saturday.
“I know Steve Davis very well and he will be stinging from Saturday’s defeat and their FA Cup exit on Tuesday.
“What is happening with them is they are creating chances but not scoring and then they are getting caught out at the other end, so there’s work to be done there, but form does go out of the window in derbies.
“Since Steve has been there he has had all success – now all of a sudden it isn’t all success and he’s going through it a little bit, but that’s what makes you strong as a manager.
“You know, as a manager you are not going to keep on getting success all the time, but it’s how you handle it when the results are going against you.”