 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Morris | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 1982 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Crewe, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Stoke City U21 (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1995–2002 | Crewe Alexandra | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022 | Crewe Alexandra | ||
| 2023– | Stoke City U21 | ||
Alex Morris (born 5 October 1983) is an English professional football manager, and is head coach of Stoke City U21s.
Morris joined Crewe Alexandra's youth system aged 12 as a midfielder in 1995 and was a contemporary of players including Dean Ashton, David Vaughan and Lee Bell. [1]
He was a member of Crewe's reserve side which won the Cheshire Senior Cup in 2003. Despite injury difficulties including a stress fracture of his shin, Morris was, alongside fellow Academy graduate Chris McCready, offered a one-year contract by manager Dario Gradi in 2004. [2] [3] He remained part of Gradi's first team squad until 2006, but injuries prevented him from making a first-team appearance for the club and forced his early retirement as a player. [1]
Morris then focussed on earning coaching qualifications, working in Crewe's Academy set-up. He was manager of Crewe's under-18 side that reached the quarter-final of the 2015 FA Youth Cup, [1] beating Arsenal, Bolton and Fulham en route to defeat by eventual finalists Manchester City. [4]
After club manager Steve Davis was sacked in January 2017, the new incoming manager David Artell made Morris part of his senior management team alongside assistant Kenny Lunt. [5] Morris managed the Crewe reserve side which won the Cheshire Senior Cup in May 2017. [1]
Some five years later, as Crewe struggled to avoid relegation from EFL League One, Artell reshuffled his management team, appointing Morris as assistant manager, with Lunt becoming player development manager. [6] After the club was relegated with four games still to play, Crewe parted company with Artell on 11 April 2022, and Morris was appointed interim manager to the end of the 2021–22 season, with Lee Bell as his assistant. [7]
Morris said he wanted Crewe to make the most of a "mini two-week season" comprising their final four League One fixtures, while also declaring his interest in becoming the next Crewe manager: "I'd love to take the job long-term. I've been at this club for a long, long time and I believe I have the credentials." [8] Crewe won their first game under Morris, a 3–1 home victory over AFC Wimbledon on 15 April 2022. [9] Morris was appointed the permanent manager on 28 April 2022. [10] [11]
With the Alex winless in nine games, on 4 November 2022, Morris stepped down as Crewe Alexandra manager "for compassionate reasons" and reverted to assistant manager with Bell becoming interim [12] [13] and eventually permanent manager. [14] In June 2023, Crewe announced Morris's departure to take up a role at Championship club Stoke City as U21 head coach. [15] [16] [17]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Crewe Alexandra | 11 April 2022 | 4 November 2022 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 25.0 |
| Total | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 25.0 | ||
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of the town's links with the rail industry, and also commonly known as 'The Alex', they have played at Gresty Road since 1906. The supporters' fiercest rivalry is with Staffordshire-based side Port Vale.
Dario Gradi, MBE is an Italian-English former amateur football player, coach and manager. He was associated for more than 36 years with Crewe Alexandra, where he was variously manager, director of football and director of the Academy, until October 2019.
Kenneth Vincent Lunt is an English retired professional footballer and current football coach, who works for Crewe Alexandra as player development manager. Lunt previous played for Crewe, Sheffield Wednesday, Hereford United and Bala Town.
Lee Bell is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of Crewe Alexandra.
David John Artell is a professional football manager and former player.
Stephen Anthony Holland is an English football coach who is the assistant manager to Gareth Southgate with the England national team.
Steven Peter Davis is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently a trainer scout for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy is the player development centre of English Football League club Crewe Alexandra F.C. Set up by manager Dario Gradi in the late 1980s, it achieved official status as an FA Youth Academy in the late 1990s. By concentrating on developing its own players the club remained profitable by selling them on after they have gained experience with Crewe. The Academy is known to stress technical excellence, which accords with the aim to have the first team play attractive, passing football. Academy graduates include full England internationals Rob Jones, Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson and Dean Ashton and Wales international David Vaughan, plus the club's current manager and previous manager.
Neil Critchley is an English former footballer who played in the Football League First Division for Crewe Alexandra. He is currently the head coach of EFL League One club Blackpool.
Benjamin Jack Garratt is an English professional football goalkeeper who plays for Burton Albion.
Callum Thomas Ainley is an English professional footballer who most recently played as a midfielder for League Two side Crewe Alexandra.
Ryan Frank Wintle is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Cardiff City. He has previously played for Alsager Town and Crewe Alexandra; in August 2021, he was loaned by Cardiff to Blackpool for a four-month loan spell.
Perry Tian Hee Ng is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Cardiff City.
Thomas Richard Lowery is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Portsmouth.
Oliver Vincent Finney is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League Two side Hartlepool United.
Luke William Offord is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for League Two side Crewe Alexandra, and is also club captain.
The 2022–23 season is the 124th season of the English Football League (EFL) and the seventh season under that name after it was renamed from The Football League in 2016. For the tenth season running, the league is sponsored by Sky Betting & Gaming and is therefore known as the Sky Bet EFL.
The 2022–23 EFL League Two was the 19th season of the Football League Two under its current title and the 31st season under its current league division format. It began on 30 July 2022.