MR EVER-GREEN
Crewe loanee Paul Green is eager to keep on playing
AS A youthful Crewe side once again strive to keep themselves clear of the drop zone, one veteran midfielder, evergreen by name and nature, is acting as a wise old head.
The Railwaymen’s line-up for their last game before the weekend – a superb 4-1 win at Lincoln – contained five starters under the age of 23 and a further five on the bench.
Tucked in among them was Paul Green, 34, former Republic of Ireland international.
Crewe’s oldest player, arrived at Gresty Road on loan from Oldham in January and, despite having clocked up more than 600 professional games, the ex-Derby and Leeds man says his hunger is as intense as ever.
“There’s nothing better than playing football as a job and I don’t want to be sat on a bench at my age – I want to be playing,” said Green.
“The opportunity came to come to Crewe and I’ve really enjoyed playing week-in, weekout. We’ve got a great group of lads in that changing room.
“If you’ve not got that appetite to play football, you might as well pack it in.
“When I spoke to the manager (David Artell), he wanted a bit of experience in the team and, hopefully, I’ve brought that to the changing room, helping the young lads out when needed.
“I still feel fit and can get around the pitch. As long as I feel like that and can still do a job, I’m more than happy to carry on.
“I think I’ll know
myself when my body starts packing in and I should call time.”
Green lets little get in his way. With searing pain in his hand after he fractured a metacarpal bone against Lincoln, he refused to come off and went on to score his first Crewe goal from the penalty spot.
Naivety
The Railwaymen have regularly been frustrated this season, conceding 12 goals in the final ten minutes of gamesbefore yesterday’s clash with Stevenage.
Green, who won the old Third Division with Doncaster in 2003-04, believes that eliminating naivety will be the key to Crewe – 19th in League Two pre-weekend – embarking on an upward curve.
“It’s a young group of lads. There aren’t many experienced pros, really,” he added. “I think, sometimes, they’re just a little bit naive and need a bit of guidance. but it’s starting to show in our performances.
“We were unlucky not to beat Yeovil. We played Accrington off the park and lost, conceded a last-minute goal against Wycombe and the worst one was at home against Exeter when we were 1-0 up in the 88th minute and we lost 2-1.
“The frustrating thing is that the performances are actually there. We’re playing some good stuff and it’s just about getting that mentality into their heads – don’t panic when we concede.”
Green made the Irish squad for Euro 2012 and was brought off the bench by Giovanni Trapattoni
against eventual champions Spain. Now he finds himself working under 37-year-old Artell, who took up his first role in management when he replaced Steve Davis midway through last season, before guiding Crewe to safety. Green added: “He’s been great with me and the lads. “Leading up to the games, there’s no stone unturned. He knows how he wants us to play and he knows other teams’ weaknesses. “In our performances, you can see we’re producing what he wants, but it’s just that, when we concede, how we manage games – we’re all learning.”