Being Crewe boss 'more than a job' says Bell

Lee Bell has been in charge of Crewe for 159 games, winning 59 and losing 56

Crewe Alexandra boss Lee Bell says being in charge of the club is "more than a job" to him as he celebrates three years in the role.

Bell, 42, was appointed manager in November 2022 following an interim spell in the aftermath of Alex Morris' departure.

Bell beat 57 other applicants for the job at the Mornflake Stadium at a club he had served as both a player and youth coach before stepping up to the first team.

"I'm really proud of getting to that milestone," Bell told BBC Radio Stoke.

"It's a real honour to be manager at this club and everyone knows how I feel about the club."

Bell guided Crewe to a 13th-placed finish in 2022-23 before taking them to within one game of promotion to League One in his first full season in charge when they were beaten by Crawley in the play-off final at Wembley.

In December, he turned down an offer to go to another club, saying he wanted to show his "complete commitment" to the Alex.

When asked whether being manager was "more than a job" to him, Bell said: "It is - the emotional connection I have with the club is unique.

"It would probably be different if I was managing somewhere else because of my connection with the club."

Bell came though the academy at Crewe and had two spells as a player between 2002 and 2007 and 2010 and 2012.

He then returned to the club in 2015 as under-18s coach.

Bell said he had seen the demands of his various jobs change over the years.

"When you're taking under-18s or under-21s it's not so much about winning but when you play at Gresty Road [now Mornflake Stadium] in front of 9,000 you're trying to make them have a good weekend. I'm really appreciative of the fans and their support," he said.

"Something I've really strived to do is make them have a team to be really proud of and I think we've managed to do that on the whole."

Bell sympathetic to Shrewsbury's struggles

Crewe, currently ninth in League Two and one point outside the top seven, are back in league action following their FA Cup exit to Doncaster.

Shrewsbury Town, relegated from League One last season, are the visitors on Saturday [12.30 GMT] with Lee sympathetic to Michael Appleton's efforts at readjusting the club, one point above the relegation zone, to life back in the fourth tier.

Bell was part of the Alex coaching staff when the club dropped back into League Two in 2021-22 and knows it takes time to find your feet.

"It takes some time for things to settle down and get that feeling of winning matches again," he said.

"It happened to us, we started well and then things faded off a little bit and I think it's a pattern for teams that come down - you're losing more matches than you're winning and it's about turning that around.

"They have a really experienced manager who won't have panicked earlier in the season - they're well organised and we just have to concentrate on the things we've been working on and put in a good performance."