by Gwyn Griffiths

THIS may not be Steve Holland's Crewe swan-song.

Alex chairman John Bowler says he is now in talks with the former first-team coach about his future role at the club.

Holland may be offered his old job of Academy director, but whether he would want a clean break is open to conjecture.

Currently, former players James Collins and Neil Critchley have had joint responsibility for the day-to-day running of the club's famed youth system, although Gradi stepped in to oversee their work this summer.

It was through the club's junior coaching ranks that Holland emerged. He was given his first coaching job by Gradi when he was just 21.

Previously, he had a short-lived playing career as an apprentice at Derby, followed by stints with Bury and then Northwich Vics.

Like Gradi, he switched his focus to coaching after finishing playing at non-league Hyde.

He took a coaching post with the Cheshire FA at Northwich's Moss Farm sports complex, but then came under Gradi's tutelage at Gresty Road, years before the club developed their impressive Academy facilities at Reaseheath, near Nantwich.

Since then, he can be credited for implementing much of Crewe's youth strategy.

But while he enjoyed runs to the last eight (1998) and last four (2004) of the FA Youth Cup tournament, his real successes have been nurturing talent such as Dean Ashton, whom he discovered playing town football on a playing field in Crewe. Reinforcing his credentials to step into Gradi's shoes was an impressive list of coaching awards, not least the premier UEFA Pro Licence qualification.

When he was promoted back in April 20007, he stressed: "I have worked very hard for this opportunity. I have studied all the coaches. I went to see Steve McClaren before anyone knew about him. I've been to see Arrigo Sacchi at Euro 96 and I have got a video library of the best 100 sides of the last 15 years."