Crystal Palace FC Thread + Championship Chat

[anthonyl]

Speroni cost us really, we had no real chances, they had no real chances before the mistake. Then they hit us with a worldie, then Ramage gifted them the third. It's going to look calamitous on the replays.

Murray was the worst player on the pitch. Holloway took off Ward and Williams when they were having decent games. Zaha and Bolassie were largely operating by themselves.

It was the worst performance I have ever witnessed by Palace. Of course I like to hyperbole, but I am pretty sure that is accurate. We were woefully out of the game.

We haven't scored in five. My ideal would be to draw the next 4 games 0-0, cling onto the playoffs and then win the semis on penalties and the final after more 0-0 just so we could be the most disgraceful team to get promoted and what a stat that would be. Silly obv.

I fear for us.

Jesus mate, it ain't that bad.

Just like you weren't as good as you thought you were when you were dreaming automatic promotion, you aren't as bad as you think you are now.

You're still like 85% to make the playoffs and once in them you'll be a small outsider, but still about 20% to win them.

You have a couple of gamebreakers, and these guys are crucial in the playoffs.

They hit form and provide 2 or 3 goals you can still go up easily.

Not sure they will be 85% if Leicester beat them...

Palarse havent scored for over 6 weeks. Must be a championship record!? (Calendar days)

[The Camel]

Speroni cost us really, we had no real chances, they had no real chances before the mistake. Then they hit us with a worldie, then Ramage gifted them the third. It's going to look calamitous on the replays.

Murray was the worst player on the pitch. Holloway took off Ward and Williams when they were having decent games. Zaha and Bolassie were largely operating by themselves.

It was the worst performance I have ever witnessed by Palace. Of course I like to hyperbole, but I am pretty sure that is accurate. We were woefully out of the game.

We haven't scored in five. My ideal would be to draw the next 4 games 0-0, cling onto the playoffs and then win the semis on penalties and the final after more 0-0 just so we could be the most disgraceful team to get promoted and what a stat that would be. Silly obv.

I fear for us.

Jesus mate, it ain't that bad.

Just like you weren't as good as you thought you were when you were dreaming automatic promotion, you aren't as bad as you think you are now.

You're still like 85% to make the playoffs and once in them you'll be a small outsider, but still about 20% to win them.

You have a couple of gamebreakers, and these guys are crucial in the playoffs.

They hit form and provide 2 or 3 goals you can still go up easily.

Not sure they will be 85% if Leicester beat them...

Palarse havent scored for over 6 weeks. Must be a championship record!? (Calendar days)

Obv not, but as it stands I reckon they are about 1/6 to make the playoffs.

Remember Leicester are terribly out of form too.

[Chompy]

Brighton hit the bar twice tonight, so might think they were unlucky, but Crofts should have been sent off for hauling down fatty when he was off on one of his runs, and Tommy Rowe missed a sitter also.

Think a draw was fair on balance. Poshies not at their best and I'd doubt that's as good as Brighton are either. Wayne Bridge outstanding for Seaweed, despite the obligatory abuse from the London Road end, while Zakuani was all over Ulloa like a rash. Alcock our MOTM at right-back.

Poyet's swans are a very organised bunch and that might just be enough the play-offs this time round.

Anyone got a spare wheel? Watford's and Palace's seem to have fallen off completely.

Used the car park thanks. Parked right by the back of the bar.

Pleased with point as missing

Vicente
Barnes
Cms
Hoskins
Buckley
Lua Lua
(Dobbie)

Think it was Hammond not crofts thought he won the ball and player fell over will see on highlights tomorrow.

Some ridiculous fouls by your players not given, all after that incident you mentioned!

You looked pretty poor. You kept giving ball away, nerves I guess. If you used the wings like you did from the 70th minute you would have nicked a goal if you started doing that earlier. We controlled it up to 70th min but missing our 6 attackin players showed as we were very ineffective.

Probably a fair result due to how inneffective we were. Press announcer said forest drew, BOOM when got back in the car
Hope we do you a favour by beating wolves!

Roffle!

We've played better for sure but we were missing key players also, Little, Bostwick, Payne. Didn't think you controlled it tbh, very bitty overall. Ref was awful.

[luther101]

Before Dung gets in with his 'Mogadon Musings' I, for one, am not overly perturbed about Watford's chances in the Play Offs - the 'goal machine' may have dried up, but hopefully its just a temporary situation.

The only crap game we've had in recent memory has been against Peterboro, and that was because they were so good - we hardly got a kick!

Against Wall last night they could have wrapped the game up in the first 20 minutes. had the customary clear cut penalty appeal waved away, and were the 'team in charge' for most of the game.

So not too much to whinge about    .....    if the strikers hit some form, who'd fancy playing us?

Football fans are a weird old mob, before the arrival of the Pozzos/Zola Foreign Legion realistic expectations for Watford would have been avoiding relegation, and chasing 'The Holy Grail' of mid-table obscurity would have been wholly acceptable, under a poorly resourced/financed Sean Dyche tenure.

They've been treated to the best, most exciting, football played at Vicarage Road in donkeys years, and a creditable push for promotion - but look at the various fans forums and they're full of doom, gloom, and heresy.

I really don't know what this deluded Sky inspired generation - whose only knowledge of the game they've never even played appears to have come from munching pizzas whilst playing Football Manager 2002 -> ? - expects from a football club the size of Watford FC.

When I was a kid our only aim was to bunk into the ground for nothing, and reaching the 3rd of the Cup was Nirvana (not Gen Henderson, obv).

Modern football fans    ...     bunch of Kuntz!

[DungBeetle]

Yep - we played well last night.  Created enough to win several games from what my friend says.

I'm not too fussed about us staying down for another season if that is what happens, but it does feel like a missed chance if we do lose in the playoffs.  I've still really enjoyed the season.

I agree some of our fans have got delusions of grandeur Luther, but for many I think it is the frustration of being in such a strong position and then taking just one point from games against Barnsley, Blackpool, Burnley, Peterboro and Millwall whilst managed to beat Hull away in between!

[Chompy]

Were you at London Road on Saturday Loofah?

[Matt50]

I fear for us if we get beat on Saturday.
Ant has over reacted a bit - we are not getting the rub of the green at the moment and silly mistakes are being punished, unlike earlier in the season.
We need a lucky goal from somewhere to get us going again.

However if we win saturday the confidence will be back and we should make the play-offs - then it is a lottery.  The best team very rarely wins the play-offs.

Is going to be a real nervy one on saturday though as defeat for either will see them looking unlikely to finish top 6.

[TightEnd]

I fear for us if we get beat on Saturday.
Ant has over reacted a bit - we are not getting the rub of the green at the moment and silly mistakes are being punished, unlike earlier in the season.
We need a lucky goal from somewhere to get us going again.

However if we win saturday the confidence will be back and we should make the play-offs - then it is a lottery.  The best team very rarely wins the play-offs.

Is going to be a real nervy one on saturday though as defeat for either will see them looking unlikely to finish top 6.

I'm not confident, neither are you. Will take a draw now lol

We've been on the most atrocious run, all sorts of off the field stuff going off as well as many of the front six being way off form.

Can't see us scraping in, but we'll be tough if we do.

[Matt.NFFC.]

You'll be fine tighty......you will get the point you need against us at our place, thus knackering us up in the process.

It's the way it is, stop worrying.

[TightEnd]

You'll be fine tighty......you will get the point you need against us at our place, thus knackering us up in the process.

It's the way it is, stop worrying.

One thing, and its the same for a lot of clubs....

Last season, 6,000 tickets to your place for Leicester fans at sub £25

This season? 2,025 tickets to your place for last game of the season at £32

Marvellous. Not.

 

[Acidmouse]

16k at Leeds last night, as low as I can remember all hail next season.

[luther101]

Were you at London Road on Saturday Loofah?

Certainly not     ....     football's only fashionable, among the unfashionable.

Loofah's absolutely gutted - he told members of his old Watford supporting crew that he would only return to the old 'Saturday Shanterthon' days should the Orns get in a Play Off Final     ....    and that was four years ago!

That's why I was praying for automatic promotion - anything rather than having to share a football stand with the dribbling clueless divs that now infest modern football stadia (at least if we get Palarse that comment won't apply beyond the Roy Hattersley bit).

I'm quite happy to tune into local radio to listen to how the team are faring - after 41 years, and 80 odd (some very odd) grounds visited, of supporting the Golden Shower I finally decided 'modern football' was a load of bollox!

And if I'm to return, to honour my pledge, it's going to be to the ground that's everything that's wrong with the game, Wembley - the prize possesssion of those that murdered the English game, the greedy horrible Football phuqqin Association.

[DungBeetle]

Loofah longs for trips to the Manor Ground to watch Paul Wilkinson leading the line for the Hornets!

[Ant040689]

Speroni cost us really, we had no real chances, they had no real chances before the mistake. Then they hit us with a worldie, then Ramage gifted them the third. It's going to look calamitous on the replays.

Murray was the worst player on the pitch. Holloway took off Ward and Williams when they were having decent games. Zaha and Bolassie were largely operating by themselves.

It was the worst performance I have ever witnessed by Palace. Of course I like to hyperbole, but I am pretty sure that is accurate. We were woefully out of the game.

We haven't scored in five. My ideal would be to draw the next 4 games 0-0, cling onto the playoffs and then win the semis on penalties and the final after more 0-0 just so we could be the most disgraceful team to get promoted and what a stat that would be. Silly obv.

I fear for us.

Jesus mate, it ain't that bad.

Just like you weren't as good as you thought you were when you were dreaming automatic promotion, you aren't as bad as you think you are now.

You're still like 85% to make the playoffs and once in them you'll be a small outsider, but still about 20% to win them.

You have a couple of gamebreakers, and these guys are crucial in the playoffs.

They hit form and provide 2 or 3 goals you can still go up easily.

Ok, I was operating on all of yesterday on 2 hours sleep and was redic grumpy, but a lot of what i said above was true.

Saying that we would be the most disgraceful team to get promoted would only be if we did so without scoring in match time again and that isn't going to happen surely. As it stands though we are team with good potential going through a rough patch. We showed signs of early promise especially on our left hand side with Parr really playing well, he gets clattered though and injured and has to go off. Williams is only young but is the worst case i have seen in a while of taking 'one touch too much', he loves these sideways runs that takes him no further up the pitch but sometimes it is great just so we have a bit of ball retention and can rebuild. However it is wildly annoying when there is that cheeky through ball to be played and he takes that unnecessary next touch, runs into trouble and tries to win a foul which he has been accustomed to doing, as it only takes a slight touch to send his small frame flying. If you think I am talking negatively about him I am trying not to. He has so much promise, but at the moment he just needs to spend less time on the ball and trust his through ball technique which has been exceptional when I have seen him before. So I hope he comes into his own soon as he is one of our match winners, if he spends less time on the ball that is, or if he is going to go on a darting run, let him try going forwards, rather than sideways/backwards.

Murray was truly woeful. I think most people that can read the game can realise, that he is slow, he isn't terribly good at getting knock downs as the centre backs normally get in ahead, which is terrible for trying to get up the pitch and when you give him the ball to feet his move is to immediately try to find Bolassie or Zaha and he hasn't a turn and shot in his locker really. Obv he probably has tried a few this season, but wouldn't mind seeing the ratio of his attempts, so defenders aren't being too bothered by him at all outside of the box, which is a shame! As he has a very decent long range shot on him but I don't think he backs himself in that spot.

Yesterday and all during this goal baron run, Murray hasn't had the characteristics that made him score so many goals. They were his amazing positioning and connection with the crossers, how he could steal space from under the defenders noses to make this happen and having a good instinct while in these spots, to put the ball in the back of the net more often than not. I hadn't seen a man operate so well in spite of his restrictive physical abilities which are pretty ridiculous for a pro striker at this level. If you are a slow striker you have to be stronger in the air at knock downs than he is, just looking at O'Grady for Barnsley recently, he was bestial. I don't have to cast my mind back long to remember how good Alan Lee was in the air. But it is what it is, he is a finesse player with no pace, but a wily fox, if he isn't looking wily, he just looks like a waste of space up front. However, I believe this is only because a lot of our team are going through confidence issues as well, meaning the balls in aren't as good, and then Murray reacts by not opening himself up as well, and it all feeds off each other.

I remember one incident in particular that typified what we are currently going through. We often like to put in a nice, whipped corner to the back post and Murray gets a trademark effort at goal which he often aims towards the ground. The ball comes in for that, no Ipswich players at the back post, but neither is he. Three players run around Murray and have a go at him and Murray put his hands up basically and looked a man dejected. Everything he has done for 5 games hasn't resulted in goals, and as he really does look like our only outlet for goals, you can imagine how much pressure he is feeling.

I want to ram this point home if you feel as if I am being unfair on Murray. I think he has been a revelation this season and what he has done, despite his physicality, is exceptional. We just can never have him having a lack of confidence really, as he nearly is our only outlet for goals. So we need to coax him back to form ever so quickly to have any chance of being in future games. I love Murray, but it is a shame that when he takes a dip in form it is curtains for our chances of winning games. It shouldn't be like that, but honestly our only other two threats of scoring are from corners where our centre backs might get lucky, or from a great free kick from Moritz. Yes Zaha has a few, but he really needs to work on his shot more and Bolasie is an outrageously promising prospect on our other wing, he gets past players for fun also, but blimey, I would back players from my Sunday team to provide better efforts on goal. Whenever he lines up to shoot you have the whole ground sighing before he lets loose.

So when Murray is off cue we have no outlet at all nearly. It was one of the worst performances I have seen of Palace as i have only been watching since 2004, and haven't been to every game, as we had decent possession at times but did nothing with it over and over. And I am a decent reader of a game, it was dreadful last night and you guys must know I am always looking for the positives out of everything.

Our defence looked a joke at times. We had Ramage losing a lot of headers in the air, we had him gifting goals, we had him getting turned inside out at stages. Joel Ward back is a plus and he looked solid, until he gave their scorer a bit too much room to let fly for their second, a little harsh as it was a worldie. Delaney looked ok but was making mistakes too. Dikagcoi looks slow and unfit and a man way out of confidence, maybe he needs Jedinak in there to gee him up. And our two wingers were our only bright sparks but they were not getting fed properly. We kept on feeding the long ball up there for Murray to lose and for Ipswich to regain possession. I felt that the centre midfielders weren't offering enough to offer the short ball in the middle for the right/left backs that were getting isolated for space, then from the middle you could look to try and hit our great wingers to feet and let them do what they do. They could then charge upon, what is increasingly looking like two defenders, and still make something happen, they draw those defenders in, quite often opening space up in the middle to lay someone off, or they actually take on and beat those two defenders and get a cross in. They were doing very well last night anytime they got the ball, but we persisted in ignoring that for a lot of the game and just fucking punted it. Fair enough if we had someone dominant in the air up there but we don't.

I can think of loads of incidents which embarrassed players last night where the basics had evaded them but it isn't nice to highlight these any more than I have, but I believe, wholly, that that game was horrific. But I am not going to end on that note. I want to see us with a goal scored. I think that could be the ticket to our previous form as we would have the monkey off of our backs and we could finally relax a little. I think Leicester fans should be very very wary of conceding an early goal against us on Saturday, as I imagine these players want to ravage the next team that comes their way but only after one goal goes in and they probably free themselves up more. I don't care how this goal goes in, we just need to get that habit going again because as it stands we have played 5 scored 0 and conceded 11.

[anthonyl]

Any Leeds fans going to elland road v Brighton?

Will be staying the night up there. Any decent clubs for 21-30 year old age range?