Crystal Palace FC Thread + Premiership Palaver

[pleno1]

Holdddd

[Marky147]

Holdddd

Got Toon in a handicap league, so I'll have some of that.

[pleno1]

gg ant, looking forward to your overall analysis though.

think debuchy is best rb in the league?

[Ant040689]

oh come on Ant it could have been 7-0! We hit the bar, Cabaye could have had a hat trick Ben Arfa created more in 10 minutes than the whole of palace in 90. Defensively we just didnt let you into our box and as expected Bannan got swallowed by Tiote et al and didnt come back out in the second half. Pardew totally owned Pulis today.

Fair enough. I said not much else happening, pretty loosley and am probably incorrect, you are right. It just wasn't as dominant a performance from you guys that I would have expected considering our team today. Yes you won 3-0. At 2-0 we could have got back into it, and at 1-0 too we had a good chance to get back in. You had Gouffran hit the bar at 2-0, as well and then it gets hazy from me. You were not in utter control out of your class per se, but our distinct lack of it, but it can be argued that you guys were always doing enough so needn't have pushed harder.

I think the result flatters to deceive is all I am saying, because we didn't have our proper side out. You were great defensively, but without our two defensive midfielders providing the platform, we were always not going to offer much.

I don't want this to come across as sour grapes. It is disappointing to me that Pulis set up the way he did from the start, playing a right back in midfield spells trouble, and because of that, I find it hard to credit Newcastle for anything close to an awesome performance. It was professional, but you did take a controlling 2-0 lead from two fortunate goals, and with that cushion it can be a lot easier to play well.

Remy I thought was fantastic btw. Very quick and strong, held the ball up well, and was always looking to get on the wrong side of the defender. He was limited to a holding player's performance as he didn't get the opportunity to run in behind really. Cabaye was excellent, on a few occasions he could have just turned and ran with it but he likes to play a quick first time ball if he can which is obviously fine. Santon ate up Bolasie's threat, as did your RB with Puncheon, and your two centre backs were superb in the air all game, mostly, and were only a little shaky for the chance you allowed Jerome in the first half.

I thought Chamakh was a different class today with some of his touches and moves, and he embarrassed Tiote at one stage with a beautiful turn. He really is so much better than any of our attacking players it is scary, he is beautiful to watch at times. A shame though he couldn't defend better for the first goal, but it probably isn't his job to be that deep anyway!

[pleno1]

pretty interesting, our fans view of the game was that Remy was awful and Cabaye went through the motions, its funny how people see things different.

We dont claim to be this out of control flairy team. We are solid and try and be good defensively and have players who can score goals when they get a chance, Cabaye, Remy, Gouffran and even Sissoko and we are trying to be solid at set plays.

We have Ben Arfa though who if we need some form of energy or spark can just come on and do as he likes. I think the first time he touched the ball today he took on 5 men and set up Gouffran who hit the bar and then the next time took on 3 and Shola should have scored. He is a ridiculous human being but the way we set up is solid and he doesnt feature in that line up.

In the past we would 100% have lost today but weve changed our mentality somewhat.

I think one of the main problems for your team is defensive distribution, from deep in midfield and at the back, you give the ball away far too easy. Your only attacking threat as far as I can see is crosses into the box for Jerome and Chamakh who are not particuarly fast. If teams play a high line and work on stopping crosses its going to be difficult for you to get many goalscoring opportunities.

I thought Speroni played decent today and stopped it being 5-0.

Agree about Williamson being very good in the air and a no nonsense defender, I wonder if he will get a look into the England set up, hes been one of if not the best centre half in the last 2-3 months in the prem and without doubt the best English centre half so far.

The main problem we have is keeping our squad happy, we have

- ben arfa
- mbwia (who was really good before colocini came back)
- cisse
- guttierez
- steven taylor
- sammy
- rob eliot
- Marveuax

Who arent getting a look in at the moment but could go to teams like Palace, Sunderland, Hull, Cardiff etc and be regular starters, this is when Pardew earns his coin.

[Ant040689]

pretty interesting, our fans view of the game was that Remy was awful and Cabaye went through the motions, its funny how people see things different.

We dont claim to be this out of control flairy team. We are solid and try and be good defensively and have players who can score goals when they get a chance, Cabaye, Remy, Gouffran and even Sissoko and we are trying to be solid at set plays.

We have Ben Arfa though who if we need some form of energy or spark can just come on and do as he likes. I think the first time he touched the ball today he took on 5 men and set up Gouffran who hit the bar and then the next time took on 3 and Shola should have scored. He is a ridiculous human being but the way we set up is solid and he doesnt feature in that line up.

In the past we would 100% have lost today but weve changed our mentality somewhat.

I think one of the main problems for your team is defensive distribution, from deep in midfield and at the back, you give the ball away far too easy. Your only attacking threat as far as I can see is crosses into the box for Jerome and Chamakh who are not particuarly fast. If teams play a high line and work on stopping crosses its going to be difficult for you to get many goalscoring opportunities.

I thought Speroni played decent today and stopped it being 5-0.

Agree about Williamson being very good in the air and a no nonsense defender, I wonder if he will get a look into the England set up, hes been one of if not the best centre half in the last 2-3 months in the prem and without doubt the best English centre half so far.

The main problem we have is keeping our squad happy, we have

- ben arfa
- mbwia (who was really good before colocini came back)
- cisse
- guttierez
- steven taylor
- sammy
- rob eliot
- Marveuax

Who arent getting a look in at the moment but could go to teams like Palace, Sunderland, Hull, Cardiff etc and be regular starters, this is when Pardew earns his coin.

It seemed like Remy and Cabaye didn't have much to do all game but with what they did do I thought they did it well. Remy had no real opportunities from memory but I thought he played the holding role well and he is so quick.

Disappointed we didn't have our proper setup, as I think we would have given you a run for your money even with the strength in depth you have. Not playing probably our best players in Ward, at right back, was the biggest blow and the key to all of our problems really.

I think it just makes a bet on Palace more appealing because we have a team capable of great output there, but for one reason or another all season they haven't been on a consistent run, disguising this fact. Something I think that will change when we just have two defensive central midfielders fit, which is probably for our next game on Thursday. If O'Keefe nor Dikagcoi are back, then we probably give Aston Villa the kick start to their season that they sorely need right now, especially without Ward playing where he should, our wing backs will be laid bare to the venom that the likes of Agbonlahor can possess.

[Ant040689]

On the Speroni front, I think he needs to be calling for the ball to stop Gabbidon poking into his own net. He has cost us probably at least three goals this season and I am sure Pulis wants competition for him and probably his replacement in January.

Just a case of who, you bring Rob Elliot up, what do you think of him? Would it be beyond reality to think Forster would be interested in Palace? What about Kasper Schmeichel, who I rate as a fantastic keeper.

[pleno1]

Elliot is good and solid he won't be leaving us though that's for sure he's a good back up and we have nobody else. Stoke have a lot of goalkeepers so if you got anybody I'd not be surprised it would be from them. The butland signing was abit weird really. They must have bad somebody lined up for begovic.

I still think that left back is your weakest area. Sissoko is not a good winger really but was made to look really good today. Just feels like a weak part of your team that will always be exposed. You can see the difference today.

Gouffran and sissoko great defensively nd work so hard and thus little crosses came in but puncheon and bolassie basically don't track back, you can't afford luxury players in your team.

How were the newcastle fans?

[Ant040689]

Elliot is good and solid he won't be leaving us though that's for sure he's a good back up and we have nobody else. Stoke have a lot of goalkeepers so if you got anybody I'd not be surprised it would be from them. The butland signing was abit weird really. They must have bad somebody lined up for begovic.

I still think that left back is your weakest area. Sissoko is not a good winger really but was made to look really good today. Just feels like a weak part of your team that will always be exposed. You can see the difference today.

Gouffran and sissoko great defensively nd work so hard and thus little crosses came in but puncheon and bolassie basically don't track back, you can't afford luxury players in your team.

How were the newcastle fans?

Yeh left back is our weakest area and with my rants in recent weeks I thought that went unsaid.

By the end of the game when we were 3-0, I actually turned to my mate and said, well they deserve this, for travelling so far, and they were pretty giddy all game because of the goals. We tend to drown out the away fans, as we have our ultras singing non stop, but they were good.

Was a complete sell out nearly from the looks of things and its great to see that. Just a shame we didn't have the opportunity to really get very loud yesterday.

I think a left back and a striker is probably high on the agenda. I think elsewhere we can cope, but have a feeling he is going to be interested in a centre back too. And a goalkeeper of course. Hmm, considering the amount of players he wants to get in I very much doubt he will be allowed more than two. A left back should be a certainty, then I would imagine a striker too.

[Ant040689]

Gouffran and sissoko great defensively nd work so hard and thus little crosses came in but puncheon and bolassie basically don't track back, you can't afford luxury players in your team.

We can with the two central defensive midfielders you see, that was missing today and the whole line up really didn't know how to react, thus our terrible performance, and making you guys out to have a much easier day of it.

[pleno1]

I just feel like 4-4-2 is such a bad tactic, especially for a team with poor wingers where service is so important. If you play 2 DM how can they gt the right service? It ends up being a whole gap between midfield and attack.

Btw the conditions looked really bad today so I doubt many teams would have looked very good technically tc;

[Ant040689]

I just feel like 4-4-2 is such a bad tactic, especially for a team with poor wingers where service is so important. If you play 2 DM how can they gt the right service? It ends up being a whole gap between midfield and attack.

Btw the conditions looked really bad today so I doubt many teams would have looked very good technically tc;

Yep they were terrible. The rain is fine enought o deal with, but the wind was stong.

Well the answer to the formation question is really that we don't play a 4-4-2, it is more like a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1, with Chamakh often dropping in as a attacking midfielder. He basically is a midfielder to be honest with you. We normally have Jedinak anchor in defensive midfield and have Dikagcoi partnering him but with a freer role so he can push up more and support our strikers, so he covers more of the centre of the park and provides more support while essentially being a defensive midfielder.

They have been influential for us for the past two seasons, and have made us a decent defensive unit when we play under the Pulis more direct way. Our wingers looked bob basic today, but when they have two defensive midfielders and Chamakh in front, they get hit by us with more of the ball so that we can move up the pitch, and more space is there as I think our central midfielders would draw oppo players into them. It does mean though, that Jerome gets isolated up front but Chamakh has to be the work horse and try and push on as much as he can.

You really did see Palace at their most poor since Holloway has left, and it was down to a Pulis gamble that did not pay off at all. He won't be starting with Ward in central midfield again methinks, if he does than that is a shame.

[Ant040689]

Looks like it is going to be quite bleak for Palace in these next two games. We have 3 defensive midfielders out meaning we may have to play a RB at CM again, alternative central midfielders are too lightweight for Pulis.

Would prefer the lightweight midfield and better technical strength than have a stronger guy in there that dkittle really know what he is doing with limited passing ability because he is a blooming RB!

If Mariappa, Moxey/Parr, Ward, Delaney and Gabbidon are on the sane starting line up team sheet you can safely assume Ward is playing CM again and that will probably spell huge trouble. Not to mention Chamakh isn't playing today, suspended with 5 yellow cards. Everything good mainly goes through him so someone will try to step up to the plate.

I hold out hope for today as Villa aren't on the best of runs and after the test run against Newcastle perhaps our newly structured side could gel better. We're 4/1 today and that sounds about right at large underdogs. The gane after this is Man City away, so Pulis probably will go gung ho today and tell us to ease off the gas a little when we almost inevitably lose to Man City.

So I am hopeful, but the hare facts suggest Villa have probably been priced up wrong, especially if the players mentioned all start, as imo they should be 4/5 but there is closer to evens available.

[Ant040689]

Palace playing the team I dreaded would be named but in a formation that appears to be an outright 4-5-1.

[Ant040689]

Didn't watch the first half, but heard it was dire. Second half and Palace definitely had the clearer chances, they also two had one or two but none were finished well enough to actually be considered as unlucky.

Puncheon nearly scored twice, Bannan nearly scored too, and then Gayle while one on one with Delph, stepped inside from just outside of the area and whipped one in top corner. After not showing much all season, and to be fair to him, with the way we have been treatin ghim, playing him out of position for the most part, in what is probably only around 180 mins in an outright up front position he does a wonder goal.

An absolute peach, and now we are freerolling our next game against Man City.