Log in

Register



FYP Fanzine

Crystal Palace 1-1 Bournemouth: Five Things We Learned

Written by Robert Sutherland

Palace were awful in the first half against Bournemouth, but the second showed just what Palace are capable of. Here's Rob with Five Things We Learned. 

Wilf Home Appeal

Wilf Must Stay, and Palace Must Pay

Alan Pardew said that Wilfried Zaha was left out because of the disruption that the previous two days of transfer speculation caused to him -- and in doing so, showed just how vital a player he is for Palace. 

With the 4-4-2 formation thrown out of the window after just 15 minutes, Palace reverted to a 4-3-3 which left Connor Wickham playing the wing-role as well as he possibly could. Despite playing there for Sunderland for a spell, it's clearly not his natural position. 

The introduction of Zaha forced Bournemouth into an even more defensive stance, with Palace's energetic winger the subject of doubled-up or (at times) tripled-up marking. He created numerous chances (so much for the talk of him having no end-product) and but for a lucky bit of defending, might even have scored one himself. 

He's an important player for Palace. If this transfer speculation is the result of a pay dispute, then it's time he got a new contract that reflects his role in the side. 

 

First half a reflection of challenge facing Pardew, second half a reflection of what Palace can do

Make no mistakes. The first half was an utterly turgid one -- so bad that Pardew even suggested it was the worst he'd seen while he was in charge. Palace looked listless, lacking in leadership and unwilling to follow instructions. Whether tactical, mental or just down to application, half time needed to bring significant performance changes. And that it did. 

The frustration for many Palace fans is that the second half -- a performance of genuine dominance, 20 chances and plenty of possession -- is one that all know the squad are capable of on a regular basis. 

Which leads the question -- what is it that went so wrong in the first half, and how was it remedied in just 15 minutes of team-talking at half time? 

 

Time for Cabaye to give up penalty-taking

As a huge fan of Cabaye and what he does for the side, it's frustrating to see the work he did in the second half for Palace undermined by the atrocious penalty he took in the first half. Worse still, he'd missed a similar penalty last season, and that even those he scored weren't entirely convincing either (the one at Reading in the FA Cup immediately springs to mind.) 

Cabaye is a fantastic midfielder. His work in the second half proved that. He moved the ball with a clinical precision and ensured that Palace retained it in key positions. But he's not a penalty-taker. And when you have a striker -- newly signed for a record fee -- asking for the ball, you really should give it to him. 

It's time to designate a penalty-taker, and for all the good things he does, that taker shouldn't be Cabaye. 

 

Benteke is such a step up for Palace

With every touch, Benteke oozed class. With every step, you could see that he was on a wavelength that other Palace players just weren't up to speed with. With every ball controlled on his chest, or nodded on, or passed, it was clear that he was already thinking about where to be next. These are the qualities of a £32m striker. 

The goals will come. You can tell from his positioning just how ruthless he is. You can see from his requests to teammates that he knows where he wants the ball, when he wants it and how it's delivered. There were times when the crosses into the box weren't quite right - and he told his teammates that. A few more weeks of playing with the side, and Palace should have an attack firing on all cylinders -- and that's something to get really excited about. 

 

Transition or not, Palace fans deserve better at home

Crystal Palace's home form in the league has been atrocious. Since promotion, Palace have won just 20 home league games out of a total of 57 -- eight in the first season, and six in the previous two seasons. 

Given that home form is the core element of a season-ticket-holding fan's diet of football action, it's no surprise that after the turgid first half at Selhurst, boos rang out from the crowd. This isn't just a sudden dip in home form - this has been an issue for three seasons. 

While booing isn't always the thing to do, after such disappointing results at home - despite the endless support shown by the fans - it can be mitigated. Palace fans do deserve better. 

The Bournemouth second half was an excellent one. That's what should be the norm. 

Crystal Palace 0-1 West Brom: 5 things we learned after worst start to new season possible

Written by Naveed Khan

Oh dear. Not a brilliant start to the season at all as Palace lose at home to West Brom 1-0 on the opening day. But what did we learn? Here's Naveed Khan with five things...

40 points is still the target

Fourth season in the Premier League, an abundance of new TV deal money available yet Saturday was a stark reminder to Palace that 40 points is still the primary aim for the season.

The unfinished transfer business, players not featuring for various fitness reasons and a run of 2 wins in 22 all combined to make that 40 points seem a long way away and signs that this season will be a battle; perhaps even more so than previous seasons. The last 2 losing FA Cup finalists have been relegated the following season – there is hard work ahead for Palace to buck that trend.

Ward can’t keep escaping the radar

Joel Ward has been through much at Palace – from being dropped soon after he signed, to being a key part of the promotion winning team in that same season, playing in central midfield and left back for much of the first survival season followed then by two seasons settled at right-back. But as the club looks to progress and Pardew talks about our style transitioning, Saturday raised questions about how he fits into this.

When tasked with modern full-back duties, to go forward as much as defend, he is at times vulnerable to letting crosses in from his side while also letting wide players cut inside him too easily. As the longest standing member of the back 5 and in his forth Premier League season, time for Joel to not be so comfortable in possession of his shirt.

Home tactics

Alan Pardew has won 10 of 30 home Premier League matches, a return which is poor from a manager who often talks of playing games on the front foot and used this as a justification for breaking the club transfer and wage record on Cabaye last year. Against WBA, we saw more of the same confused tactics which have become the norm under Pardew.

Wingers ready to play on the counter, but the ball goes from the defenders up for Wickham to chase. Puncheon dropping closer the centre back to receive the ball to get us to have periods of possession, but the ball hit into the channels. If we are to evolve how Pardew wants us to, we need an identifiable style and one which the players we have are on board with.

Lee was like a new signing

On Saturday, Pardew took the unusual step of playing Lee from the start and in his favoured position, as ‘number 10’. And the player responded with maybe his best performance in a Palace shirt. At ease with the ball, able to buy himself a yard and good use of the ball, Lee showed he has the tools to succeed in that role, at least as back up to Puncheon when the squad is back to scratch. The burning question really is why it’s taken the manager over 18 months to use a player in the position had been excelling in when he joined Palace?

Jedi is more than just a player

Sure, his passing is not up to Premier League standards and his mobility is naturally declined as he gets more miles on his clock, but Palace will miss Jedinak if his transfer to Villa goes ahead and Saturday showed why. He was not at his best or our best player, but he rarely is those things. What he was, was a leader who made sure that we stayed in the game within a team where the holes were gaping.

He was ensuring that while we created little, WBA could not create much themselves. It is apparent that the players rely on him and his leadership and the hope they and the fans will have is that the manager can enable other leaders to emerge as the season progresses.

What did you think of that defeat? Comment below...

Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United: FA Cup final wasn't to be - five things we learned

Written by Robert Sutherland

Massive disappointment for Palace in the FA Cup final after extra-time defeat to Manchester United. Here's Rob Sutherland with 5 things we learned at Wembley.

1. It wasn't to be

Palace played their gameplan in a way that, for much of the match, stifled Manchester United. The goals they scored were disappointing in timing and in the build-up, but you can't fault any of our players for the work and effort they put in.

Palace were, after all, just seven or so minutes away from a memorable win. It wasn't to be.

2. Jason Puncheon is a match-winner

Jason Puncheon's mother was in the crowd at Wembley. Before the match, she cried at the emotion of it all. I can't imagine how she would have felt when she saw her son score the opening goal of the competition.

Punch is a match-winner. He didn't win this one but he took us oh-so-close. This is a guy that influences play - he controlled the ball better, had a better grasp of his positioning and made Palace tick a bit more. It was a shame he didn't start the match but he showed his worth when he came on.

 

3. Man United were as classless as usual

I think, as Palace fans, we're decent winners. It's not great to goad or antagonise opposing fans when they've just seen their team lose. Not so for Manchester United. The post-match atmosphere was somewhat vicious - walking around the ground, United fans took great pleasure in mocking a support that gave everything to try and push their team to a win.

As if to underline the point about classlessness, Manchester United quickly leaked the story that Van Gaal would be sacked minutes after their FA Cup win. Given the way in which the club still idolises the thuggery of Eric Cantona and Roy Keane, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised.

4. Alan Pardew has dance moves

It didn't take long for some football writers to suggest Alan Pardew's dance was to blame for what happened just two minutes after Palace scored. It's a highlight of the sheer double-standards in some media circles - Juergen Klopp does similar in most of his matches and you don't see crap written about it when his side lose two cup finals.

Pardew's dance was a moment of exuberance in a moment of sheer madness. It wasn't premeditated, it wasn't intended to goad - it was what he felt at the time. It was what Palace fans felt at the time.

You can't really blame someone for showing a little bit of delight, can you?

 

5. Palace fans owned Wembley

Our fans were outstanding - from the beginning to the end of the match. We stood, sang, supported and cheered our heroes on, whether it was in the build-up to the match or the moment they went up to collect their medals. It's difficult to be graceful when you see your team lose an FA Cup final - but we did it. The display, organised by the Holmesdale Fanatics, was incredible. It provided a visual impression of just how different our fans are from the rest in England. Meanwhile, on the other side, Manchester United fans unfurled a banner created by the club - a pithy, corporate attempt at displaying unity. Give me a support that, unified, makes an endless racket in a display of colour and vibrancy over just being a bunch of people all in the same place at once.

Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke City: Palace Win to Secure League Status - Five Things We Learned

Written by Robert Sutherland

And so Palace's league season at Selhurst Park comes to an end. Here are five things Rob learnt from the win. 

gayle

The first half wasn't worthy of boos

Stoke looked the more incisive, but for most of it, Palace held their own. And the second half of the match made up for the way we played in the first. 
 
Given the shoddiness of Palace's home form however, the boos can be excused. Palace fans, to their credit, have been incredibly patient during the second half of the season. 
 
Despite infuriating defeats and questionable performances, the Palace faithful have been just that - they've stuck behind the team. Alan Pardew was right to apologise for the home form when he spoke during the lap of appreciation. It must improve next season. 
 

Gayle shows his class

We know what Dwight Gayle is capable of. We know he can score goals and that he's our best finisher. And this season, like the previous three, will see Gayle finish the term as our top scorer. 
 
His first goal showed just what he's good at - hovering around the action, ready to pounce should the opportunity arise. It was clinically-taken finish. His second was a wonderful free-kick; another quality we know he possesses. 
 
Gayle will need to make the rest of this season count and really push for a starting place next season. We've seen lesser players picked ahead of him previously - he must take this chance. 
 
 

Palace's midfield got a serious bruising

Stoke under Mark Hughes have done an impressive job fooling everyone into think they've moved on from the physicality of the Tony Pulis era. They are, as before, still has aggressive and cynical as they were before - they just play slightly better football. 
 
Palace's midfield suffered at the hands of some of that rough treatment. After a first half battle in which Yohan Cabaye was knocked to the ground and had lumps kicked out of him, the Frenchman didn't return for the second half. His replacement - Joe Ledley - went off just a few minutes after taking the field thanks to a knee to his thigh. 
 
Cabaye is a player who seems to get singled out for aggressive tactics. Because of his role in the team, it's understandable that opponents would want to reduce his effectiveness. A little more protection from the referee would be welcomed, though. 
 

Service into the box is improving 

It has taken most of this season, but some of the service into the box against Stoke was excellent. We saw crosses from Yannick Bolasie, Pape Souare and Jason Puncheon which put their defence under considerable pressure.
 
The cross from Souare to Connor Wickham, which the striker headed against the post, was a great example of the quality that he has. It was, after all, his cross too which secured us an FA Cup Final appearance. 
 
It's something Palace fans have been screaming out for this season. It's good to see it finally happening. 
 

Relegation wasn't a reality

There was a growing sense of concern as Palace's descent down the division materialised. As defeats and draws became the norm, that concern turned into genuine fear that Palace might somehow, miraculously, snatch relegation from the jaws of a top-six finish.
 
That concern and fear did manifest itself into tension at Selhurst. It's not the fans fault - you attend a match in the hope for a win and you see the performance of a side severely lacking in confidence - it's frustrating. 
 
But relegation was as unlikely ten weeks ago as it was on Saturday. The chances of Palace losing every game for the rest of the season were so minimal - statisticians had Palace as 1% likely to go down. Oldham 1993 will long live in the memory - let's hope Stoke 2016 makes up for it.