Palace(H) friendly Saturday July 28th

[Barney]

Are we having a meltdown over a friendly now?

No. Folks are looking at...

1) Form over last 10 games of last season (take a look)
2) Where we have finished in 3 of the last 4 seasons.
3) The current batch of injuries.
4) The 'average' involvement in the transfer window
5) Potentially our best player about to leave
6) McShane off injured today.
7) A poor pre-season
The shocking performance at the last home game of last season

But hey....you crack on fella.

[WoodleyRoyal]

its a friendly

[Fox Talbot]

Felt like a game from last season.

McShane off the pace for two of the goals and went off injured. Evans doesn't come on (held back for Sunderland??) - we finish feebly with 10 men.

Meyler looked possibly more useful than Evans / Edwards. Lot of play went through Kelly who was alright. Rest of 'em, ho hum.

[Denver Royal]

This is very concerning. Winless in friendlies off the back of one of the worst runs in our history and our star player about to leave. I hope this wakes the club up. We need to do plenty in the transfer window in the next twelve days.

+1.

No goals again today. We scored 3 in Clements' 8 games last season (+1 pen).

[Fox Talbot]

Centre backs for Derby?

McShane inj; Blkackett suspended; Moore Brighton?

O'Shea and Illori then.

[genome]

Are we having a meltdown over a friendly now?

No. Folks are looking at...

1) Form over last 10 games of last season (take a look)
2) Where we have finished in 3 of the last 4 seasons.
3) The current batch of injuries.
4) The 'average' involvement in the transfer window
5) Potentially our best player about to leave
6) McShane off injured today.
7) A poor pre-season
The shocking performance at the last home game of last season

But hey....you crack on fella.

[Zip]

Are we having a meltdown over a friendly now?

No. Folks are looking at...

1) Form over last 10 games of last season (take a look)
2) Where we have finished in 3 of the last 4 seasons.
3) The current batch of injuries.
4) The 'average' involvement in the transfer window
5) Potentially our best player about to leave
6) McShane off injured today.
7) A poor pre-season
The shocking performance at the last home game of last season

But hey....you crack on fella.

We were atrocious in the second half of last season. We have made some modest signings since then but are about to lose our best player. On the back of six friendlies where we have failed to win it’s hardly surprising posters are pessimistic.

[genome]

No. Folks are looking at...

1) Form over last 10 games of last season (take a look)
2) Where we have finished in 3 of the last 4 seasons.
3) The current batch of injuries.
4) The 'average' involvement in the transfer window
5) Potentially our best player about to leave
6) McShane off injured today.
7) A poor pre-season
The shocking performance at the last home game of last season

But hey....you crack on fella.

We were atrocious in the second half of last season. We have made some modest signings since then but are about to lose our best player. On the back of six friendlies where we have failed to win it’s hardly surprising posters are pessimistic.

Before this result, people weren't having a meltdown. In fact, distinctly remember comments that we had decent results against stronger opposition in Besiktas, Rubin Kazan and Fulham.

Now, all of a sudden, people are throwing their toys of out of the pram because of a result against a strong Palace side bossed by a player worth probably north of £50m, suddenly citing stuff that has happened last season. Give me a break...

[Zip]

We were atrocious in the second half of last season. We have made some modest signings since then but are about to lose our best player. On the back of six friendlies where we have failed to win it’s hardly surprising posters are pessimistic.

Before this result, people weren't having a meltdown. In fact, distinctly remember comments that we had decent results against stronger opposition in Besiktas, Rubin Kazan and Fulham.

Now, all of a sudden, people are throwing their toys of out of the pram because of a result against a strong Palace side bossed by a player worth probably north of £50m, suddenly citing stuff that has happened last season. Give me a break...

This is our first team. Apparently the performance was dreadful. It’s hardly surprising the response is going to be negative given how dire we have been since last December.
Let’s see how we fare against Derby but the failings so evident last season were there again today.

[genome]

We were atrocious in the second half of last season. We have made some modest signings since then but are about to lose our best player. On the back of six friendlies where we have failed to win it’s hardly surprising posters are pessimistic.

Before this result, people weren't having a meltdown. In fact, distinctly remember comments that we had decent results against stronger opposition in Besiktas, Rubin Kazan and Fulham.

Now, all of a sudden, people are throwing their toys of out of the pram because of a result against a strong Palace side bossed by a player worth probably north of £50m, suddenly citing stuff that has happened last season. Give me a break...

This is our first team. Apparently the performance was dreadful. It’s hardly surprising the response is going to be negative given how dire we have been since last December.
Let’s see how we fare against Derby but the failings so evident last season were there again today.

It's a big two weeks before the transfer window closes that's for sure.

(it shuts on the 9th right?)

[Snowflake Royal]

Christ here we go. Meltdown alert.

Knew it would be too much to ask to wait 10 games into the season before going full on Kermit panic stations. I thought we might last two or three though.

[Hound]

It was similar to last season and there are certainly concerns

To be fair, Zaha was so far above every other player on the pitch it was embarrassing. A top talent

From us, Aluko, Swift and Meite offered nothing (though Meite was up against two very good CBs). Yiadom was given zero protection by Aluko who really is a waste of time I’m afraid

Meyler was what you’d expect - solid and disciplined but slow. McShane was poor and sadly similar to many performances last year. Mannone didn’t make a save and yet conceded 4


Positives - not too many. Meyler is an upgrade, Kelly ran about but too many mistakes. Yiadom is better than Gunter. Thought Ilori was very good in a defence which was falling to bits at times. Blackett did ok at CB. McNulty and Bod did seem to be starting to get an understanding and McNulty looked sharp and had a couple of chances. All a bit straw clutching though - there’s a lot of work to do

[Zip]

Before this result, people weren't having a meltdown. In fact, distinctly remember comments that we had decent results against stronger opposition in Besiktas, Rubin Kazan and Fulham.

Now, all of a sudden, people are throwing their toys of out of the pram because of a result against a strong Palace side bossed by a player worth probably north of £50m, suddenly citing stuff that has happened last season. Give me a break...

This is our first team. Apparently the performance was dreadful. It’s hardly surprising the response is going to be negative given how dire we have been since last December.
Let’s see how we fare against Derby but the failings so evident last season were there again today.

It's a big two weeks before the transfer window closes that's for sure.

(it shuts on the 9th right?)

Yep it closes a week on Thursday. I hope Clement is given proper financial backing over the next 12 days. Asking him to turn around a losing mentality within the squad with a bunch of freebies is not the answer. Ideally we will be looking to bring in a centre back, creative midfielder and striker. Assuming we get around £10 million for the sale of Moore and Evans all of that money needs to be invested on those three new signings.

[Zip]

Christ here we go. Meltdown alert.

Knew it would be too much to ask to wait 10 games into the season before going full on Kermit panic stations. I thought we might last two or three though.

It’s because we are starting at such a low starting point on the back of the second half of last season. I wasn’t too worried about the friendlies but today was when our likely starting line up for Derby was named. I have seen the goals and by God do we look slow and laboured. It’s by and large the same lot from last season minus Moore.

[Snowflake Royal]

This is our first team. Apparently the performance was dreadful. It’s hardly surprising the response is going to be negative given how dire we have been since last December.
Let’s see how we fare against Derby but the failings so evident last season were there again today.

It's a big two weeks before the transfer window closes that's for sure.

(it shuts on the 9th right?)

Yep it closes a week on Thursday. I hope Clement is given proper financial backing over the next 12 days. Asking him to turn around a losing mentality within the squad with a bunch of freebies is not the answer. Ideally we will be looking to bring in a centre back, creative midfielder and striker. Assuming we get around £10 million for the sale of Moore and Evans all of that money needs to be invested on those three new signings.

Spunking a shit load on yet another series of over priced panic buys to further bloat our squad with dross is the wrong answer.

Go into the season expecting a relegation fight. Show some character and suck it up, the job to turn us around is going to take at least two seasons. We need to trim the squad and make it healthy again. We've started doing that, don't bottle it now because of one bad pre-season result.

[Hound]

Do agree with Ian

Splashing out on a load of signings isn’t the answer.

[Old Man Andrews]

It's laughable to not be slightly concerned by our current situation. Looks like impending doom to me but happy to be proven wrong.

[Hound]

I dont think it’s going to start off to pretty tbh. Need to battle our way to a few wins early doors and hope we get some momentum going.

There is some decent play, and the new boys all acquitted themselves ok. But too many errors and not enough genuine belief going forward

[Zip]

Do agree with Ian

Splashing out on a load of signings isn’t the answer.

Who is saying we need a load of signings? We need three which Clement himself has confirmed.

[RoyalJones]

Just posted this in another thread, obviously this is just my opinion, still feel quite annoyed:

Today was horrendous:
- Mannone couldn't do a lot about the goals to be fair, had one Ipswich like moment with Gunter in the first half. Clement wants 'three good goalkeepers', what a joke. Really annoyed by this, would have been less annoyed if Jaakkola went and that was the reason why Walker was signed.
- Most of the goals came down Yiadom's side, he doesn't contribute anything defensively, was ok in an attacking sense, but he wasn't good. McShane was shoddy, Ilori was sloppy at times but ok in other parts, Gunter was poor until he got subbed, Richards was quite average. To be fair to Tyler Blackett, we didn't concede whilst we he was on the pitch, he actually did not look too bad (I think?).
- Meyler was slow, but not the worst player on the pitch by some distance, Kelly supplied a few good passes but was anonymous otherwise and over run, Swift was like the invisible man, see my last post, it confirms my worries of the central attacking mid position.
- Aluko was poor again, why is he still taking corners? Barrow was ok but unspectacular.
- Meite didn't get service, Bodvarsson and McNulty were average.

- We're selling George Evans who was an important part of our successful 2016/17 season, and he's probably one of our better centre mids even though he isn't exceptional.
- Moore has handed in a transfer request, probably due to a lack of ambition this summer.
- We're close to signing a striker, if it's Baldock it's okay, but I would rather we have signed one of McNulty/Baldock and then a marquee high quality striker signing.
- We need a centre back when Moore goes, a central attacking mid, a striker, perhaps a winger and a miracle.
- Still think Clement is more of a coach as opposed to a manager, but feel sorry for him as he's had no backing.

On the whole, maybe i'm being harsh but i'm very pessimistic about the new season, something drastic needs to be done between now and the closing of the window. We should have signed more players by now so they could have had more time to integrate in to the squad. Depressing times ahead, even if it was just a pre-season friendly.