Leeds v Crystal Palace Match Thread

[Willo]

no but we were tipped by a lot of pundits to go down that season given our general circumstances, and you're splitting hairs old boy, Charlton used to start well and drop, we generally start poorly and rise, this season I predict we go up, down a bit, then up again.👍

I suspect I might have predicted that we would plummet through the relegation 'Trapdoor'. 😀

 

[ex hibitionist]

I suspect I might have predicted that we would plummet through the relegation 'Trapdoor'. 😀

Seeing as that's an annual event about as reliable as Christmas I'd say that's a pretty safe bet.

 

[Willo]

Seeing as that's an annual event about as reliable as Christmas I'd say that's a pretty safe bet.

I accept I have gained a reputation as an 'Elijah of Doom'.
I do not recall predicting our demise this season, the medication must have worked. 😛
I have given consideration to not engaging in prognostication apropos our individual games or prospects for the season.

 

[ex hibitionist]

I accept I have gained a reputation as an 'Elijah of Doom'.
I do not recall predicting our demise this season, the medication must have worked. 😛
I have given consideration to not engaging in prognostication apropos our individual games or prospects for the season.

Your prognostications apropos our performances pursuant to others less pessimistic or doom-mongering simultaneously and irrefutably provide aspects of balance, caution, equivocation, grandiloquence and a welcome excuse for p*ss-taking. Please continue.

 

[Willo]

Your prognostications apropos our performances pursuant to others less pessimistic or doom-mongering simultaneously and irrefutably provide aspects of balance, caution, equivocation, grandiloquence and a welcome excuse for p*ss-taking. Please continue.

Bravo !
I garland this rhetorical panache and sesquipedalian prose with approbation. 😍

 

[doombear]

Remember them beating us 5-2 back in the day? The only time I’ve been there we got stuffed 3-0 as well. Losing 0-1 at selhurst on a cold Tuesday night when Kolinko decided to play rush goalie

Happy days 😃

Don't remind me of 1-0 home defeats against Grimsby. I took a Grimsby supporting colleague to a game back in Feb 84, I think it was. We were GRIM.

 

[Willo]

Don't remind me of 1-0 home defeats against Grimsby. I took a Grimsby supporting colleague to a game back in Feb 84, I think it was. We were GRIM.

I recall this debacle before a miniscule attendance.GRIM indeed.
George Wood in goal and the team included Hilaire, Nebbeling and Nicholas.

 

[ASCPFC]

Don't remind me of 1-0 home defeats against Grimsby. I took a Grimsby supporting colleague to a game back in Feb 84, I think it was. We were GRIM.

Those were our worst years. There used to be maybe 5000-8000.

 

[Willo]

Those were our worst years. There used to be maybe 5000-8000.

I recall attending games in that period when the attendances were in the 4,000s.

 

[OneStevePerrin]

I recall attending games in that period when the attendances were in the 4,000s.

I actually took up referring back then as watching Palace was ruining my weekends. Plus the money helped put dinner on the table. Sadly, I still when finishing my games (early due to lack of light in the winter) would ride (I had a moped) over to Selhurst and walk through the opened Holmesdale gates and catch the last bit of the match. Just couldn’t get it out of my system and still can’t. Even this weekend gone I was at the O2 watching Sqeeze and Madness and was streaming the match whilst listening to the concert - HELP!

 

[est1905]

Last season Mateta only scored 2 goals from February onwards, a total of 14 games.
This season he has only scored a solitary goal in 'Open Play' in his last 14 games.

I have said many times JPM is not a prolific striker. Its no coincidence that he only scores regularly when our attacking midfielders are laying on chance after chance for him. Even then he needs 3 chances to score 1 goal. Not a great return.
If JPM was sold his contribution would not be missed if we signed a striker that can finish.

 

[est1905]

Would it be fair to say that the quality of chances has dropped off, and he is getting less service recently or do you think he has just run out of steam?
I personally think it is a bit of both!

I know our conversion rate based on Xg is terrible (especially JP) but I come away from some games where we have dominated and had in my opinion great chances and the xg is less than 1 and then there are games where I think we didn’t create anything and the xg is 3-4.
xg is a flawed ratings system, however we can all see that JP is not the player he was for whatever reason.

Or would it be equally fair to say most strikers dont require 20 chances to convert one goal?

 

[est1905]

I'm a huge fan of my countryman Chris Richards, whom I appreciated perhaps a little sooner than did most other Palace fans. However, after superb work during our glorious successful streak, in the past few weeks he has made a number of unfortunate mistakes of omission. The first Haaland goal, and a couple of yesterday's, looked to me to have been preventable if only he'd been a little more alert and focused.

I'm very optimistic about the remainder of the season, provided that our irreplaceable players (Muñoz, Sarr, Wharton, and 3 of our 4 defenders) become healthy and remain so.

Fair points. Richards has to be at his absolute best to match Lacroix and Guehi's performances. Of late he has not been

 

[est1905]

It was clear in the first 20 minutes that we were in trouble playing a well organised Leeds team who were well up for it. They were quicker, more aggressive and starving us of time to play.

Missing Munoz and Sarr is a massive problem.

Well played Leeds.

2025 has still been the best year I’ve seen in 53 years. I’m so proud of what they’ve done and forgive them for being unable to cope with all of the games being thrown at them. We’re Palace. There will be ups and downs. 2025 was sensational. COYP

Rubbish. Its not 'well played Leeds' at all. Leeds arte a rubbish team and that wasa no different the other night. They deserve no credit at all for beating a Palace team that put in the worst performance for years. Even Roy would not have tolerated that crap

 

[Willo]

I have said many times JPM is not a prolific striker. Its no coincidence that he only scores regularly when our attacking midfielders are laying on chance after chance for him. Even then he needs 3 chances to score 1 goal. Not a great return.
If JPM was sold his contribution would not be missed if we signed a striker that can finish.

The notion of selling JPM a month or so ago would have been rejected wholeheartedly by our support base believing that the club had taken leave of its senses.
I just have a 'Feeling in my water' that many would be more receptive to the idea given that he has scored only 1 goal in 'Open Play' in 14 games and he has missed a plethora of chances.Patience with regard to Mateta is on the wane.

 

[est1905]

The Leeds performance and result were bad enough in isolation.

But added to the fact that Palace failed to qualify automatically in the Conference League it feels even worse.

OG's team selections for those games was the first time I've really disagreed with his decisions. I would have started the strongest team on Thursday in the hope of getting into a winning position in the first hour before introducing the kids. Kicking on in the Conference would have meant no more games until March. Now we have an additional two in February, and of course we still lost at Leeds. I know hindsight's a wonderful thing etc., but I don't think that the defeat on Saturday night would have felt quite so bad under those circumstances.

Given the opposition tomorrow night, now is not the time to suddenly look vulnerable from set pieces. When mistakes are being made in areas where they aren't usually, then it's right to speculate that fatigue is behind it.

As I said earlier, if they are tired there is something wrong with them. Nearly all of those players had had a weeks rest leading up to the Leeds game. How much rest do they want? Glasner even said hard training sessions are cancelled when we play twice a week AND they are given an extra day off. Plus you have to look at rotation. Apart from Max I cant think of one player that has been forced to play every minute of every game. All of them are rested when OG feels he is able to.
Sorry but I just dont buy this tired excuse and thats what it is. An excuse

 

[Painter]

Rubbish. Its not 'well played Leeds' at all. Leeds arte a rubbish team and that wasa no different the other night. They deserve no credit at all for beating a Palace team that put in the worst performance for years. Even Roy would not have tolerated that crap

Leeds aren't a rubbish team, they have found a formation that suits them. They totally outplayed us, roughed up Mateta early on and got away with it, he didn't get a kick after that. They had more desire and won every loose ball, which is our strength usually. They ran the midfield with Wharton and Hughes chasing shadows.

 

[eaglesdare]

We have been playing rubbish for weeks now. We somehow got wins against burnely and Fulham playing absolutely crap.
It was only a matter of time before we got a result like that.

 

[NEILLO]

As I said earlier, if they are tired there is something wrong with them. Nearly all of those players had had a weeks rest leading up to the Leeds game. How much rest do they want? Glasner even said hard training sessions are cancelled when we play twice a week AND they are given an extra day off. Plus you have to look at rotation. Apart from Max I cant think of one player that has been forced to play every minute of every game. All of them are rested when OG feels he is able to.
Sorry but I just dont buy this tired excuse and thats what it is. An excuse

Well, OG himself wasn't using fatigue as an excuse in his post game interview.

Although he has also :

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has recently noted that several players have experienced mental and physical fatigue due to a demanding schedule, particularly after European matches.

Sorry about the highlights, came with the cut and paste !

However, as I said, you start to speculate whether it is a factor when suddenly stuff that normally is dealt with efficiently suddenly becomes a problem. Alternatively Leeds may just have been a bad day at the office when for once most of the team didn't deliver. We may have a better informed view after seeing how we perform at Arsenal.

If you look at our results this season then we haven't done very well after playing on a Thursday regardless of team selection.

I went to the United game with a friend that is a professional footballer. I discussed this fatigue issue with him and he was very much of the view that it's a genuine factor.

 

[Paul Salvage]

Or would it be equally fair to say most strikers dont require 20 chances to convert one goal?

Andy Cole made a career out of it at Newcastle and then Man U !