Kamada

[Winter_Raven]

All true. Kamada is far from top of the list when it comes to questionable value for money, partly because so many more expensive players have played as poorly or noticeably worse, and partly because we've paid so little (£10m) for his services.

Where I disagree with some, however, is that where they think we've got a top player for a bargain price, I think Kamada looks very much like the low budget fill-in player that the costs suggest.

His performance on Thursday stood out by a mile because he so rarely even attempts expansive or forward passes. He has provided little in that respect. I get the importance of doing the simple things well, but that doesn't mean someone who can only do the simple things over and again is a good player. Kamada is very average with the ball. Almost all of his passing is short, sideways, and (most significantly) slow. He takes one too many touches and a second too long almost all the time. Any advantage we would get from him keeping the ball moving is often lost by how long he takes to do it, and how predictable his use of the ball generally is.

I also appreciate that positioning and screening the back three is important, and that sometimes it will dissuade a forward pass that would otherwise have hurt us. That doesn't mean though that overall we are less likely to concede with Kamada playing. He not only lacks physicality, but also physical courage. Some of Whartons bookings have come about after he's run past Kamada to go and press the ball. He offers little when defending set plays or long balls. His way of defending seems to stem from the limited things he is capable of rather than a higher understanding on his part.

We will always need to be creative in the market, and Kamada has not been a bad signing n terms of value. He just isn't a particularly good player.

Ultimately, top flight clubs have wall to wall scouting and transfer teams, and they all knew that Kamada had one year left on his contract last summer. He had just played on the big stage at Wembley, and done well on the day. Yet all summer long not only were no bids reported, there seemed no interest of note in him. If he was a top class player available for very little or free, you'd think there would be. You'd think he'd at least have been snapped up on a precontract in January. Those are the hallmarks of a player the market recognises as valuable. But yet, no.

There is very little suggestion even that palace have pushed him to sign new terms. None of this suggests that people whose job it is to strengthen top flight sides within a budget see Kamada in a very positive light. That seems telling.

I appreciate we don't know what offers he's had. Perhaps in fact a Europa League level side or higher wants him, and palace want him to stay, and somehow all of that has stayed out of the press, and they are all prepared to risk letting him sign a precontract with someone else because they trust a verbal agreement they've made with him so much. It would be very unusual, though. What seems more likely is that they all see him as OK but no more than that, even by mid table standards.

In other words, that the market doesn't rate him all that highly, and are prepared to risk leaving him on the shelf until later on. Given that he is so inexpensive overall, that really doesn't say much for his quality.

But we are a much better team when he plays. Sometimes it's not just all about stats.

 

[ASCPFC]

But we are a much better team when he plays. Sometimes it's not just all about stats.

He has good awareness and is technical. Maybe we need that balance without him even having much end product? Because our only other aware and technical player in midfield is Wharton. Without a hell of a lot of end product too.

 

[Badger11]

He has good awareness and is technical. Maybe we need that balance without him even having much end product? Because our only other aware and technical player in midfield is Wharton. Without a hell of a lot of end product too.

I wonder how many PL goals, Wharton, Lerma, Kamada and Hughes have between them? Not many I guess which is a pretty poor return. Don't get me wrong they have done well for Palace but it is one areas we really need improving.

 

[silvertop]

He has good awareness and is technical. Maybe we need that balance without him even having much end product? Because our only other aware and technical player in midfield is Wharton. Without a hell of a lot of end product too.

He doesn't need to have but it would be nice if he had.

 

[Phil’s Barber]

I wonder how many PL goals, Wharton, Lerma, Kamada and Hughes have between them? Not many I guess which is a pretty poor return. Don't get me wrong they have done well for Palace but it is one areas we really need improving.

There was a stat doing the rounds a few weeks ago saying that our centre mid’s Wharton, Lerma, Hughes & Kamada had made nearly 200 appearances between them since one of them last scored for us. I would say we must be approaching 225 now because still none of them have scored. That is just bonkers!

 

[TheBigToePunt]

But we are a much better team when he plays. Sometimes it's not just all about stats.

Personally I wasn't basing my assessment on his stats, just on what I see when he plays.

I'm not sure we are a better side when he plays. He's certainly played in a good few stinkers. I don't blame him for the teams poor run or all those terrible slogs in Europe, but he definitely looked like part of the problem to me.

 

[Painter]

Personally I wasn't basing my assessment on his stats, just on what I see when he plays.

I'm not sure we are a better side when he plays. He's certainly played in a good few stinkers. I don't blame him for the teams poor run or all those terrible slogs in Europe, but he definitely looked like part of the problem to me.

One stat for you to consider, is how many games have we won, when he hasn't played?

 

[cryrst]

One stat for you to consider, is how many games have we won, when he hasn't played?

I did ask this a while back and willo hasn’t delivered. Although what was the score when he came on today ?

 

[ASCPFC]

One stat for you to consider, is how many games have we won, when he hasn't played?

He's not Wilf.

 

[Inquisitive Aquila]

This season Kamada has missed 10 league games in which we got just 5 points, against 37 points in the 21 games he has been involved in. Along with this he missed the Macclesfield game and did not start both Conference matches we lost.

 

[mileend]

This season Kamada has missed 10 league games in which we got just 5 points, against 37 points in the 21 games he has been involved in. Along with this he missed the Macclesfield game and did not start both Conference matches we lost.

Great inquisition!

He's off and i'm not surprised he wants a different environment - so much hate from a small section of supporters

Hopefully he'll leave with 3 winners medals and some fond memories

 

[sprites]

Haha literally just spat my tea over the keyboard when someone just labelled him world class.

He had a decent game the other night. But (as we've said a thousand times)...when you're so regularly putting in 3/10 performances, suddenly a 7/10 makes you look like a world beater.

He's had about 6.5 good games for us in two years. Nowhere near good enough. Look forward to upgrading massively in the summer, to lighten the load on Wharton/Hughes.

 

[ASCPFC]

Haha literally just spat my tea over the keyboard when someone just labelled him world class.

He had a decent game the other night. But (as we've said a thousand times)...when you're so regularly putting in 3/10 performances, suddenly a 7/10 makes you look like a world beater.

He's had about 6.5 good games for us in two years. Nowhere near good enough. Look forward to upgrading massively in the summer, to lighten the load on Wharton/Hughes.

I guess he's a nailed on starter for a world cup team. Whatever that means. I guess if my grandad was from Haiti so would I be. But that's pretty irrelevant.

 

[sprites]

I guess he's a nailed on starter for a world cup team. Whatever that means. I guess if my grandad was from Haiti so would I be. But that's pretty irrelevant.

Yeah, weird how we have top tier internationals like Kamada and more specifically Pino who deliver for their country but are largely tosh for us.

 

[Painter]

Haha literally just spat my tea over the keyboard when someone just labelled him world class.

He had a decent game the other night. But (as we've said a thousand times)...when you're so regularly putting in 3/10 performances, suddenly a 7/10 makes you look like a world beater.

He's had about 6.5 good games for us in two years. Nowhere near good enough. Look forward to upgrading massively in the summer, to lighten the load on Wharton/Hughes.

Hughes is finished as a first pick for the big games, he is a liability with bookings he gets, has no creativity and we look poor when he plays. Kamada is head and shoulders above him in every aspect of play, if you cant see it, there's no hope.

 

[TheBigToePunt]

This season Kamada has missed 10 league games in which we got just 5 points, against 37 points in the 21 games he has been involved in. Along with this he missed the Macclesfield game and did not start both Conference matches we lost.

And which other palace players were missing, or carrying injuries during those ten games? And the European ones? And Macclesfield? And who else was fit for the others? And who did we play against, and which of their better players were fit for those games but not others? And what form were they in? And so on.

I'm not seeking to underplay Kamadas contribution, but the idea that we can prove that his presence or absence is determinative doesn't work, because it doesn't work with any player at any club. It requires us to ignore the huge other number of variables.

 

[sprites]

Hughes is finished as a first pick for the big games, he is a liability with bookings he gets, has no creativity and we look poor when he plays. Kamada is head and shoulders above him in every aspect of play, if you cant see it, there's no hope.

You're wrong.

Hughes picked up no yellow card today. He picks them up strategically to thwart potentially dangerous situations, as commented on by himself and previous managers. It's appreciated by people who know what they're talking about.

He's not in the team for his creativity. He's in the team for his defensive attributes and his leadership, of which are enormous and invaluable.

The best we've looked for the past decade was that patch in 2024 when Wharton and Hughes were the beating heart of our midfield. We dominated everyone.

 

[Jayyyy1503]

You're wrong.

Hughes picked up no yellow card today. He picks them up strategically to thwart potentially dangerous situations, as commented on by himself and previous managers. It's appreciated by people who know what they're talking about.

He's not in the team for his creativity. He's in the team for his defensive attributes and his leadership, of which are enormous and invaluable.

The best we've looked for the past decade was that patch in 2024 when Wharton and Hughes were the beating heart of our midfield. We dominated everyone.

Kamada compared to Hughes is night and day, yes Kamada at times can give the worse fouls on edge of our own box etc and he’s been a scapegoat so many times, but he’s so much more positive and more creative. In 2024 run in when Hughes was next to Wharton , we had Olise who was creative, clinical and with Eze also them 2 were scaring teams for fun. We all love Hughes but he’s not a starting 11 player for us as he doesn’t offer much apart from leadership, and that won’t bring assists or contribution to goals.

 

[mtp1958]

There was a stat doing the rounds a few weeks ago saying that our centre mid’s Wharton, Lerma, Hughes & Kamada had made nearly 200 appearances between them since one of them last scored for us. I would say we must be approaching 225 now because still none of them have scored. That is just bonkers!

Lerma has rattled the woodwork a number of times and keepers has made a good save , he definitely the only one who has been the closest to scoring

 

[sprites]

Kamada compared to Hughes is night and day, yes Kamada at times can give the worse fouls on edge of our own box etc and he’s been a scapegoat so many times, but he’s so much more positive and more creative. In 2024 run in when Hughes was next to Wharton , we had Olise who was creative, clinical and with Eze also them 2 were scaring teams for fun. We all love Hughes but he’s not a starting 11 player for us as he doesn’t offer much apart from leadership, and that won’t bring assists or contribution to goals.

Again, passionately disagree.

For the 184748th time, he's not in the team for assists and goals. He's there to stop them. And he does that impeccably by protecting the defence and getting stuck in. The fact that he's actually got a pretty decent pass and delivery on him is a bonus.

Cheers for the healthy debate. Enjoy it.