Come back Dougie Freedman, all is forgiven ( Poll )

[ASCPFC]

Agreed. But just like Top players, top backroom-staff is always in high demand by top-money clubs. Dougie may have outgrown the likes of us.

But whoever IS responsible for all our recruitment deserves to get it in the neck for the number of recent expensive Lemons. We can forgive one or two disappointing signings. But we seem to have at least a half dozen new mediocrities - not fit to wear the shirt.

Everybody in the whole world could see that the Strand-Larsen deal was too expensive. You just have to say no at that price. It was unforgivable that we didn't have cheaper realistic targets. In fairness, the Brennan Johnson deal looks ok on paper. How many goals? Just that, in reality, he's no good on the pitch - at the moment anyway. He'll be out worst ever if he continues as he has. Particularly for the price. He has to improve or it's a big kick in the balls for all of us.

 

[mileend]

I think Strand Larsen will come good for us. Though far too expensive.

Johnson is looking as worrying as Nketiah though nice guy Eddie was a more obviously risky signing for the money. Johnson does have a better track record on goal scoring though hard to imagine right now.

Pino I am hoping will find his feet next season. He has the skills to be successful but needs to improve consistency, physicality, temperament and like so many others ... end product!

The only balancing item is Canvot so that £23 million is looking like money very well spent but he does need to be on a longer contract this summer otherwise after next season he will only have 2 years left and that's when his value will be at it's highest. New five year deal for Jaydee should be near the top of the to do list this summer.

 

[hythemaceagle]

I think Strand Larsen will come good for us. Though far too expensive.

Johnson is looking as worrying as Nketiah though nice guy Eddie was a more obviously risky signing for the money. Johnson does have a better track record on goal scoring though hard to imagine right now.

Pino I am hoping will find his feet next season. He has the skills to be successful but needs to improve consistency, physicality, temperament and like so many others ... end product!

The only balancing item is Canvot so that £23 million is looking like money very well spent but he does need to be on a longer contract this summer otherwise after next season he will only have 2 years left and that's when his value will be at it's highest. New five year deal for Jaydee should be near the top of the to do list this summer.

Johnson’s goal scoring track record does not set the world on fire. Less than 1 goal in 4 before he joined us, and many of those were in the Championship.

 

[JHB]

We need to give players time. Not too much time but more than half a season in a team that has gone through a difficult spell with a manager not committed to being here.

People here are citing Lacroix and Canvot as good signings. Yet if we’d reviewed Lacroix after his first 10 games or so the verdict would have been mixed. Richards looked out of his depth to start with. JPM looked like Bambi on ice for a year. Even Eze wasn’t a slam dunk with lots of comment on him looking like the game passed him by.

After the first half of the season plenty were lamenting Canvot as an expensive gamble that wasn’t working but now he looks like a great prospect.

Not saying the winter signings will work out and it is fair to criticise poor performances but at the same time it is too early to write them off. Let’s judge when a new manager is here and we’ve seen how they start next season.

 

[mtp1958]

Johnson’s goal scoring track record does not set the world on fire. Less than 1 goal in 4 before he joined us, and many of those were in the Championship.

He scored 11 premier goals for spurs last season plus 7 Cup goals , his premier with spurs is 1 in 3 , pity the rest of our team doesn't match that , he starts scoring again think 11 goals a season I would be happy with , I have faith in our buying , we got lucky with buys lately , hence winning FA cup , we are resetting again

 

[MrRobbo]

Everybody in the whole world could see that the Strand-Larsen deal was too expensive. You just have to say no at that price. It was unforgivable that we didn't have cheaper realistic targets. In fairness, the Brennan Johnson deal looks ok on paper. How many goals? Just that, in reality, he's no good on the pitch - at the moment anyway. He'll be out worst ever if he continues as he has. Particularly for the price. He has to improve or it's a big kick in the balls for all of us.

Yep.

I think the issue we had was that we had a crocked JPM, who looked like he was off to Milan for £35m. And needed a prem ready CF. There are not many of those around. So we probably had to be decisive and spend what was required.

At £15m net, for a younger player it didn't seam too bad on paper. But with JP's medical failed, it now looks terrible.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

Everybody in the whole world could see that the Strand-Larsen deal was too expensive.

the Walrus of our scoring-hopes was Stranded upon the Larson ice-shelf.

Instead, We should have gone to Lidl or Iceland.

 

[Runningman]

I think Strand Larsen will come good for us. Though far too expensive.

Johnson is looking as worrying as Nketiah though nice guy Eddie was a more obviously risky signing for the money. Johnson does have a better track record on goal scoring though hard to imagine right now.

Pino I am hoping will find his feet next season. He has the skills to be successful but needs to improve consistency, physicality, temperament and like so many others ... end product!

The only balancing item is Canvot so that £23 million is looking like money very well spent but he does need to be on a longer contract this summer otherwise after next season he will only have 2 years left and that's when his value will be at it's highest. New five year deal for Jaydee should be near the top of the to do list this summer.

As and aside but relating to Pino, I went to Spain on Saturday to watch Valencia v Girona. What an eye opener ! Great free flowing football with expansive forward movement. Defenders looked to get the ball up the field quickly, rather than play keep ball along the back line. Can see why Pino flourished in Spain.

Overall experience for me was positive, good crowd support (44000), VAR decisions made rapidly (hardly noticeable) and a win for the home team. I think the EPL needs to watch out, they’re killing to the golden goose !

 

[mtp1958]

On buying the right player how many on here would have paid 55m for Wissa , he has scored 1 goal in 15 matches , I bet most would have brought him , Johnson no different and Larsen , name 1 striker we brought hit the ground running and kept on scoring or took at least 10+ games ,

 

[PatrickA]

Jeff Bourne 9 goals in his first 15 games (you may have to be over 60 to recall).
Benteke 17 goals in his first season, (although don't mention afterwards).

 

[mtp1958]

Jeff Bourne 9 goals in his first 15 games (you may have to be over 60 to recall).
Benteke 17 goals in his first season, (although don't mention afterwards).

Yes young Jeff , as for the Tekey just goes to show 1 swallow doesn't make a season , hush all those with a dirty mind

 

[silvertop]

I do find it funny when freedman was here the whinging that went on about him was at the same level it is now , how people forget what they have said in the past about Freedman and now he is the best thing since sliced bread

As the lady said, you don't know what you've got till it's gone.

 

[Norbury Old Git]

Jeff Bourne 9 goals in his first 15 games (you may have to be over 60 to recall).
Benteke 17 goals in his first season, (although don't mention afterwards).

He went on to score 13 but he did have Rachid “Rash the Smash” Harkouk along side him who also scored 13. Two talented forwards but the combination was split up due to some unfortunate incident allegedly involving a bootload of forged dollars!!!

 

[pssguy]

We need to give players time. Not too much time but more than half a season in a team that has gone through a difficult spell with a manager not committed to being here.

People here are citing Lacroix and Canvot as good signings. Yet if we’d reviewed Lacroix after his first 10 games or so the verdict would have been mixed. Richards looked out of his depth to start with. JPM looked like Bambi on ice for a year. Even Eze wasn’t a slam dunk with lots of comment on him looking like the game passed him by.

After the first half of the season plenty were lamenting Canvot as an expensive gamble that wasn’t working but now he looks like a great prospect.

Not saying the winter signings will work out and it is fair to criticise poor performances but at the same time it is too early to write them off. Let’s judge when a new manager is here and we’ve seen how they start next season.

None of the four players you mention had played in the Premier League before so you could understand a period of adjustment. Johnson and Larsen do not have that excuse

 

[Glazier#1]

We need to give players time. Not too much time but more than half a season in a team that has gone through a difficult spell with a manager not committed to being here.

People here are citing Lacroix and Canvot as good signings. Yet if we’d reviewed Lacroix after his first 10 games or so the verdict would have been mixed. Richards looked out of his depth to start with. JPM looked like Bambi on ice for a year. Even Eze wasn’t a slam dunk with lots of comment on him looking like the game passed him by.

After the first half of the season plenty were lamenting Canvot as an expensive gamble that wasn’t working but now he looks like a great prospect.

Not saying the winter signings will work out and it is fair to criticise poor performances but at the same time it is too early to write them off. Let’s judge when a new manager is here and we’ve seen how they start next season.

Well, plenty were blind, in my opinion lol.

 

[Glazier#1]

As and aside but relating to Pino, I went to Spain on Saturday to watch Valencia v Girona. What an eye opener ! Great free flowing football with expansive forward movement. Defenders looked to get the ball up the field quickly, rather than play keep ball along the back line. Can see why Pino flourished in Spain.

Overall experience for me was positive, good crowd support (44000), VAR decisions made rapidly (hardly noticeable) and a win for the home team. I think the EPL needs to watch out, they’re killing to the golden goose !

Absolutely they are.

Playing across the back, towel assisted throw - ins that take forever, wrestling matches that go unpunished at every corner, ridiculous delays while VAR's are decided, set plays dominating, completely unpunished cheating by play-acting players, unpunished pushing in the back of the opponents while they jump for the ball, 'head injuries 'or other 'injuries' that are just an excuse for the players and manager to talk tactics on the touchline.

This is not football, it's b******s.

Honestly what kind of football are we watching that allows us the time to text our mates an converse at times, knowing we'll miss nothing?

Am I the only one who's bored rigid most of the time?

Perhaps the wrong thread but wanted to get all this off my chest. Sorry.

 

[mtp1958]

None of the four players you mention had played in the Premier League before so you could understand a period of adjustment. Johnson and Larsen do not have that excuse

So Wissa doing ok then thats one who's not impressed after move , Wilson another , Torres , no guarantees if you buy a Premier lge player that he his going to fit in your team

 

[est1905]

Correct. We win more Silverware and give it 5 minutes until the money-giants swoop in and take our best players....again.

Football is all about money. Dougie was an Elon Musk/Ingvar Kamprad type genius. He never paid over the odds and always got lucky. It now feels like we are buying second hand cars from Arthur Daly/Del Boy/Tony Soprano.

Freedman is not a genius. He does have an eye for a good player and a lot of good contacts in the game.
He gets way too much credit for players that Palace have signed. A few were 100% down to his insistence we sign them. A few he was presented with or recommended to from contacts or fellow Palace staff. There were also a few he had no involvement in at all.
To name a few that fans credit Freedman with, Jedinak was recommended by Tony Popovic.
Eze was apparently seen and strongly recommended by Curtis Fleming
Aaron Wilbraham was a Freedman player who was poor but then Its also known that Freedman was largely responsible for bringing in Michael Olise.
My point is he did good work at Palace (which was what he was paid for) but equally he did sign his fair share of duds plus some of the players signed during his time at the club he cannot take any credit for.
He's not a genius. He's not any more talented in my opinion than any other top scout or talent spotter. He is good at what he does, no argument there. He's just not God like some Palace fans seem convinced of.

 

[samprior]

On buying the right player how many on here would have paid 55m for Wissa , he has scored 1 goal in 15 matches , I bet most would have brought him , Johnson no different and Larsen , name 1 striker we brought hit the ground running and kept on scoring or took at least 10+ games ,

Not a chance. The Wissa deal was horrific. Add the fact he only had a year left on his contract, it makes our dealings look slightly more palatable. Just.

It was a classic case of having a huge amount of funds (Isak) and the selling club seeing them coming. Fairplay to Brentford - they're doing things a smarter way.

 

[Uphill]

The worrying thing about our under performing and expensive new players is what we are paying them.
Strand Larsen, Brennan Johnson and Eddie Nketiah all at, or over, £100,000 per week.

To me that makes Matt Holmes a disaster (I know he's not responsible for Nketiah) and I am surprised Parish sanctioned these buys.

Henderson is the only other on £100,000 - at least he well earns his keep.

To have to sell our only genuine creative player (Wharton) makes the whole thing a mess.