Hopes fading or Masterplan?

[DenTyler]

With the news of JA likely off to Fulham (an absolute sideways move for the player and can only be about the money). The continuing saga of MG. Olise long gone, what are the feelings towards this season and moving forwards?

I had such high hopes going into this season. The way we played those last couple of months, the way OG got us at the opposition. It was amazing. We all thought if could just keep that team together, we could have had a real crack at a top 6 finish this season. But slowly and surely the hopes drain away, Olise leaves, big blow, then looks like MG is off, Eze is off. To be fair, so far that hasn’t happened.

This news of JA leaving surprised me. I understand the financial thinking behind it but it does give me a rude awakening that we are ‘just Palace’ a small south London side.
Is last season magic couple of months as good as it gets for us? Can we really expect OG to stick around if every time a player does well, he is sold off. How long will Wharton last.

Or, is this an absolute master plan and OG knows we need more speed in which case he is happy to let JA go and maybe MG too because he had identified his targets. Riad looked good in pre season. If another CB has been identified then this would explain letting JA go. He did look slow on Sunday to be fair and all 3 centre backs did not do themselves justice.

I guess we will know in 11 days time when the window closes.

 

[PatrickA]

The journalist Dominic Fifield, who is quite close to the club, suggested a few months ago that there would be a few big name sales in the summer.
As I recall this was to with finances primarily.
It was around the time that Glasner joined so one would assume that Glasner was on board with the plans too (hopefully)!
He was instrumental in bringing Kamada in and according to reports has not been shy in suggesting further players to acquire.

The challenge as I see it is to maintain stability in the first few weeks of the season.
The quicker we can string together a few good results the better.
This will allow a smoother transition for the new players who do eventually join.

 

[doombear]

Come Saturday 31st August we will have a clearer picture of where we are. I see no point in panicking or getting worried before then. One either trusts Parish, Freedman and Glasner know what they're doing or one doesn't. I'm in the camp that trusts them.

If we find ourselves with 2 or 3 new players between now and the transfer window close, it may take a while for our preferred match day squad to gel. Fortunately, we do have an international break after the Chelsea game on 1st September.

I'm still optimistic about this season.

 

[Dogburger]

We obviously needed more pace at the back with the transition of playing 15 yards further up the pitch so its no real surprise that Andersen has been moved on . Defenders are in general easier to replace than forwards and we will do well to get anyone that gets close to what Olise gave us so in that respect the hope did fade a little .
Glasner knows what he wants to get us winning matches and Im sure the squad regardless of ins and outs will look in good shape by the end of next week

At the moment I'm with the masterplan

 

[Nicholas91]

Great topic Den and I'm very much in the 'we will see' camp.

I think the finish to the last campaign has perhaps skewed expectations, we did look as though we'd win the league this season!

My most optimistic stance is that OG is on board with everything that's happening, perhaps a leading voice, and it is being done is synchronicity with financial management. Those that run the business running the business, Dougie taking care of resourcing with Glasner's input and management of the team, including the new style of play (5-2-2-1).

I have a feeling the squad is still in transition, which is why we will see a few departures and arrivals. I hope and am inclined to believe OG is having his voice heard in those dealings, he'll continue with his footballing philosophy and hopefully with players who are suited/will adapt to it.

I therefore predict an unsteady start to the season with things picking up closer to Xmas. I also think 2025 will bring more insight via both the transfer window in Jan and the remaining fixtures. We'll probably end up about 10th with a possibility of a few places under or even over.

I would say my hopes certainly aren't 'fading' and I am optimistic for a 'masterplan' without deluding myself that there definitely is one.

 

[beak]

We obviously needed more pace at the back with the transition of playing 15 yards further up the pitch so its no real surprise that Andersen has been moved on . Defenders are in general easier to replace than forwards and we will do well to get anyone that gets close to what Olise gave us so in that respect the hope did fade a little .
Glasner knows what he wants to get us winning matches and Im sure the squad regardless of ins and outs will look in good shape by the end of next week

At the moment I'm with the masterplan

Masterplan has all the connotations of of a cheap,gimmicky Insurance plan.

 

[est1905]

With the news of JA likely off to Fulham (an absolute sideways move for the player and can only be about the money). The continuing saga of MG. Olise long gone, what are the feelings towards this season and moving forwards?

I had such high hopes going into this season. The way we played those last couple of months, the way OG got us at the opposition. It was amazing. We all thought if could just keep that team together, we could have had a real crack at a top 6 finish this season. But slowly and surely the hopes drain away, Olise leaves, big blow, then looks like MG is off, Eze is off. To be fair, so far that hasn’t happened.

This news of JA leaving surprised me. I understand the financial thinking behind it but it does give me a rude awakening that we are ‘just Palace’ a small south London side.
Is last season magic couple of months as good as it gets for us? Can we really expect OG to stick around if every time a player does well, he is sold off. How long will Wharton last.

Or, is this an absolute master plan and OG knows we need more speed in which case he is happy to let JA go and maybe MG too because he had identified his targets. Riad looked good in pre season. If another CB has been identified then this would explain letting JA go. He did look slow on Sunday to be fair and all 3 centre backs did not do themselves justice.

I guess we will know in 11 days time when the window closes.

To be fair, if you'd said to me last May that when the window closes only Andersen and Olise will be gone and we'll have signed 4 incoming players AND have made a transfer profit of £40m odd (assuming we bring in the French lad from Wolfsberg) I'd have been very happy.

 

[Willo]

Great topic Den and I'm very much in the 'we will see' camp.

I think the finish to the last campaign has perhaps skewed expectations, we did look as though we'd win the league this season!

My most optimistic stance is that OG is on board with everything that's happening, perhaps a leading voice, and it is being done is synchronicity with financial management. Those that run the business running the business, Dougie taking care of resourcing with Glasner's input and management of the team, including the new style of play (5-2-2-1).

I have a feeling the squad is still in transition, which is why we will see a few departures and arrivals. I hope and am inclined to believe OG is having his voice heard in those dealings, he'll continue with his footballing philosophy and hopefully with players who are suited/will adapt to it.

I therefore predict an unsteady start to the season with things picking up closer to Xmas. I also think 2025 will bring more insight via both the transfer window in Jan and the remaining fixtures. We'll probably end up about 10th with a possibility of a few places under or even over.

I would say my hopes certainly aren't 'fading' and I am optimistic for a 'masterplan' without deluding myself that there definitely is one.

Privately since the the end of last season I frequently urged supporters to temper their high expectations on account of the impending departures and the 'Mood music' amongst them has moved the dial from 'Optimism' to 'Pessimism'.

 

[taylors lovechild]

I was disappointed with last summer's dealings but thankfully the club turned it around with the signings of Munoz and Wharton in January. This summer I thought Kamada, Sarr and Riad were positive signings, even if they didn't completely compensate for the loss of Olise. Last season we had the fifth-best defence in the league which Andersen had a big hand in, so losing him this late in the window is a big issue in my view. If we also lost Guehi, I think we may have to ride out a difficult few months while any replacements are bedded in.

Parish has chosen to be very public of late on player sales, so hopefully there aren't bigger financial issues behind these sales. It's unfair to judge until the window closes, but I doubt Glasner feels like he has a stronger squad at the moment. If Andersen goes and he isn't adequately replaced it might start to sew the seeds of discontent. Hopefully today's pessimism will be washed away with a flurry of new and exciting signings.

 

[Charlie B]

I feel really nervous about the season. By the time any new players "gel" we could be quite adrift of the other teams in the middle of the table and then we will be playing catch up. I trust the board and OG but if we lose both CB's in this window, the season could turn out to be totally flat.

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

You have to feel that Parish, Freedman and Glasner are not Stupid, and with at the moment, with Glasner held in high esteem that all, ins and outs are done with his approval, so i think we can (at the moment) expect they know what they are doing, but with 150m needed for the new stand i wonder if this is part of the plan, not just footballing wise, but, the club as a whole, time will tell if we have made a pigs ear of it.

 

[Willo]

I feel really nervous about the season. By the time any new players "gel" we could be quite adrift of the other teams in the middle of the table and then we will be playing catch up. I trust the board and OG but if we lose both CB's in this window, the season could turn out to be totally flat.

I have a palpable sense of foreboding about the impending season but over the years HOL has been accustomed to me being an 'Elijah of doom' a glumbucket and a gargantuan moaner.

Olise has moved to pastures new, it seems highly likely that Andersen will be ploughing his furrow alongside the River Thames and I suspect other prized assets could also be lured elsewhere.It would appear that we are at the foothills of 'Project Re-build'.

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

I have a palpable sense of foreboding about the impending season but over the years HOL has been accustomed to me being an 'Elijah of doom' a glumbucket and a gargantuan moaner.

Olise has moved to pastures new, it seems highly likely that Andersen will be ploughing his furrow alongside the River Thames and I suspect other prized assets could also be lured elsewhere.It would appear that we are at the foothills of 'Project Re-build'.

Surely Not 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Willo]

Surely Not 🤣🤣🤣

I wore the dazed stare of a stunned hogget when I perused your riposte.😛

 

[Badger11]

To answer the OP. my own feelings are that we are par for the course of being a Palace fan. We can always be relied on to find a dark cloud in a silver lining.

Anyway another season of toil and expectations dashed. 😀

 

[Willo]

To answer the OP. my own feelings are that we are par for the course of being a Palace fan. We can always be relied on to find a dark cloud in a silver lining.

Anyway another season of toil and expectations dashed. 😀

The narrative appears to have subsided about 'Europe', 'Top 8' or 'Moving to the next level'.
I very much suspect that we will not improve on last season's 10th place and that Oliver Glasner's tenure will be ephemeral.

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

The only time i thought we were in real trouble ( since premiership obviously ) was Vieiras second season, we looked a beaten team, no spirit or passion.

 

[Palacesince64]

The narrative appears to have subsided about 'Europe', 'Top 8' or 'Moving to the next level'.
I very much suspect that we will not improve on last season's 10th place and that Oliver Glasner's tenure will be ephemeral.

A propos Glasner’s tenure, I suspect it will be short regardless. If we finish bottom half having sold our best players he will walk away, and if we finish top 8 he will be offered a job by one of the bigger clubs. Rather as it was with Olise, we should enjoy the ride while it lasts.

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

The narrative appears to have subsided about 'Europe', 'Top 8' or 'Moving to the next level'.
I very much suspect that we will not improve on last season's 10th place and that Oliver Glasner's tenure will be ephemeral.

Do you not want to see what happens before the 30th, before embarking on a helix of Perdition 😎

 

[Zaha127]

Andersen leaving for £30m is quite surprising. He is a good player. Especially in a back 3 of CB he is the best ball playing centre back in the Palace team. It is surprising. Does this mean Guehi will definitely stay now even if Newcastle or someone else offers £70m?