Crystal Palace vs Man Utd match thread

[PatrickA]

We are not going to spend serious money in January
That would only happen if we were in relegation trouble (see Big Sam).

We are not the sort of club to have equivalent players to the our star players on huge contracts sitting on the bench as the top 6 can do.
We could utilise the loan market for perhaps one or two but not long term contracts for players to sit on the bench.

Doesn't mean we shouldn't or won't strenghten in January, but don't expect a splurge.

 

[pssguy]

Our first home loss in the league since February?

Had to end somtime I guess let's not get too upset about the losses this week.

20 points in mid table, in Europe, QFs of league cup and a trophy. That's just this season. 😀

Well, that's the glass half-full view. But is now clear we can't buy a win after a European game (and we almost certainly have a minimum of 4 more of them), injuries have yet to hit and Glasner gives a very limited number of players the bulk of minutes in both league and cups which tires them and does not develop the fringe players

 

[TheBigToePunt]

"I think if you play the first time in your history European football you should invest and not save."
On the level no BS hard truth.

Thing is, it's not an investment. An investment is when you spend money to make a greater amount in return. What Glasner wants, and who can blame him, is for the club to spend what it takes for him to have a chance to do well, even if they haven't got it and can't make it back.

What would it cost to improve our squad enough so it was capable of both reaching the final stages in Europe and also pushing on a bit in the league (for instance, finishing 8th)? What would we need? Four really good players, ready to improve us right now? £15-20m each? Call it £70m expenditure, just on fees, without wages, and that's on top of the usual spending every summer just to refresh the squad and keep it from going stale.

Chelsea made about £15m for winning the Conference League. We got about £136m for finishing 12th in the league, whereas Brighton got about £145m for finishing 8th.

So, we'd spend an extra £70m to achieve, at best, a Europa conference win and top 8 finish. In other words, to make about £25m at very best, with a high chance of not making even that.

It doesn't work, never has. West Ham went from top eight to bottom six in the league the year they won the Europa conference. Burnley, Bolton, even Villa under O'Neill all had to choose one or the other, and all effectively sacrificed Europe in favour of the league in the end.

Glasner gets shoved in front of the camera very quickly after the game, when his adrenaline is still racing. He's a competitive guy and a brilliant coach for a midtable club like ours, but he's howling at the moon when he talks about a failure to 'invest'. He means 'spend'.

 

[JHB]

Well, that's the glass half-full view. But is now clear we can't buy a win after a European game (and we almost certainly have a minimum of 4 more of them), injuries have yet to hit and Glasner gives a very limited number of players the bulk of minutes in both league and cups which tires them and does not develop the fringe players

I think this. Yes we have a smaller squad than we should but it hasn’t been managed well.

 

[pssguy]

If ,and after today feels like a big if ,we can win next two games that will take a big load off our backs .
Weirdly the next two games feel like 6 pointers .

In the games I have watched, Burnley have looked pretty lively and will definitely be looking at this games as winnable. The concede over 2 goals a game so we are likely to have chances but our lack of finishing ability is now reaching absurd levels

 

[PatrickA]

I think this. Yes we have a smaller squad than we should but it hasn’t been managed well.

Glasner said a few weeks ago that he was content with the size of the squad and there was no point in having a big squad (e.g 27 olayers) as you’d have a number of players who wouldn’t be involved on match days, and also you’d stop the progress of young players having invested heavily in the academy.

I think the issue is more the quality rather than the size of the squad.
Glasner is clearly not comfortable with some of the players on the bench in terms of what they can bring either as a sub or as a starter.
Hence their lack of use.
It may be a case of ‘needs must’ though as it looks like Sarr will not return before Afcon.

 

[Painter]

Do we even have any targets for January ?asking for a friend .Or will it be usual deadline day loans .
January is a notorious window for overpaying ,Parish just loves that .

Didn't we sign Wharton and Munoz in a January window, both at bargain prices. Why would the club broadcast any targets? Who have we ever loaned in January in the last 7 years?

 

[eaglesdare]

Didn't we sign Wharton and Munoz in a January window, both at bargain prices. Why would the club broadcast any targets? Who have we ever loaned in January in the last 7 years?

Chilwell?

 

[Wisbech Eagle]

Just watched OG’s interview on the BBC website. He’s just as upset as we are - but interestingly, criticised the club for not investing in more players in the summer. He felt January was too late to buy new players, as over 50% of the season would have already been played.

Hmmmm…can’t see him being with us next season

I too watched that interview. To me it indicates a major disagreement between him and Parish. One that was evident during the Guehi to Liverpool saga and appears to still be festering.

I think, upset or not, his words were out of order and will result in an uncomfortable interview for him. He is coming over as another manager who thinks all football clubs have money trees that yield whatever cash is needed. Parish doesn’t think like that. He thinks mid to long term, never risking disaster by chasing glory and always remaining solvent. Managers must accept those limitations as they must have been made plain before he joined.

Ambition is something we all share but it must be tempered with reason. With the attitude on display today I see no chance of him signing a new contract and a deteriorating level of motivation.

We could do without this.

 

[Spindle]

Our first home loss in the league since February?

Had to end somtime I guess let's not get too upset about the losses this week.

20 points in mid table, in Europe, QFs of league cup and a trophy. That's just this season. 😀

That's what is weird about the feelings from this. It weirdly feels like we're in trouble! We aren't.

 

[sprites]

I said previously that we need a player in the mould of Geoff Thomas with the shot of Darren Ambrose, which is a lot to ask .
Nevertheless I think an experienced midfielder who can help guide Wharton would be beneficial. We don't command the central areas and Kamada and Pino are lightweight. Neither add steel to the midfield nor offer much in attack.
I think a different manager would use the players we have differently. I still remain unconvinced by our midfield and Glasner's pairings.

Mate, we had the Wharton Hughes combo which was working fantastically last year. Needs reinstating asap.

 

[park the bus]

That's what is weird about the feelings from this. It weirdly feels like we're in trouble! We aren't.

Because we won a cup that victory exposed how unprepared we were for the extra games that spun off of it. The league this season still has to settle down, a team can jump from mid table to top 4 with a couple of wins, conversely it works in the other direction too, hence I think we will end up around our usual 12th place after our dalliance in Europe. Glasner will leave at the end of the season, Guehi too, and Parish will have the problem of making sure the wheels don't come off the cart...

 

[park the bus]

Mate, we had the Wharton Hughes combo which was working fantastically last year. Needs reinstating asap.

This would be my preferred pairing too, notwithstanding any additions to the squad.

 

[barrie2301]

The amount of fixtures demanded a change in style as the intensity Glasner likes to play is not sustainable, especially when he only wants to use the same players week in week out.

Uche and Esse have hardly played, Franca and Saki out on loan.. All these players are the types of players Palace have put their faith in over the years, Glasners refusal to do the same is costly..

 

[Palacesince64]

I too watched that interview. To me it indicates a major disagreement between him and Parish. One that was evident during the Guehi to Liverpool saga and appears to still be festering.

I think, upset or not, his words were out of order and will result in an uncomfortable interview for him. He is coming over as another manager who thinks all football clubs have money trees that yield whatever cash is needed. Parish doesn’t think like that. He thinks mid to long term, never risking disaster by chasing glory and always remaining solvent. Managers must accept those limitations as they must have been made plain before he joined.

Ambition is something we all share but it must be tempered with reason. With the attitude on display today I see no chance of him signing a new contract and a deteriorating level of motivation.

We could do without this.

Agreed. A disappointing interview and one that signals his intention to leave in the summer. I can’t see Parish spending big in January for a manager who isn’t planning on staying and I can’t see Glasner signing a new contract unless Parish spends big. We have an impasse.
H has history in this regard and that is his Achilles heel as a manager along with his reluctance to use the depth of his squad unless forced to do so.