It is the fourth round of the FA Cup and after seeing off one Premier league team in the previous round, Palace take on another in the shape of Stoke City. We had a chat with the team at FourTwoThreeOneStoke ahead of our second meeting of the season.
Q. Perhaps you could share your thoughts on our last meeting that ended in a 2-1 away win for Palace?
I had just about erased it from memory, so a return to the match reports has aided me. Ah yes, the story of two penalties, I remember now. It was one of immense frustration and yet was entirely typical of our season thus far. We tried to employ a tactic that worked against big sides in the vain hope it would work against all manner of opposition.
In truth it did not, and has left much to be desired since. Chung Yong Lee getting his first goal for seven decades was the icing on the cake. He has inspired the likes of Johnny Howson at Norwich City and Danny Drinkwater at Leicester City into breaking scoring ducks this season, all against Stoke.
Q. How has the form been since that game?
Not terrible – three wins, one draw and two defeats. We still lack the ability to break down mid-table sides and have looked a bit lacklustre following our lack of rotation over the festive fixtures, but the points have been good for the given spell.
Q. Do you have a pressing needs in the transfer window?
A third winger is desperately needed. We have no genuine winger beyond Arnautovic and Shaqiri, and that proved the issue against Leicester. Mame Diouf was shafted out wide to the left wing with Walters and Shaqiri taking turns on the right. It was awful.
That aside I would love a new defensive midfielder to take over from an ageing Glenn Whelan, who is in poor form of late, and Hughes will likely look into centre back cover if Shawcross is out for a prolonged spell.
Sparky also wants a new centre forward, which is bizarre. It is currently the least of our worries.
Q. Is there a fear that you may lose some of your current squad?
Not particularly. I think the big guns will stay, but unfortunately the deadwood will remain too. It is the perfect opportunity to get the likes of Crouch, Odemwingie and Sidwell out. In truth, only the latter looks like leaving with Brighton interested.
Q. Is Jack Butland a future England number one and do you think he already should be?
A future number one? Certainly. I think he has been in good form overall this season but I would like to see how he copes with dips in form, like we are at present, and how he performs over one or two seasons before making a full judgement. He should definitely be on the plane to the European Championships in the summer though.
Q. Does the FA Cup still retain some of that much talked about magic for you or is there a concern that the approach to the competition these days by more and more clubs is degrading it?
I think so, but perhaps that is because Stoke are one of the top teams in the country now and we are more of a Goliath than a David.
I like the ties against lower league opposition because I enjoy seeing youth and fringe players getting a rare game, but when it is a Premier League tie (as ours is) then there is not a great deal to get excited about.
I think the television aspect also makes a difference. I was horrified that Eastleigh versus Bolton Wanderers was overlooked for Premier League ties and the subsequent replay tie on the BBC. I would not have wanted our match on television this round, because it would have made no sense. It may as well have been another Premier League weekend.
Manchester United’s forty-nine match live televised spree in the cup makes me sick. Let the smaller teams have their day in front of a national, even global, audience.
Q. Do you expect Stoke to play a full strength side for this game or will there be a few fringe players involved?
I would expect a full strength side. Hughes does not seem to rotate as much as other managers unless Stoke are against lower league opposition for example.
Q. Name a player from each side that you think will be a threat in this game.
I think we are all terrified of Lee Chung Yong this time around! In all seriousness I expect Cabaye will pull the strings, especially as he was absent in the Premier League fixture earlier in the season.
For Stoke it is really hard to pick one at present, for all the wrong reasons. If he plays I would suspect Arnautovic would be our main threat, but it depends on how exhausted he is and who is playing around him.
Q. Your prediction?
1-0 to Palace. It is nigh on a bogey ground for Stoke, and the general feeling was it was one of the worst ties we could have drawn.
Q. Please tell us about any projects you are currently working on or anything that you would like to promote.
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