For some time now it has been recognised that Palace need to upgrade in certain positions to improve the team and give us a chance of progressing on from where we are now.
Sentimentality for certain players, however, blurs the vision of what makes a good or a bad player. The things players have done for us in the past makes them seem undroppable but of course, sometimes they must be.
The news of Julian Speroni extending his contract for another season recently came to light and I guess we all knew it was coming. Ending his career as a testimonial match would be a nice way to bow out but perhaps a bit of a sad one too. It must be seen that we need to improve our keeper for next season, and yes, it hurts for me to say that too because Speroni is part of Palace.
He is engrained in the club and its history but we must realise when enough is enough. I am hoping that next season he will start the transition to being a full time goalkeeping coach for the club, which he has said he would like to do, and that he can continue to provide a happy and lovely atmosphere around the training ground.
However, the lack of clean sheets this season and the acceptance that Wayne Hennessey is better on the bench and in training than on the pitch really highlights our need to improve. Although at least Speroni staying another season means we can all enjoy the Speroni chant around Selhurst on FIFA for another year (which is amusing if you play as Palace on career mode and are in 2018/19 with a well retired Speroni being sung about).
The age old question becomes who we should get instead. Rumours linking us with Tim Krul from Newcastle United have come and gone and Alan Pardew has said no contact has been made but it is an interesting call. After all, at this rate Newcastle are about to sink hilariously into the relegation places and if that happens the surprisingly young Krul (despite his ragged and weathered appearance) would surely be up for the taking. Would he be a long term solution for us? Possibly not, but for the next season or so, probably. I can think of many worse keepers for us to come into the possession of.
Then we have the well known left back issue. I have to admit I had incredibly high hopes for Pape Souare when he joined the club. I ignored his initial mistakes thinking that he just needed time to bed into the squad, the training and the Premier League but over the last couple of weeks it has become apparent that perhaps actually he just cannot handle high pressure situations and instead needs serious mental strengthening work to be able to handle it.
Hopefully over summer this will click for him and he will be able to become the starting left back but until then, I am more than nervous to commit to him. Anybody that knows me is aware that I view Souare as our only left back option because despite improved performances since joining the club I still struggle with a certain Martin Kelly and his playing style.
Good left backs are hard to go out, scout, find and then purchase though. Perhaps, following on from my previous discussions of how our youth squad seems to produce excellent forward wingers we could focus on turning a couple of them into good, composed, skilful and pacey left backs.
There are of course a couple of other players that we all love having around the club. They helped us get promoted, proved instrumental last season and provide leadership and/or a good atmosphere around the team. Some of them just do not seem to be up to the challenge of improving with the club to take us on to the next level.
For some perhaps they have reached their own limitations based on ability and/or age and for others they just seem to lack the passion and enthusiasm that is absolutely required at a club like Palace. Maybe as safety from relegation has become apparent, some of the players I am thinking about have just kicked their feet back and stopped taking it all quite so seriously.
In doing so it certainly makes people like me question the strength and potential of the team and makes me wish it was possible to inject cash into certain areas of the pitch, not to mention the actual pitch itself because we all know that is the most shoddy attempt at turfing and maintaining ever.
All these doubts I am having on so many players scares me for another reason. Not just because other players and teams can perhaps pick up on that and some of them are becoming under increasing pressure to perform but more so because I fear it is a sign of a shift in mentality.
The things I have mentioned above are what I see many people tweeting, people talking about and arguing about on the train or bus post game. It is essential that we maintain being a club with extreme optimism and hopes at all times but that we do not let our desires of wanting to improve stopping us from appreciating what we actually have right in front of us.
I do not want to become one of those constantly disgruntled fans and I know you do not want to either. So for now, let us basque in our small successes this year and look at taking baby steps in improving next year instead of putting fuel in a half complete rocket and trying to launch it to the top of the footballing universe. Other teams have tried that time and time again and their rocket has just failed to go anywhere in spectacular style. After all, the players we have helped us stay safe this year despite a very confusing first few months and fading hope from almost every corner of Selhurst.
As a side note away from football I should point out to readers that my absence in recent weeks to TEB and various other Palace outlets is largely linked to a couple of new life related commitments but I am now able to return to you all in full glory spouting my useless views, meaningless opinions and constantly incorrect predictions.
