It is nice to start one of these columns on a positive note, and that note is that Connor Wickham has scored from open play!
In fact, he has now scored four which is remarkable given our recent form. Unfortunately, those goals have only contributed to one point in the league and we are still waiting our first league win of 2016. In March!
The news can only get better though as our next fixture in the league is against Liverpool, who tend to succumb to the famous Palace counter attack on a frequent basis. Let us just hope that continues.
A few weeks back I talked about how a win, however unlikely, against Tottenham Hotspur might set us up for improved league form. Unsurprisingly, I was wrong and as such the dire results have unfortunately continued.
The first half performance against West Bromwich Albion must be one of the worst Premier League performances I have ever seen us involved in. Against our former manager that was humiliating, and despite two excellent goals we could not quite seal the comeback, which is all the more frustrating given the sudden improvement in form from Wickham.
We are nearly back to full strength, with Bolasie returning from injury and our other players beginning to re-capture a bit of their pre-Christmas magic that saw us end the year in contention for Europe. The big talking point is goalkeepers with Wayne Hennessey, as good as he has been, he has been very prone to silly errors. Do we recall Julian Speroni to the starting line up?
It is a tricky one because as fans, most of us will be biased towards Speroni due to his many years of dedication and service to the club, and rightly, Alan Pardew should be considering him for a chance between the sticks.
Unfortunately I think some of us like to wear our rose tinted spectacles when it comes to Speroni, myself included. His performances when we returned to the Premier League were outstanding, and despite his age, probably still could cut it in goal for us. It is sad, but I just think Hennessey is a better goalkeeper who just needs to keep his composure better than he has done recently. Speroni has had his day and I hope the club retain him by any means necessary in a coaching role, because he is the epitome of dedication, spirit and respect.
Despite our recent difficulties, it is still possible for us to finish in the top ten, which I think is now the only realistic target for us, and something I would certainly be happy with come the end of the season. However, there is some serious strengthening required in the summer to ensure we can retain our place in the Premier League after the money from the new television deal comes into effect. I think we require new additions to the back line for a start which I think is carried by Scott Dann quite frequently.
I have been a little underwhelmed with Emmanuel Adebayor’s performances which seem a little lethargic. That is the word quite a lot of Tottenham fans used to describe his performances. I hope this is not the players attitude and is a result of him not being truly match fit, because I was very excited when he arrived and do not want to welcome a prima donna to our club.
Looking forward to the Liverpool game, I would love to see us upset the odds once again and secure a solid win particularly with Wickham among the goals and perhaps Adebayor to put a shift in too. A clean sheet would not go amiss either because we have shipped far too many goals in recent weeks. It will be nice to silence the often raucous Liverpool fans again too, which has become a habit for us in the last three seasons.
In the longer term however, I think we may continue to struggle because we perform well as the underdogs. As we have improved year on year, bought in better players, and tried to turn ourselves from relegation candidates to mid table mediocrity, we have lost that crucial underdog fear factor. Teams know how to deal with us now. It is up to us to become more difficult to play against, more resolute in defence and more creative up front. If we continue on our current path we will face times like the current run all the more frequently, but I hope Alan can see this to set us up as a more tougher proposition to face.
So keep your spirits up Palace fans, it is never easy, we never make things simple. The hard way is the Palace way, but if we stick by the boys, continue to show our fantastic support, and encourage the team to perform week in week out, I can only see one thing and that is a bright and happy Premier League future!
