It certainly is a bundle of fun being a Palace fan.
You just never know what to expect. One minute we are beating Liverpool and then we are put to the sword by a determined, yet average Sunderland side.
After the internationals finished, I was looking forward to two home games that could have potentially got us six points. Now we have to hope we can open what I expect to be a stubborn Newcastle United side, as they make the trip to Selhurst Park this weekend.
I am not sure whether to dwell on the Sunderland game or move on, as it was bitterly disappointing. We had complete control of the game from start to finish, but our final ball or ‘killer instinct’ just was not there. To top it all off, Scott Dann made an uncharacteristic error which gave Sunderland the points. The most annoying thing is I cannot put my finger on why we are struggling at home.
We have seen it so many times over the past year, teams come and set their stall out and put men behind the ball, or park ‘the bus’, but whatever you want to call it, it is working a treat and we just cannot break them down.
Alan Pardew obviously noted the problem, and I think a big reason why Yohan Cabaye was signed was to be able to give us more impetus in the midfield area. On Monday even that did not work. The midfield was far too deep for my liking and that is something I want to go into in this edition of the Red & Blue Report.
With Sunderland in the precarious position they were, it was inconceivable that they were going to come to Selhurst and attack. It was a foregone conclusion that they were coming to Selhurst for a point, and anything more would be a bonus.
So why we insisted on playing two holding midfielders was a bit strange, one would have sufficed. That would have allowed Cabaye a bit more freedom in the forward areas, something we were missing, as it was not Jason Puncheon’s best performance.
We have to find a solution to breaking sides down as it really is putting a dampener on our impressive away form. What that solution is, I could not tell you.
Maybe playing like an away side at Selhurst could bring teams onto us, which would give us the room in behind. It will obviously mean soaking up pressure and defending and then waiting for the opportune moment to strike but whether the Selhurst faithful would like that approach at home is another story.
We can pass from side-to-side all we like, but as we saw on Monday that got us nowhere. You would expect Newcastle to come on Saturday and play a similar way, although they probably have more attacking options than their rivals.
Nonetheless, a solution needs to be found because otherwise we are going to continue to drop vital points at home, when in all fairness sides like Newcastle and Sunderland should be leaving Selhurst with no points, let alone three.
With the new investment seemingly on the horizon, it might be something Pardew addresses in the January transfer window, somebody that can unlock a tight defence should be on the top of our shopping list.
I want to have a little word on Scott Dann’s error which led to the goal. It was a one-off, a mistake which he himself pointed out should have never of happened. When have seen a mistake from Dann in the past three years?
Apart from a similar howler against Aston Villa at home last season, he hardly puts a foot wrong. He has been so reliable since walking through the door, it was just unfortunate his misjudgement led to the goal.
This week has been a bit doom and gloom, but with another home game coming up, we have to get enthused and ready for the challenge. There is nothing quite like stepping into a vibrant Selhurst Park on a Saturday afternoon.
It will be nice to get one over on the Geordies, the ones who love to abuse Pardew on that ‘wonderful’ platform called Twitter. A month ago it was supposed to be the demise of Pardew but come Saturday hopefully we will teach them a few things about a proper demise of a football club.
