The next visitors to take on the Eagles at Selhurst Park are Stoke City so we took the opportunity to have a chat with Tom from The Bear Pit TV ahead of their trip.
Q. What were your hopes and dreams for the new season before a ball was kicked?
A Europa League place. Would not have minded it coming from a high league finish but definitely preferred it coming from a cup run. With the defeat in the final in 2011, there feels like there is unfinished business in the FA Cup and losing at Anfield on penalties leaves the very same feeling with the League Cup.
Q. Was it a successful transfer window for the club or are there areas that still need improving?
Our best dealing in the window was not a new face but keeping hold of Arnie (Marko Arnautovic), really don’t see how we would have been able to replace him. Joe Allen looks to be a fantastic piece of business, along with Indi (Bruno Martins Indi) and Wilfried Bony who both looked as good as a player could during a drubbing. Our biggest needs were a new centre back, striker and a winger for competition. All three of these areas were ticked off so certainly a good, if not excellent window.
Q. It has not been a great start to the season for you, any particular reason?
Injuries and referees. Jack Butland, Glen Johnson and Xherdan Shaqiri were all out injured before our second game of the season, each were so pivotal to the squad that their absences have certainly been noticed. Want a free penalty? Go down in the box at a corner against us I am sure the official will be willing to give it. The joke of refereeing performances continued against Spurs as Sparky (Mark Hughes) was sent to the stands for leaving his technical area (something Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte also did last weekend) and Victor Wanyama avoided a definite second yellow which changed the tide of the match.
Q. Is Mark Hughes under pressure particularly in view of the players now at his disposal?
Personally, I don’t think Hughes should be under pressure. It is impossible to deny that the fans are getting less patient although I don’t think this comes from the players we have brought in or the cost they bear. Stoke fans are historically fickle, and many Potters have yearned to return to that god awful long ball nonsense. I believe in Mark Hughes and don’t think there is much better out there for Stoke. A return from injury for some players will hopefully boost the side and ease the pressure.
Q. Dare we ask your views on the rule changes going into this new Premier League season?
I personally don’t mind any of them but would just like to see some of them applied to teams who are not from the Midlands and play in red and white! With a rugby playing background I am certainly behind the yellow card for talking back to a referee but the contact in the box rule needs to be applied carefully. Both were penalties in the Manchester City match, but the one we conceded against Everton was an appalling decision.
Q. It is looking difficult for an un-fancied team breaking into the top six this season but if you were to pick one, who would it be?
I cannot pick Stoke, can I? Palace may be able to get there, I just don’t believe Alan Pardew has enough, nor is your squad deep enough, so it has to be Everton. Ronald Koeman worked miracles at Southampton and appears to have brought some real quality into Goodison Park. It looks unlikely as so far as I don’t think Everton have been convincing enough to beat the likes of Spurs, Arsenal or Liverpool.
Q. Perhaps you could share your views on Palace as a club, how we did last season and our start to this season?
A bit of an annoying club for me really. You stole our title of best atmosphere in the country (deserved because we have been awful in the past few seasons) and you always seem to target people we try and bring in. Those aside, Palace are actually a likeable side who are very similar to us, I would even go as far to say we both have the two best chairmen in the country.
Q. Name one player from each team that the opposition should be concerned about?
Palace need to be afraid of Joe Allen. Haven’t seen much of you of late but if you have any players from goalkeeper to Centre forward who are slow on the ball, be very afraid. I’ve never seen a footballer run more than ‘Wee Joe’ and he will be at the heart of any success we have this season.
We need to be afraid of any fast wingers, so Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend. Our full backs are not blessed with pace, and I cannot see either Zaha or Townsend struggling against Bardsley or my beloved Erik Pieters. It is looking likely Johnson could return so that would be a really interesting battle on the flank.
Q. Prediction?
I’m known as being terribly optimistic so 3-2 to Stoke. If Palace can see off any early positivity that Stoke show then the game will be there’s for the taking. Sparky is under an increasing amount of pressure so I see him going attacking which will hopefully let us break the deadlock nice and early.
Q. Please tell us a little more about The Bear Pit TV and any projects that you are working on.
So The Bear Pit TV isn’t just a fantastic YouTube channel. It is also a blog that a few other Stokies and myself all write for. Our content ranges from photo shopping Stoke players as pop stars to in-depth reviews of player performances. I’d definitely recommend Palace fans, as well as Stoke fans, giving it a look before the game on Sunday. I also occasionally appear on the Wizards of Dribble podcast, and should you be the next in a long line of teams to roll us over then the listening there will certainly be comical.
