Drama on the south coast. It was a proper cup tie as Southampton and Crystal Palace went hammer and tongs at each other. But it was Super Al’s red and blue that prevailed.
Can Alan Pardew mastermind a cup run culminating in a day out at Wembley? It is certainly on the cards, with the way he has got us playing the fans are certainly daring to dream.
Our next obstacle is either Liverpool or Bolton Wanderers at home. We have been rewarded with a home tie, which is great. Who do I want? Well, it has to be Liverpool. They hate coming to Selhurst Park so let us see if we can cause an upset once again.
Marouane Chamakh
The Moroccan was superb on Saturday, it was his first start in a while, but my word, he returned with a bang. He scored two and was the catalyst for the fight-back.
Under previous managers he has been good, but as his injury coincided with Pardew becoming manager it was unclear if he was Pardew’s type of player. His position has changed since the move to SE25, at Arsenal he was predominantly at striker. Under Tony Pulis he became the link between our midfield players and the strikers.
At St Mary’s it was just another indication of how important he will be to our side for the remainder of the season.
I think he proved that Saturday, as Pardew hailed him the ‘best player on the park’. His second goal was particularly special. It was not a thunderbolt from thirty yards, it was a different kind of ‘special’. The touch and awareness was key, and then he tucked the ball into the net with aplomb at the end.
The fans chant for him of ‘Marou-ane Chamakh, scoring gooooals for the red and blue’ was well deserved.
Attacking Play Is Fantastic
One aspect of our play that has improved is our attacking, we are looking menacing, when we get our flair players on the ball, nine times out of ten they are creating something.
Wilfried Zaha especially looks to have his mojo back, and if a deal could be brokered in the summer to bring him back for good, that would be the dream scenario.
With Yaya Sanogo we seem to have someone that gives us a focal point, someone we can work off of. His display against a strong Southampton back-four was promising, with a few more games under his belt he could cause that ‘chaos factor’ Pardew bought him in for.
League Safety Is Paramount
Although a cup run fills the supporters with excitement and belief, it is crucial the players do not take their eye off the Premier League. We have seen it with Wigan Athletic a couple of years back, they stunned Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City at Wembley and then a few weeks later they were condemned to the Championship. Ever since, Wigan have not been able to hit the heights of that historic win.
Becoming an established Premier League team can only be achieved by survival in the league, Pardew has rejuvenated us. He has got us playing with an attacking swagger, which is brilliant to see.
Since his arrival we have been unbeaten and scored twelve goals and conceding five. Pardew wants us to take risks going forward and I am all for that, that is what gets fan up from their seats. At the other end we do have to be a little careful, the second goal on Saturday could have been dealt with.
Everton are up next at home in the Premier League, it is definitely a winnable game, a win could give us daylight between the teams at the bottom.
We are riding on a crest of a wave at the moment with Pardew at the helm. Long may it continue.
