The Weekends Other Games

Palace beating Chelski 2-1 at the bridge right now...

 

Liverpool getting done 0-2 at home too....

 

Relegation looking more possible by the minute

 

Just heard that if Palace hold on today then Alan Pardew will become the first manager to beat Mourinho 3 times in a league game - ever - from all games in England, Portugal, Spain and Italy.

Always new the guy was a genius.

 

Five red cards today and I haven't heard a single one not questioned by the pundits.

 

...and Palace and Leicester looking nailed on for Champions League football next season if we're deciding now.

 

If only we hadn't

No but they are most definitely better sides than us right now mate.

As are Bournemouth i cant think if a team playing as bad WITH the ball.

 

Our best quality so far this season, and the biggest change from previous seasons, has been the positive way we have been playing with the ball!!!

 

I disagree we had like 30 % possession the last 3 games and against Southampton we did nothing with it.

With pardew we did better but i appreciate its hopefully a transition to be better.

 

Liverpool ended up being done 0-3... feck me.....
Should we offer them Willo for £25m?

 

And you don't think that has anything to do with the fact we have played against two of last season's top four and four of last season's top eight? Or nothing to do with that fact we have played 133 minutes with ten men?

When we have had the ball we have played much better football than we did last season. When we haven't had the ball we have been more disciplined and organised in defence. If that isn't something to be positive about I don't know what is. Nobosy is claiming we are the finished article. However, we're moving in the right direction.

 

That's some achievement, he must be some sort of Demigod with a record like that.

 

Of course but I know one thing and that is
Noticing good football sides and bad ones. I'm totally aware we have to hope the side gels but i can only comment on what i see now and thats a side that cant string passes together.

 

I think we have been terrible with the ball. We give it away for fun.

 

The reason you think this is because you are watching the game with your eyes rather than out of your arse.

 

Watching this Chelsea game, fair play to Palace, they look well organised and try to play properly. Cabaye is a proper player mind.

They look good value. Really defending well as a team, all shifting as a unit. Jose does not look happy.

 

Perhaps I am setting the bar too low, but I am encouraged enough that progress has been made. I don't have the up to date figures after today, but so far both our pass completion and total passes made have been up on last season (albeit a painfully low starting point to be comparing it to). Playing against teams who are very comfortable on the ball, especially playing against them with 10 men, will lead to giving he ball away more as you try to force openings against superior numbers. Against Swansea we just sat back and tried to keep the score down and didn't actually give the ball away that often. Today we at least tried to create openings but did give the ball away more often because of that. We are also playing a much more passing game, which again with 10 men, will lead to more chance of passes going astray.

For me, I'm not looking to see us being top 8 quality yet and maybe that is the difference. If we can get to 12th-14th and have a bit of daylight between us and the relegation zone once the fixtures start to even out then I will see that as a sign of progress and something to build on in the next window. I wouldn't eb expecting massive changes in January, but I would expect to see us move on to the next level next summer. I know we are a hell of a long way from the finished article, but I think that we have the basis to see improvement and I am expecting us to get better as the season goes on and we get more used to playing this new style with new players.

 

12th or 14th isn't acceptable because mike will feel vindicated in his original spending plans.

 

Neither am I. I see us around mid table. But to achieve we will have to retain the ball a lot better than we have been. Southampton for 60mins was good. Aside from that I don't really see much difference. Even then we had spells last season like that game. I accept it is very early though. I'm just worried pre season has left us well behind in terms of gelling the squad and getting a true pattern of play. The lack of balance in terms of how we build a squad is worrying.

 

Midtable? On our performances no chance.

I say we're fighting relegation and until i see an improvement i won't change my opinion.

It seems to me people are falling into the same trap as last season and just assuming the signings are great and will come good.

Also the system we play could take a season before it comes good so maybe if we do build over the remaining two windows mid table next season for me chaps.