Crystal Palace v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Chris Jameson]

I'm still not convinced Sherwood isn't just another Stuart Pearce when it comes to management.

[supertom]

Think a new striker is an absolute must. We need someone big who is also mobile. Gestede will be a good impact player against certain backlines, but Palace are pretty robust. Today was not his day.

I thought once again we ran out of steam badly. Amavi was very good first half, and poor in the second. Gana disappeared out the game. Grealish was done for after 70 minutes but that's no surprise really. Tim should have taken him off.
Gabby was a fucking abomination.
Bacuna is a liability. Today in particular was probably a game that would have suited Hutton more.

Traore looks a bit good. I think he'll be particularly useful coming off the bench for now.

I'll be honest, I think we're in for tough times again. There's some quality here but we're still lacking sorely in key areas and we seem compelled to gift the opposition goals and I don't see that changing under someone as gung-ho as Sherwood. In attack we largely look about as threatening as Woody Allen in boxing get up. We've got some real quality in Grealish, Gil and Traore, but we need someone more similar in ilk to Benteke up front. Physical and mobile.

[passitsideways]

At this point I think Sherwood needs to bite the bullet and play Grealish and Gil in the same team whenever available, even though that poses defensive/physicality problems. The midfield three looked good in the first half, but when Palace increased their intensity at the break, there just weren't any forward passing options available.

[dorsetvillian]

Watched the game and was so angry at the decisions Sherwood made throughout. It felt like a re-run of any Lambert performance. Decent tactics in the second half and we could quite easily have won as Palace were very poor. Why didn't he change the front two? what were they offering?.  When he makes a change he takes one of our better players off in the mid field, leaving only two in the middle!. Having said that would you see a team of so called 'winners' make such a cock up at the end. Just what were Guzan and Amavi thinking? Only one bright spark and that of course was Traore who was amazing.

[SoccerHQ]

Stupid defeat really, I don't think there was too much between the teams, certainly not in the first half. Palace probably deserved the 1 nil as they stepped it up second half but considering I rate them as a top 10 team now I can't say their looked a bit gulf.

It's obvious what the problem is when Gabby is toe poking shots from 12 yards into the keeper. We've not really looked like scoring this season tbh but with Adama's cameo and Grealish imo being the best player on the pitch today we have the tools to create problems for opposition but goodness me we need way better upfront as Gestede dosent look up to much either if no decent crosses are coming in.

[KRS]

When we know the team is lacking fitness then why the fuck didn't TS use all 3 subs at his disposal particularly with Gabby and Gestede contributing the sum total of fuck all going forward. Sinclair and Ayew would have at least added some energy up front, whilst the decision to take off Sanchez was just stupidity.

The game was there for the taking at half time, but TS didn't make the right changes at the right times.

Positives: Traore and Jack
Negatives: Guzan, Bacuna, Gabby, Gestede

Not going to criticise Amavi too much...he shouldn't have received the ball in that position under pressure at that stage of the game in the first place. Guzan really lacks intelligence and needs to work on his distribution.

[Archie]

Once again nothing to be pride of. .
Never a satisfaction...

[pauliewalnuts]

First half we were much the better side.

Second half we were poor. Tim needed to make a change but didn't.

I am extremely worried about where the goals will come from. Gabby is embarrassingly poor. Relying on Gestede and Kozak strikes me as a massive risk.

[Quiet Lion]

The one highlight of the game

http://streamable.com/eodh

[ktvillan]

We may have spent nearly 50m but the same old weaknesses are there.  Can't defend, can't score enough, mediocre set pieces, always an idiot prepared to lay something on a plate for the opposition, and a manager who is the only one who fails to see the blindingly obvious. 

Sherwood mostly to blame today, it's obvious to everyone except him Gabby is a waste of space, and Sanchez was the best player on the pitch first half.    Surely Guzan has got to be replaced, his piss poor distribution is a liability and he's not all that as a shot stopper either.  And the reasons I still don't rate Clark and probably never will were there for all to see today. 

We still need a keeper, a right back, a CB and a goalscorer - we may well have the latter but we'll never know while Gabby keeps getting picked.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The extra training paying dividends then.

They all looked knackered and half arsed after 70 minutes. No leadership on the pitch, ah fuck it, I could go on but what's the point.

[Steve R]

The annoying thing is that Palace went to pieces after Traore's effort. They really were bricking it. Goal two was Guzan's decision making. Amavi was put on the spot and tried to make something of it. There first goal I thought the scorer held Clark down, but it was still Clark's fault for letting it happen.

At 1-1 they panned around to Sherwood and I thought 'you jammy fucker'. It really was a dumb decision to take Sanchez off. By all means try to do something with the front three,  but to empty central midfield really was a stupid thing to do.

We should have won, for the first 45 we were the better side. Then Pardew changed things around and they competed better in midfield. So Sherwood takes a player out. Tactical genius. Apart from a missed one on one that should really have been taken, what did Gabby do?

Gestede looks  bit of a lump in all truth. He's got a lot of learning to do.

[andyh]

I am not and haven't been in the "we'll be fine" camp.
I think this season will be another long hard slog,although I hope we don't get dragged into another horrible end of season scrap.

For me the problems seem to be that we don't really raise our game.
Palace were poor first half, really poor, but they turned it up second half, looked like they had a belief they would win, and were by far the better team.

We just seem to plod along. No real variation, no stepping up of the pace, no pressing.
That's what now? 7, 8 games where we have looked totally ineffective.

I am still waiting for this winning mentality to kick in.

[mr woo]

Well.

I haven't changed my opinion from the opening day win at Bournemouth. We ain't all that I'm afraid. I'm struggling to see an improvement over the Lambert years if I'm honest. Ignore the result, look at the chances created, look at the cohesion, look at the movement, the desire, the cutting edge, the creativity. It isn't there.

And yes, I know what the reply will be... mitigating circumstances - so many new players, we need time to gel etc etc.

Fair comment.

But I will say this. If you've spent over 20 million pounds on forwards and you are still starting (and playing 90 minutes for Christ's sake) with Gabriel Agbonlabollocks then you have fucked up. Big time.

As for today's game. Shame for amarvi who has been outstanding up to now, he'll learn from it. Traore Is ready yo start. We need Gil fit quickly. Richards is solid. Sanchez is solid, his distribution is utter wank, but I'd have kept him on and took Gabby off and took a point.

Finally, frustration apart. Add Charlie Austin, lescott and a real right back to that squad and we'll be ok. Without a goalscorer? We're gonna struggle fellas. Sorry.

[Legion]

Bugger.