[Archived] Crystal Palace Preview

[Tom]

Very disappointing but I'm going to do a Kean and take the positives (of which there are few)

Berg has showed he isn't afraid to change it and bring in fringe players and has seen first hand that the likes of Kazim Richards and co aren't what we need

[EWOODACE1]

We have been lucky a lot this season. The finishing from the opposition has been woeful. Watford have been the worst team down here and we struggled to get a shot on goal.

We are terrible going forward and that means we invite pressure on ourselves constantly

[modes98]

First priority in January has to be a CB to play alongside Dann. Hanley just isn't good enough.

On a short preperation week against a damn good team I think we write it off to experience and move on.

[DE.]

Signing Murphy looks more and more of a mistake by the week. What a waste of wages.

[johnny price11]

Today was awful, no doubt about it. Worryingly I don't really believe there is too much Henning can do in time for Huddersfield either. Next Saturday will be when we first begin to see influence I feel. Biggest problem is that it may take over a month before everything settles. Which once again makes you wonder why it took 5 weeks to get an unemployed manager in from Norway. Top job once again.

[G Somerset Rover]

Awful awful awful.

I won't blame Henning at all but that performance was unnaceptable. We made Palace and Zaha look like Barca and Messi. Seething at CKR, while you could document all of Pedersen and Murphys positive 'contributions' on a postcard. Not a cat in hells chance of us going up. We're simply not good enough and have too many players who think they're bigger than the club.

[Oklahoma]

I think our midfield is the main problem. Not strong enough to secure the team and needs to be faster in transitions.

Some players should leave in January and Berg has to start looking for new players asap.

Katsouranis for the midfield could be a good option...

[Doug]

Berg has a huge task on his hands. He has inherited a back room team and playing staff of questionable quality. Lets hope he has the ability to turn it round. His substitutions were a positive sign IMO. We must give him plenty of time to sort this mess out. I do not expect promotion although it would be fantastic if we achieved it. The next transfer window will tell us a lot about him.

[NH1875]

I really hope he has the mettle and authority to be honest with some of the lazy and under performing members of this football club. They need to be told whats required and if they aren't up to it they need to be shown the door.

[Rovermatt]

The pernicious influence of Steve Keanface will be very difficult to root out.

[bob fleming]

Well, that went well then. Sat here in the pub it's obvious. Not seen a kick.

Henning has his work cut out. Shock! I'm glad he played who he did. He'll have leant a lot today. The previous knobheed surrounded himself with bad characters, bad players and generally speaking wrong uns. I'll not even mention the 6 portugeezers we saw fit to bring in. Oops I just have done, do any of them feature? (Apart from Gomes).

So we can bitch and moan, "sort it out Berg". Yes we had stopped conceding under Black, palace are on a roll. Making excuses? Maybe. But Mourinho would have his work cut out getting the players and the back room politics sorted out.

He needs time and patience, not the first to say it. It should be obvious to us all that there really is no quick fix here.

[RockinRover]

It's clear after this game that Henning has a massive job on his hands. The issues with our squad are huge. First of all, we have strength of depth in all the wrong places. We have too many players in the squad who were bought simply to make up the numbers. All the Portugese guys bar Gomes and Nunes are a waste of money. The next and possibly biggest problem we have is that none of our players compliment eachother. We spent a lot of money on Rhodes but we don't have a player to play alongside him that compliments his style. Best is probably a good bet but he's not available. So where's the back up? In any squad you should have at least two players to play a certain role. Black obviously knew this as he made the approach for Jerome. After that another huge problem is the fitness and age of our squad. Murphy and Etuhu are both in their 30s but they're expected to run around all day against opposition who play in a league which is more about pace and strength than the Premiership was. We need a youngster in there which is why I hope Lowe gets back soon to play alongside either Murphy or Etuhu. Our defence is fine but they're getting no protection from those ahead of them. I hope Berg gets us defending from the front again like he said in his interviews as that is of huge importance in this league. The final problem we have is I believe we're still suffering from our relegation hangover. We've been through 18 months of playing pretty badly thanks to a certain bald headed idiot who shall not be mentioned by name and because of that our players are going to need a lot more wins before they can build their confidence back up.

[tomphil]

Signing Murphy looks more and more of a mistake by the week. What a waste of wages.

I don't boo him an have given him a chance but the lad is shot to pieces, legs gone and with it the desire and confidence. Thing is we are stuck with him beccause no one will want him and if they did no one will pay his wages. What a complete waste, great legacy coco leaves behind the useless f###### t###!

[RibbleValleyRover]

Midfield has been a problem for years, it's going to take a massive effort to sort it out. If I were Rovers I would be looking in the loan market to see if we can get someone in midfield.

Not going to blame Berg for the defeat, it's clear that there is a lot of deadwood in the squad and Palace wanted it more today.

[johnny price11]

How lucky are we to still be in the play off's right now. Even more so if we're there by May still.

Leon Best cometh......

[blueboy3333]

Freedman has built a very good team at Palace. He could have been our manager. I wish Henning all the best however and i hope he can dip into the loan markey so that lazy sods like Murphy and CKR can be shown the door. If ever a team lacked pace in key areas it's ours.

I'm hopeful we'll go up, but that hope rests on having faith in a manger chosen by idiots who know nothing about football.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

The next transfer window will tell us a lot about him.

We should get some loans in now - rather than waiting (any one know how many we can have ?)

At the moment we need a decent forward to play alongside Rhodes - and an energetic midfield player to replace Murphy. Though he isn't everyone's favourite player - we badly missed Lowe today.

It is very obvious that teams have us sussed - Murphy is too slow if you close him down - and every team we have played has closed him down. We are stilling trying to play Premiership football in a league where every team defends from the front and works their socks off.

[Derbyshire Blue]

We all know we've been left with some dross, I'm looking at the positive and I'm kind of glad Henning hasn't been fooled, he now know's exactly what he's been left with....changes afoot

COME ON YOU BLUES!!!

[NH1875]

I don't boo him an have given him a chance but the lad is shot to pieces, legs gone and with it the desire and confidence. Thing is we are stuck with him beccause no one will want him and if they did no one will pay his wages. What a complete waste, great legacy coco leaves behind the useless f###### t###!

Agreed, although I would never subject him to jeers and boos, I fear too that if Berg can't get him playing that we are gonna be carrying some very expensive dead wood...

[des]

_{most fa\ns will not want to hear this, howeve I think it will take at least7-9 games for things to change}

[booth]

_{most fa\ns will not want to hear this, howeve I think it will take at least7-9 games for things to change}

I agree with this, along with some big changes behind the scenes to get fitness levels to what they should be.

[Hasta]

Most fans will not want to hear this but, regardless of tactics, changes, fitness etc, .. the squad is simply not good enough.​ Loans to keep us around the top 6 until January and then a new midfield and we may have a chance.

[Ianrally]

I have not seen the game today,only read the posts on here.

There seems to me, from reading the reports of today's game and watching the last three home games, that not only is the squad unfit and playing poorly, but there is a total lack of motivation from the players.

If ever there should have been players trying harder than they have been, then I would have expected that today under a new manager who they should be doing all in their power to impress.

Evidently that doesn't seem to be the case. One would think they are sorry to see the last manager go. Do they actually care about the club? Makes me wonder.

Berg has a hell of a job on here. He will need to find out who is with him or who is not. The performance today might just give him some ideas.

[RoverRich]

From what I have read so far it doesn't make for pleasant reading and sounds like we were pretty bad today. Any chance someone could give a quick summary of the game just highlighting any positives (if there were any) and negatives?

Particularly interested in how Henley and Vukcevic got on as we haven't seen enough of them recently.

Read the last few pages and seen about CKR's bad attitude. That has struck me in recent games. Thinks he is a lot better player than he actually is and he is too lazy. Surely Vukcevic (who has a supposed attitude problem) cannot be worse than him!

[92er]

First priority in January has to be a CB to play alongside Dann. Hanley just isn't good enough.

On a short preperation week against a damn good team I think we write it off to experience and move on.

What''s wrong with Givet?

I think we have other priorities.