[Archived] News Article -> 2012/13 Match Report: Crystal Palace 2 Rovers 0

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Crystal Palace	(1) 2 – 0 (0)	Blackburn Rovers
Murray 45 + 1, 65
Referee: L. Probert		Attendance: 16,744

In his post-match comments Henning Berg was honest enough to admit that Crystal Palace were by far the better side. He admitted that the Rovers didn't defend well as a team and were poor in possession, giving the ball away far too easily. He also had to admit that as an attacking force the Rovers were seen all too infrequently. It was refreshing to hear the manager tell it as it is and there is no doubt that he now realises the enormity of the task which he faces. Getting this squad of players into the Premiership is going to take a miracle worker rather than a mere football manager.

With Jason Lowe, Gael Givet and Nuno Gomes sidelined through injury, the new manager was restricted when it came to team selection but nonetheless opted to make changes with Bradley Orr and Ruben Rochina being dropped to the bench in favour of Adam Henley and Markus Olsson.

Although Palace had announced the appointment of Ian Holloway as their new manager prior to the game, the team was left under the control of Curtis Fleming with the former Blackpool manager not making an appearance until half-time. By that point the home side had taken the lead and already looked a class apart in every department so that when Holloway addressed the crowd and opened with the words "How lucky am I", one could fully appreciate what he meant. He has inherited an exciting young team that have pace and power, whilst Henning Berg has inherited a squad that might read well on paper but has yet to suggest it can do it on the pitch!

Palace were soon on the front foot thanks to the speed of their midfield players. Yannick Bolasie fired an effort just wide and Palace almost went ahead when Joel Ward got in a super cross which Scott Dann did well to flick away as Glenn Murray was waiting to pounce. Murray was a constant threat and was well supported by Owen Garvan, who continually popped up in dangerous positions around the edge of the Rovers box. In truth, the interplay by the Palace midfield and the speed at which they operated had the Rovers chasing shadows at times. Damien Delaney rose to meet a corner but was denied by an acrobatic save from Paul Robinson.

The Rovers were fairly anonymous as an attacking force, but on 25 minutes they almost took an underserved lead when Dickson Etuhu crashed a header against the crossbar. Once again the Rovers' most dangerous moves came from set-pieces, which involved Morten Gamst Pedersen taking corners or free-kicks. Jordan Rhodes was totally ineffectual, not for the first time, in the lone front-man role. He has neither the physical attributes nor the speed to play this role and received scant support from an out-of-sorts Colin Kazim-Richards.

Palace continued to pose a threat whenever they attacked and a stream of crosses from Bolasie caused consternation in the ranks of the Rovers defence. Murray, who was only inches away from converting more than one of these crosses, was a real handful for Scott Dann and Grant Hanley and the young Scottish centre-back, in particular, had trouble with the pace of the Palace players. Bolasie might well have given Palace the lead when he thumped a header against the post and saw Robinson gratefully dive to catch the rebound.

Hopes that the Rovers might weather the storm and get to the sanctuary of the dressing room on level terms were dashed on the brink of half-time. A pinpoint cross from Garvan was met by a powerful header by Murray which gave Robinson no chance of saving and gave Palace the lead on 45 minutes.

The second half brought no respite for the Rovers as Wilfried Zaha began to exhibit the skills which have won him rave reviews in recent months. His pace and trickery tormented a Rovers side that had struggled to get into the game from the very outset. He set up a good opportunity for Bolasie, who blazed over and then forced a save from Robinson.

The Rovers might well have got back in the game but for a superb save by Julian Speroni after Pedersen had hit a fierce effort, from a tight angle, which seemed destined for the top corner of the net.

However, on 64 minutes the game was over when Palace scored their second goal. Once again the pace of Murray troubled Hanley and when the Scottish defender seemed to bring the forward down, Mr Probert had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. Murray took the spot-kick himself and sent Robinson the wrong way to notch his second goal of the game.

Just six minutes later and a rampant Palace were awarded a second penalty when Henley appeared to trip Bolasie on the edge of the area. It was debatable as to whether it was in the area or not, but the referee immediately pointed to the spot. However, on this occasion Robinson managed to save the penalty when Murray attempted to bluff the Rovers keeper by hitting the ball straight down the middle of the goal. Having made the save, the ball rebounded to Murray, who seemed certain to score, but Robinson once again made a magnificent save to keep the ball out for a second time.

Murray might still have completed a hat-trick but was off target when presented with another chance. Apart from an effort from Rochina which hit the bar, the Rovers never really looked like getting back into the game. Palace were happy to spend the final period of the match sitting back and hitting the Rovers on the break.

The performance as a whole was one which will give Berg plenty to ponder about and in post-match interviews he readily admitted that there is much work to do. As a team the Rovers didn't defend well due to the fact that the midfield was simply overrun. The pick of the defenders was probably Adam Henley, although his performance was not fault-free. Scott Dann strove manfully to try to shore up the middle, but Grant Hanley simply found the pace far too much for him, while Martin Olsson gave another lacklustre performance at left-back. The Swedish international appears to be still unsettled by the summer transfer talk and this is reflected in his performances.

The midfield was poor even by the standards of this season. Morten Gamst Pedersen had a poor first half but improved after the break before giving way to Mauro Formica. Markus Olsson struggled to get to grips with the pace of the Palace players down the flanks and was replaced by Simon Vukcevic. Ewood's forgotten man provided a bright cameo over the final stages of the match and surely deserves an extended run somewhere in our midfield. Danny Murphy is completely out of form and endured a torrid afternoon; firstly at the hands of the impressive Palace midfielders and finally at the hands of the travelling support, who began to express their derision with every misplaced pass — of which there were many – and every failed attempt at a tackle. Dickson Etuhu, at times, looks like the player who could be the one to be the dominant force in the Rovers midfield and yet all too often he drifts out of the game and goes missing for long periods.

In attack the Rovers were quite simply woeful. Colin Kazim-Richards is struggling to find the form he showed in the opening two games and was hauled off early in the second half. Jordan Rhodes continues to demonstrate that he is not a lone front runner and that the present system is simply not one he can operate in. Rhodes is a penalty box predator and one can only wonder how many goals he would score if he was in the Palace side.

Ruben Rochina and Mauro Formica demonstrated flashes of skill but never looked like they could make any lasting impression on the match. In many ways these players — and a number of other recent signings — demonstrate what is wrong with the Rovers. We have too many players of the same ilk, too many "fancy dans" who are full of tricks and flicks but who don't roll their sleeves up and engage in the battle to win the right to play their football.

Ultimately, Henning Berg is going to have to be given time to structure a side that will play the sort of football he wants to play and that will, hopefully, be successful in the long run. He needs time to assess the squad, to ditch those who don't measure up to what he wants and he needs to be given money to bring in players who will improve a squad that has been second best in the majority of games that have been played thus far this season. Whilst Shebby and the owners are demanding instant promotion, the fact remains that it might well take a year or maybe two before the Rovers can assemble a squad to make a realistic challenge for a top two finish. Above all, the supporters and the owners need to give Berg time to assess and rebuild because two years of continual decline since the arrival of Venky's is not going to be turned around overnight.

Teams

Crystal Palace

Julian Speroni; Joel Ward, Damien Delaney, Peter Ramage, Jonathan Parr; Kagisho Dikgacoi, Mile Jedinak; Yannick Bolasie, Owen Garvan, Wilfried Zaha (Dean Moxey 90); Glenn Murray
Subs not used: Lewis Price (gk), Darcy Blake, Aaron Wilbraham, Jermaine Easter, Stuart O'Keefe, Andre Moritz
Caretaker Manager: Curtis Fleming

Blackburn Rovers

Paul Robinson; Adam Henley, Scott Dann, Grant Hanley, Martin Olsson; Morten Gamst Pedersen (Mauro Formica 59), Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Markus Olsson (Simon Vukcevic 72); Colin Kazim-Richards (Ruben Rochina 53); Jordan Rhodes
Subs not used: Jake Kean (gk), Bradley Orr, Bruno Ribeiro, Diogo Rosado
Manager: Henning Berg

Bookings

Crystal Palace – None

Blackburn Rovers – None


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