Palace Post Match Disappointment Thread

[ChrisDR1968]

Maybe we need a couple of drums in the Kop for when things are a little flat on the pitch

[BrooklynRed]

Stayed off of the internet after that, but need to just type something today. Apologies for the public, therapeutic need...

At the 60th minute, Sterling, Johnson and Lucas were exhausted. Completely obvious.

If you go back and watch the tape, and why would you, there were dozens, plural, of times when Sterling received the ball in acres of space, tucked into the middle, and he refused to run at the defense. He played a negative pass backward; maybe this was to allow the wingers to push forward, etc, but all of our advantage as a team comes from putting defenders on the back foot and running to get in behind. Sterling began picking and choosing his moments and he was effective when he ran, but he looked exhausted by the 60th, hands on knees, doubled over; I am not sure why this match more than others, but he was spent.

Somehow, Lucas was second best to balls played into his feet in space. I don't know how that is possible, but it was true. He looked like he was running in sand at 60', by 80' he wasn't closing down or able to get near the ball or other players. I actually felt terrible for him watching him struggle. Again, go back and watch if you can bear it. It was like watching a dying horse struggling to gather his feet. A tragedy.

Johnson- I can't blame him because he had made about 80 runs up and down the wing, with the typical lack of real impact, but giving us our required attacking shape, dragging players out of space, etc. By 70th minute, he was still going. By 75', he was done. Closing down, fouling, running with players, etc- his legs were gone, his brain was gone, he couldn't believe it, etc. Done.

Having seen all of this, there were some obvious things to do.

If you are Tony Pulis, that is to bring on pace, and he did. He saw what we all saw, and he threw on fliers and unleashed Bolasie, who hadn't made more than one or two big runs all match and tracked back for ****.

Rodgers saw this and, somehow, blinked. The right thing: Pull Lucas and Johnson, slide Joe Allen back next to Gerrard, STOP Gerrard from pressing forward and have him sit deep, stop pushing up CBs on corners, bring on Agger, pull Flannigan back. Coutinho would have been fine to launch counters in place of Lucas, keep Sturridge and Luis up top to track down balls over the top or on the counter, but close down the ball, defend in numbers and protect the points.

We have no one to blame but ourselves; the answer was glaring. What is the point of putting Gerrard and Lucas in front of the back four if Gerrard is stupidly going to be sucked forward up 3-1 and Lucas can't run?

The midfield was an arid landscape of nothing but opportunity for Palace. Wingers were pushed up. I just cannot understand it.

Great teams close out games, great teams don't ship garbage goals with big leads. We have done this all season. As much as I wanted the title, and it's still possible (go Villa!), this team needs to be tactically sound on both ends of the pitch. Genius without discipline never ends well; a perfect recipe for self-sabotage. We have obliged our weaknesses, and it cost us.

I hope BR can develop the right mentality to fix this issue. Smart investment in depth is a glaring need, but so is tactical discipline.

[Shaggy]

The Palace fans are the closest you'll see to a foreign-like support in this country. Its like going to somewhere in Turkey for just the relentless noise regardless really of the score!

They are great insofar as they make a lot of noise. But...their "ultras" are absolutely laughable. Literally laugh out loud pitiful. Anyone see them fuming when Rooney took a corner in front of them, and a load of 14 year old wannabe hardcases got dead mad? LOL. Also their songs are ****....tripe like "glad all over" etc. Great volume though nevertheless.

[Shaggy]

I agree with this.

ONLY LIVERPOOL COULD BLOW IT LIKE THAT

6 May 2014 // 0 comments

IF you want to pick the bones out of it, by all means feel free to do so. Me? I haven’t got the heart to watch that game ever again, let alone to try and make sense of it. Things went tits up. Anything said on top of that is irrelevant nitpicking to my mind. Agger instead of Moses? Shut the game down at 3-1? Go to five at the back? Yeah, sound, whatever. We lived by the sword, and last night we all but died by it.

But I defy anyone to tell me that when Luis Suarez got that third goal you weren’t believing.



There was no celebrating when the masterful Uruguayan netted. Sod three nil. It was all about getting that ball back in play and winning by five or six or more. Only this Liverpool side would have believed they could still win the title on goal difference and have had the brass balls to go for it like that. Brendan might have called it ‘Roy of the Rovers football’ and lamented the fact that his boys weren’t more measured, but I say ‘**** that’. ‘Roy of the Rovers football’ has got us this far. Despite all of our flaws (and we have plenty of them), it’s got us 81 points, 99 goals and to the summit of the table after 37 games.

At three nil up this ridiculous team had me expecting the impossible. Not even Melchester Rovers would have had the moxie to attempt what the Reds did last night. I was anticipating a fourth, a fifth, a sixth. I didn’t want a three nil win. No other team in the country would have been racing back to half way when they held such a lead over a team as awkward and resilient as Crystal Palace. No other top side would have left themselves wide open and thrown two points away, either.

Only Liverpool.

The defensive capitulation was horrendous. At 3-2 the equaliser was inevitable. It was painful to watch and the only solace I can take is that I can now turn to my father (an Italian who supports a certain team we played in Istanbul once) and say ‘I understand a bit better. That must have killed you’.

The lack of resilience, the absence of a leader at the back, the inability to stem the tide, they’re all discussions for the summer. This team have lots to improve upon and improve they will, but right now I’m not ready to think about any of that. This season still hasn’t finished and with one game remaining, Liverpool Football Club will take to the field on Sunday knowing that they could still be crowned champions of England. Forget Newcastle. The Geordies are going to be eviscerated at Anfield this weekend. It’s all about Villa and big Andy now. We’re at their mercy.

Is there likely to be a happy ending to all of this? In short, no. Last night’s implosion made that already slim possibility slimmer still, but how exhilarating were those second half minutes when we genuinely dared to do the impossible? They went down swinging. You can’t ask for more. Shut up shop with a 3-0 lead? When thousands of lads and girls in the stands are screaming ‘ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK’ and believing in the impossible? Believing in those players? Nah, not likely. Those boys might well have fallen at the last, but my goodness they took us on one hell of a ride.

This isn’t intended to be some mad, overly optimistic call to arms. People have the right to be pissed off and devastated. They don’t have to tweet the word ‘BELIEVE’ or applaud the lads for a great season, because last night was the most bitter of pills to swallow and will need time to be digested. We all get over these things in different ways and over varying periods of time. Some will be looking on the bright side already while others will be far too deflated to even contemplate cracking a smile or raising a glass for what looks destined to be glorious failure. That’s fine. Rant to your hearts content. Cry away if you must. Everyone has earned the right to shed a tear or two this season.

So here we are. One game left and this is Manchester City’s title to throw away. Everyone is preparing for their coronation, and rightly so. They are an excellent side and Manuel Pellegrini has eight fingers on the Premier League trophy. Four points from six and they will have done it. Four from six. It’s probably going to happen. But if it doesn’t?

What team could possibly raise themselves to snatch this title from City should they slip up?

Only Liverpool.

[Gibbo]

As I said earlier Rodgers has got decisions right a number of times by going on the front foot

Yesterday wasnt the correct call for me, I'd have preferred him to have brought on Agger like he did V Norwich

To be fair to Brendan at 3-2 I think this was the plan, because just after the third goal went in it went to our bench and Agger was fully kitted up, was maybe a little bit late but was definately in his mind.

[chadrtc]

I agree with this.

[James P]

How did Palace try to stop Sturridge and Suarez?
They got Chamakh to man mark Gerrard when we were in possession, that's how.
If you can't stop the problem negate the source.

Now that didn't work for Palace 100% as it can't because of the transition and Gerrard put Sturridge in with a great long ball but it did work for 90% of the 1st half as only a set piece put us ahead.

In open play Chamakh went and marked Gerrard leaving Skrtel and Sakho in unopposed possession.

If Chamakh was man-marking Gerrard then he did a **** job - Gerrard had loads of space in the first half, and in the second until Chamakh went off. The reason that we weren't ahead by more at half time was a combination of poor finishing, good goalkeeping, and some shoddy decision-making. It had **** all to do with Chamakh.

[vonk]

Went to the game last night. Incredible effort. All those saying we should have shut up shop at 3-1, you do realize there were 2 minutes between 3-1 and 3-2 right? Sat in the palace fans and they were as stunned as everyone when they scored. Our boys were out on their feet. Luis had to sit on the advertising hoardings at one point. Sadly our right side with Johnson and Lucas both labouring at the end was the problem. Moses was on to help Johnson cope which made sense, but we were shell-shocked at that point. Mention to the incredible traveling support who sang their hearts out. To all those like me sat with the home fans who were recognizable at the end by their tears. And to the lad on halfway in the Arthur wait stand who celebrated every LFC goal and got chucked out at 3-0.... Lucky you.

[Vermilion]

If this happens, I will kiss you.

Well I won't. But I will want to.

[McDermotX]

The Crystal Palace chairman tweeted this today.

Quote:
Steve Parish @CEO4TAG Why are we trending on twitter with 175k tweets , oh yeah! I remember .#Crystanbul

To be fair, Crystanbul isn't a bad effort. Rolls off the tongue unfortunately. Might be hearing that one for a while.

[Norbs]

Your right, they were unreal in their support for their team; they were in full voice for 94mins, so much so at 1am this morning i still had 'CPFC','CPFC','CPFC', going around in my head !!!!!!

They definatley had a massive effect on the result & fair play to them for that....... having come up last year & destined for a return to Div1 in november, they were obviously buzzing & with it being the last home game were in party mode.

Man City & Chelsea fans should take a long hard look at themselves & compare their support to that of Palace

And that singy one that had no words

The one to the Lucas tune 'We're Palace because we like it like that'

[meffin]

What were they singing about Stevie G?

[BrooklynRed]

What were they singing about Stevie G?

Steve Gerrard, Gerrard
He fell on his ****ing arse
He passed it to Demba Ba
Steve Gerrard, Gerrard

[Shaggy]

What were they singing about Stevie G?

Same song City and Everton have been singing (that they sang JOINTLY last week - sad ****s).

"...he slipped on his ****in arse, he gave it to Demba Ba..."

[Norbs]

Same boring **** that every team seemed to be singing about him.