really odd with how Bolasie's absence has affected us. it's not like this is the first time we've had to do without him.

completely carved open there. This scoreline could get ugly.

Hot knife through butter. Our defending there was terrible.

City not even breaking a sweat. So easy for them.

Jesus, we've actually given up on defending altogether. shocking and comical.

FFS.
The fact that the result is pretty much what I expected doesn't make it any easier to take.
It does look like the problem is way more fundamental than the need for someone who knows where the goal is - half the team look like they don't have a bloody clue what they are meant to be doing.
We don't even look like there is a Plan A, let alone a Plan B.
And Pardew thinks the key to our lack of success in front of goal is Adebayor?

Parish better be getting his bloody cheque book out this week.

FT 4-0 City

we expected the defeat, we probably expected a tonking but apart from the first 20 minutes that was another abject performance.

452 minutes without a league goal.

They had 4 shots on target and scored the lot.

We looked more than okay until the mistake from Hennessey for their first goal. It was pretty dismal after that.


Not to worry, we're only playing the team with the best defensive record in the division next.

Miss an early chance, concede a soft goal and from then on we've got nothing to get us back into it. **** the shit.

I know we're looking for strikers, but I think we need some new creative quality as well. Otherwise any striker is just gonna run around for nothing.

Yep, agree 100%. This, for me, is why Puncheon has been lacklustre all season. He has no serious competition for his role.

what pisses me off is how you see other teams that know they need strengthening go out and do just that. meanwhile we procrastinate and um and ah over whether to being a free agent like Adebayor in on a 6 month deal.

Parish harped on about pushing this club on and maybe challenging for a European spot etc. don't get me wrong, we're 8th, have 31 points, but this season will be one huge opportinity missed if we don't strengthen in those positions where we desperately need it in the next 2 weeks.

Talk of Europe was nonsense. I'm sure at the start of the season that a top 10 finish, breaking 50 points and a decent cup run were the objectives. The only reason Europe started to get mentioned was because of the underachieving big guns.

And we need to remember that there is still 2 weeks of the window left. The time for criticism will be then if we haven't strengthened.

believe me, if we don't strengthen in the next 2 weeks I will be criticising and then some!

for half hour, even after we went a goal down we were well in the game, after the 2nd goal it was all over and the 2nd half was shite...

...i'm actually at the point now where i'd rather see us switch to a 4-4-2 formation once gayle is back and play wickham up alongside him... zaha & sako on the wings, mcarthur & cabaye in midfield.... bonus with that is puncheon gets dropped...

Just watched motd.

Yeah, we all knew we wouldn't win but why do we keep looking recently like we give up after a foul. Let alone goals, we miss our fighting spirit. It's no where near the cold Tuesday night thrashing by Crewe least man city had the talent; but we looked on equal footing at the home fixture. This is what makes it frustrating, we look like we don't care and give up easily.

I think Jedi and Ledley will both go, possibly Gayle, Bamford loan ended we will have the space and free up some wage bills which also may be a factor.

Adebayor is not the answer and I couldn't cope with that.

yup... when pards first joined a year ago, yala was in africa for about 6 weeks and we had no problems scoring & winning games so this bad patch has nowt to do with him being out...


if parish & co are serious about pushing this club on to the next level then signing adebayor on a 6 month contract craps all over that notion...

...but i do hear that adebayor wants an 18 month contract so hopefully it falls apart.

It's a strange business football. I was reading that Adebayor became a free agent from Spurs in September - but that they are still paying him £100,000 a week. I can't see Palace being willing to match that even though he should be able to score goals.

If Palace want to get a striker without paying the market rate for a proven Premium League player they will have to look abroad, or preferably at the lower divisions. I know that the Exeter City striker is looking for a move, but perhaps the leap up from League Two would be too great?

No knocking Adebayor's record. It's more than decent. My only concern would be in the dressing room and off the field if he became a disruptive influence.

I think right now we need someone with at least some experience of the Premier League or top flight football and we really need them to hit the ground running.

Hopefully it will fail then, ade on an 18 month contract is absurd and especially on his wages he's not a good investment.

Sattrega, I do have to disagree, he may have good stats at some things but only when he wants to play, the man is lazy, yes talented, but still lazy, selfish and not worth his wage demand. He certainly won't be taking a pay cut either.

Who do we go after, absolutely no idea, none of the top 6 Championship teams will give up a striker while vying for the Prem. Bottom half prem want their survival. But I don't need to know I'm not paid to scout so hopefully we get someone who, you know can score a tap in.

Fair point, Plucky. I'm not completely enamoured by the idea but if he genuinely wants to knuckle down and prove a point then maybe it's worth seeing what he can do, but only on a 6 month contract, I don't believe it should be anything more for now.

Plus, he has to be a better option that Frazier Campbell?

Although, interestingly, Pardew is quoted in the Croydon Advertiser today as saying this:

Would that rule out Adebayor, then?

Another alarming rumor , if Adebayor wasn't desperate enough Nicklas Bendtner has been mentioned now .

parish's ambition for the club knows no bounds...

speroni joked this week that he could do a job up front... he'd be a better option.

I really hope the Bendtner rumour is just a smokescreen for what is really going on. I'd take Adebayor over Bendtner any day of the week.

Meanwhile, Jonny Williams has gone on loan to the MK Dons for the remainder of the season. And Pape Souare has signed a new three & a half year contract.

IF he wants to play he is fantastic, I just don't think he will. However if he wants to go on a 6 month scoring record to prove everyone wrong, I am well and truly happy to be proven wrong. Well I think my grandma atm, is a better option than Campbell! Either Villa or Man city, think Villa, but he ran around and did lots of good things, without 1 shot on target and for a striker, that's bloody awful.

Hope it will. For the Bendtner rumour, well, be interesting.

Sad for Jonny Williams, if it hadn't been for that leg break then he'd be very hot property, but that did suffer his career which is a real damn shame. Very very good news about Souare, didn't think much of him last season, but this year, wow.

Anyone else hear that Sako and Yannick out till feb. Yannick was involved in a car accident and has suffered whip lash, and (Friday Night) can't remember about Sako. This isn't what we needed.

She got boots? Get her down to Selhurst!


Sako's done his hamstring again. Could be late February before we see him back on the pitch. Despite the whiplash, Yala should hopefully be back sooner than that.