For the 1st time since Gus has been here........

[Albion Dan]

But its patently going to take a serious injection of the chairman's money and some inspired managerial know-how to make the next step up in class.

Its funny how Palace seemed to go from also rans to serious promotion candidates without spending large? I think we have spent enough on wages and experience to expect more than what were getting to be honest.

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Break down of their line up from todays match

01 Almunia - Former Arsenal Goalkeeper
06 Hall (Neuton - 42'(on loan from Udinese))
18 Pudil (on loan from Granada)
31 Hoban
39 Chalobah (on loan from Chelsea)
40 Ekstrand (on loan from Udinese)
08 Hogg
21 Anya (on loan from Granada) (Mujangi Bia - 73' Booked (on loan from Standard Liege) )
22 Abdi Booked (on loan from Udinese) (Battocchio - 80' (on loan from Udinese) )
09 Deeney
20 Vydra (on loan from Udinese)


Only 4 of the players that appeared for them today are actually permanent signings at Watford

In a sense, it doesn't really matter how they are achieving their success, as long as it is a sustainable model. If Udinese can guarantee Watford a conveyor-belt of talent, more or less risk-free to Watford, while also obviating the need for them to commit to expensive 2-3 year contracts - that sounds like a bloody good business model!

I'm trying not to go overboard about this, and I appreciate your point about the change in Watford's ownership, but I think we have to accept that we are now underachieving against expectations, while they are over-achieving. Bloom will be slightly disappointed, and who could blame him. If the season were to finish tomorrow, it would be a commercial nightmare for the club.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Its funny how Palace seemed to go from also rans to serious promotion candidates without spending large? I think we have spent enough on wages and experience to expect more than what were getting to be honest.

Good point, well made. I guess though, we've had to make the slow and painful transition from a lower league hoofball team to a passing side. Its just that the transition period seems to be taking forever and clubs are overtaking us left right and centre at the moment. Including Palace. I think tonight's game helped focus on our obvious shortcomings. Which might just help address them in January.

 

[timbha]

What we need is a young 6ft 6" south American striker........mmmm , let's wait and see..........[/QUOT

not too young but one with a proven scoring record in a decent standard, not someone with something like 4 goals in 20.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Its funny how Palace seemed to go from also rans to serious promotion candidates without spending large? I think we have spent enough on wages and experience to expect more than what were getting to be honest.

Agree with you mate we have a lot of quality and have spent a lot I money already, the only players from out league one days that regularly play are Greer and Abd. If they are not good enough that's Poyet's fault.

 

[Albion Dan]

Good point, well made. I guess though, we've had to make the slow and painful transition from a lower league hoofball team to a passing side. Its just that the transition period seems to be taking forever and clubs are overtaking us left right and centre at the moment. Including Palace. I think tonight's game helped focus on our obvious shortcomings. Which might just help address them in January.

I guess the bigger concern is we have been well and truly worked out, and that unless we learn to adapt our own game the personell involved will be largely irrelevant.

Although saying that with a better striker we would certainly have ten more points this season and be well in the play offs.

 

[Caveman]

You are completely wrong about Watford's limited means and lower aspirations; the Italian family that own Watford also own Udinese. Watford currently have 10 (yes 10) Udinese players on loan, the majority of their team today was composed of those players.

All the people moaning about our players should realise what a good team Watford have, they made us look bad.

This.

 

[Danny-Boy]

.......I genuinely think we are going backwards. We were beaten fair and square by a better team today. Normally I can live with that. Beaten by West Ham at Upton Park by 6? Fine. Spanked by Liverpool at Anfield? OK. Edged out by Middlesbrough or Cardiff? Even beaten by The Scum at Selhurst. No great surprise. Watford are a club with much more limited means, lower aspirations, and much smaller crowds, but Zola has transformed them since last season. Man-for-man they were comfortably better than us, and Zola won the tactical battle.

Meanwhile, if anything, we look weaker and more predictable than ever. Gus, much as I admire him, has a very mixed record in the transfer market. With the benefit of hindsight, we have grossly undervalued Noone and Murray. CMS, Hoskins, Dobbie, Crofts, Bruno - all big signings and all to a greater or lesser degree proving disappointing. And before anyone questions my inclusion of Bruno, he is a liability defensively as he proved once again today.

26,700. That's TWENTY-SIX THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED. Having watched us piss around in front of a few thousand for the 25+ years I've been watching them (including as a season ticket holder at Gillingham and at Withdean), I can hardly believe the support we're getting right now, and it's soul destroying to see us fail to put on a show. I can live with not being promoted, I can live with not being in the play-offs - and yes, we are light years better on the pitch than we were a few years ago. BUT, we MUST give people the sense we are progressing, otherwise the crest of the wave the club is still riding on will be lost and crowds will dip very quickly.

It's a good thing we've got a long-term strategy with a chairman who puts his faith in his manager, but for the first time some fairly major question marks are hanging over GP. I feel this transfer window may prove to be a very important few weeks in the short / medium term future of the club and I hope GP quickly dispels those question marks. It's a commercial imperative that he starts getting the big decisions right.

I thought CMS's remarks in the "Argus" this week were very reveal;ing. He said the players felt obverawed by the crowd watching them and got the jitters as they knew how the crowd would react if they missed.

Remember for the visitors the AMEX is now an occasion, it's not (yet) like a place they dread - like Withdean was because iof the awful facilities. More like playing at Wembley I imagine. Southampton went thjrough a fair while before St Mary's became a fortress like the Dell-hole usedto be.

 

[shabba]

Top post and to squabble over the minutia over budgets and loan players is to miss the point, on our course of action we are going backwards. Whether you agree with the bulid up from the back or not, it has to be done quickly or it is pointless! We are slow and to be frank a bit boring and predictable!

 

[Ernest]

Considering the money we have lashed out on this present squad then they are underachieving considerably

 

[bhawoddy]

I thought CMS's remarks in the "Argus" this week were very reveal;ing. He said the players felt obverawed by the crowd watching them and got the jitters as they knew how the crowd would react if they missed.

Remember for the visitors the AMEX is now an occasion, it's not (yet) like a place they dread - like Withdean was because iof the awful facilities. More like playing at Wembley I imagine. Southampton went thjrough a fair while before St Mary's became a fortress like the Dell-hole usedto be.

So highly paid pros are scared of paying in front of a crowd in case they make a mistake??

 

[Danny-Boy]

Its funny how Palace seemed to go from also rans to serious promotion candidates without spending large? I think we have spent enough on wages and experience to expect more than what were getting to be honest.

Palace have got a fantastic youth policy which effectively trawls South London for talent. Until Albion have a similar catchment area you aren't going to find a Zaha, Victor Moses, Wayne Routledge etc in your team. I think El Abd has done reall well, you all slagged him off to begin with. El Bad, remember?

 

[Albion Dan]

I thought CMS's remarks in the "Argus" this week were very reveal;ing. He said the players felt obverawed by the crowd watching them and got the jitters as they knew how the crowd would react if they missed.

Maybe CMS feels that way coming from lower leagues but Koosh, Bridge, Bruno, Crofts, Orlandi, and Lopez from our starting line up today have all played in front of huge crowds in the top flight. It's a poor excuse.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

So highly paid pros are scared of paying in front of a crowd in case they make a mistake??

This is why we need more arseholes playing for the Albion, rather than sensitive, caring kinds that clap the fans at the end.

 

[Albion Dan]

Palace have got a fantastic youth policy which effectively trawls South London for talent. Until Albion have a similar catchment area you aren't going to find a Zaha, Victor Moses, Wayne Routledge etc in your team. I think El Abd has done reall well, you all slagged him off to begin with. El Bad, remember?

And then there was that cracking striker they picked up on a free and a blinding winger Bolasie they got for peanuts.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

GP's signings sadly leave a lot to be desired and if I were Bloom i would be filled with trepadation at the prospect of Gus spending more of his hard earned wedge on totally mediocre players

I agree. I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the window.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Palace have got a fantastic youth policy which effectively trawls South London for talent. Until Albion have a similar catchment area you aren't going to find a Zaha, Victor Moses, Wayne Routledge etc in your team. I think El Abd has done reall well, you all slagged him off to begin with. El Bad, remember?

It will help when we have proper training facilities rather than a waterlogged, rabbit holed university playing field. When the academy is built, we can then start producing our own youngsters.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

GP's signings sadly leave a lot to be desired and if I were Bloom i would be filled with trepadation at the prospect of Gus spending more of his hard earned wedge on totally mediocre players

Totally agree. And good opening post.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Its funny how Palace seemed to go from also rans to serious promotion candidates without spending large? I think we have spent enough on wages and experience to expect more than what were getting to be honest.

Good post. The ***** were relegation candidates earlier this season.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

GP's signings sadly leave a lot to be desired and if I were Bloom i would be filled with trepadation at the prospect of Gus spending more of his hard earned wedge on totally mediocre players

Agreed apart from the hard earned bit. Playing cards is easy compared to, oh I dont know, being a rent boy or a whale fisherman.