Winifred Zahaha £4M?

[cpfc-charlie]

You just can't resist, can you? You only HOPE this is our peak.



While you obviously have some decent players, I think you're in danger of overinflating their worth a tad. Speroni: Ok, I'll concede he's a good keeper, but I also think he peaked a couple of seasons ago, and he wasn't nearly as consistent last time out. Clyne: not seen much of him but given the (genuine, as opposed to imagined) interest in him from higher level clubs, he appears to be something special so fair enough. Zaha has potential but is nowhere near the finished product. Would still be picked up by most Championship clubs given half the chance though. Ambrose is like Speroni, peaked a couple of seasons ago, though again, he wouldn't be turned down by many clubs, I'll give you that. Your centre halves are absolute carthorses. Paddy McCarthy? Do me a favour.

Nobody outside Palace knows anything about Parr or Jedinak, so we're going only by your subjective judgement on their abilities, and the rest are all journeymen. There are a few decent individuals in there, but as a squad, it lacks strength in depth, and if you think that little lot makes a top six side, then Christ knows what went wrong last season.

yeah nobody knows about parr. Only supposed to start in the norweigan team against england recently. But due to injury didn't. Williams, Zaha, Parr, Speroni, Clyne, Ambrose and of course Murray would all walk into your side.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I highlighted this bit of lunacy.

Our academy produces players FAR better than mid-table in the Championship, and these players are still 5 or 6 years away from their peak. Nathaniel Clyne is currently deciding whether to sign for Man United or Newcastle. Wilf has attracted bids from Bolton, Liverpool, Newcastle, West Ham etc. Clearly they are both of good Premiership standard, and they will only improve greatly as they approach their peak. Both Clyne and Zaha will very possibly be regular England internationals, both from our academy. Williams is the same, except he's a year or two younger. It looks like Reise Allasanni and Kyle De Silva will be following in their footsteps.

Say what you want about stadium, fanbase, manager etc. you can't compete with our academy. Very, very few clubs can.

We keep hearing this, and yet again, we find ourselves having to point out that Palace's famed academy has yet to produce a single top Premier League standard player.

Moses- Wigan
Routledge- all over the place, the ultimate journeyman waster
Bostock- see Routledge
Morrison- last seen in the lower leagues.
Scannell- Jordan rated him at £3 million. About to be sold to Huddersfield for £400k
Watson- Wigan
Soares- Christ knows- Stoke?

The current three (Clyne, Williams, Zaha) may well go on to bigger and better things, but if we're talking about production lines of top level players, you're not as good as you think you are. Southampton produced better when they were in League One, and those players are all genuine internationals (alright, one is Welsh, but the same applies to Johnny "my Dad's a lifelong Albion fan" Williams too )

 

[Hotchilidog]

But you often didn't sell out the Withdean??

My point about the squad stands. It lacks quantity and in several positions (upfront mainly) lacks quality. But I'm sure with some decent additions this summer that can be solved and we can move up the table and have a chance at challenging for the play offs.

Your point about Vincente isn't the same though? Of course every team has injuries but my point was we lost 3 key players all at the same time.

We didn't sell out the Withdean are you still banging on about that?

First up, in it's first incarnation it was pretty much sold out every week and getting a general sale ticket was very difficult. By the time the application for extra seats was approved (a season after they were meant to go in) we had been relegated and the football in addition to the match day experience was simply awful. You may note that the football was awful because we didn't spend money we didn't have on players we could not afford and were in the middle of a decade long multi-million pound battle to gain permission to build a new stadium.

Once away fans had been to Withers once they never wanted to go back, no wonder the ground never sold out. Imagine having to go there every week for 12 bloody years! The Albion lost a generation of fans because of the worst facilities in the league and you continue to use this against us. If Palace had been in similar straits I'd doubt we'd even have you lot to argue with about it as you would just sunk without a whimper.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Bridcutt - a palace reject

I love that you hold this up as evidence of Bridcutt's worth.

This particular fact, owes nothing to Bridcutt's ability, and everything to do with George Burley's choice of breakfast tipple, on the day of Bridcutt's trial match.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

. As for no ambition... I'm surprised we've managed to sign Joel Ward. He clearly didn't mind our lack of ambition when picking us over all the other clubs in for him.

What, Ipswich Town?

 

[Eagle_83]

Loved reading the quotes of Anthony Gardner who couldnt get out quickly enough....... I think you can see in his words the reason he and others like Zaha will leave. Your a club full of water treaders, devoid of ambition and going backwards.

Anthony Gardner - "Gardner said: "This is a great move for me. I am really impressed with the ambition of the manager and the chairman and as everyone knows, Sheffield Wednesday has a huge fan base. [implying Dougie has no ambition and Palace have no fanbase]

"The club has the ambition and the drive to succeed and that is what has attracted me to Hillsborough. [Palace don't]

"I have played a lot of my career in the Premiership and that is where I want to return to. I have no intention of coming to a club that is just out to consolidate in the Championship, I want to succeed and that is why I have come to Sheffield Wednesday." [no chance of prem with palace and sick of playing for no hopers at the arse end of championship]

Haha, your really are a joker. You must be a bit obsessed with Palace to of found such quotes?

Let's be honest, players always big up there new club when they join and I read Gardners comments more as a positive towards his new club rather than a slur agaisn't us. He has no reason to have a cheap shot as us, he's a professional lad that was never any trouble and who was given a chance by us 2 years ago when no one else wanted him.

You only have to listen to what Joel Ward said when he joined us last month (turning down Leeds and Ipswich I might add) stating he sees Dougie as a fantastic manager and that the club matches his ambitions of getting to the Prem. Glenn Murray also said what a big club we were when he signed last year.

And yeah, people like Zaha and Williams, can't wait to leave can they?! That explains why they have both signed 5 year deals recently...

Nice try, I see what you did there but EPIC FAIL I'm afraid Pete.

 

[cjd]

The one good thing about this thread is that it seems to be the only place Palace are posting in, leaving the rest of NSC plague free

Yes, indeed.

I regard this thread as a sort of 'corral' for them.......and I,m grateful the rest of our posters understand this and are taking their turns at drawing them in....then keeping them here.

 

[Eagle_83]

Double post

 

[cpfc-charlie]

You all make out that its akin to La Masia. Its really not. Who have you actually PRODUCED of real note? In comparison to say Bale, Walcott and Oxlaid Chamberlain at Southampton?

Moses is a reasonable Prem level player, but was already known to be one of the best kids in the country, when Colin Pates at Whitgift handed him to you on a plate.

You all bang on about Zaha, but he hadn't even heard of Crystal Palace until he was 15.

Clyne is a good player though, and Williams has great potential.

The others you mention are kids. They might become great, but remember that the last one you talk of the the same terms was Bostock, currently playing where?

could be getting category 1 status in the EPPP. So can't be too shabby. Chelsea are only a reasonable club then looking at him. Zaha is a great talent, Williams, Clyne, Allassani, will all go onto big things. Bostock had plenty of potential and could have gone very far but showed what a big time attitude can get you.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I don't think we had a great squad last season. We had a fantastic first XI. A really, really good first XI. If League tables were based around your starting line up, we'd have finished in the top 6. .

This would be in a theoretical league where only YOU got to field you best XI every week, or are we going to compare you with everybody else's best XI? (Other teams get injuries too)

 

[Easy 10]

In fact, there's no indication of ANY first team player leaving. Funny that.

Aside from a couple of castoffs, its hardly surprising that people aren't exactly beating down the door to sign players from a Championship club that finished 17th is it.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Well, its hardly surprising that people aren't exactly beating down the door to sign players from a Championship club that finished 17th is it.

Yeah but Easy, they beat us to AARON WILBRAHAM

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Chelsea are only a reasonable club then looking at him. .

My mistake. I could have sworn you sold him to WIGAN.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I actually agree with you.

The reason your attendances are so much higher than usual is because you're playing at your peak at the moment. The Championship is sort of an uncharted territory for you, and fans are coming to see it and your new stadium. We too have 10,000 extra fans when we're in the Premiership, but only 15,000 fans are with us when we're in a trough - i.e. the Championship.

I don't think we had a great squad last season. We had a fantastic first XI. A really, really good first XI. If League tables were based around your starting line up, we'd have finished in the top 6. Unfortunately they aren't, and poor squad depth meant that we couldn't cope with the injuries we suffered.

You utter fool. How can you say we are at our peak when nobody knows what we can achieve? And the bit about a top 6 first 11....please!!!

 

[Easy 10]

Yeah but Easy, they beat us to AARON WILBRAHAM

That one left me biting my pillow all night, I can tell you.

 

[brightonrock]

Our stadium is poor and I'm sure it puts a lot of fans off, it's a sad fact but it's true. But once rectified I am certain that the attendences will rise. Difference with our clubs is that at your lowest ebb you got 6000, were as we get 14,000.

Could you please explain how a poor stadium is a valid excuse for you not selling out, but isn't for us? The reality is you don't know how many you'd sell if your capacity was 8k like the withdean. Equally we don't know, if the withdean had a 25k capacity like selhurst, whether we'd beat your 14k figure. It's a pointless argument.

Chairman- give me ours anyday. At least we finally know our club is being run sensibly. Not sure you can say the same about Bloom however good his intentions are.

Never likely to agree are we. Bloom and his family have been on the board for generations. I trust him 100%.

Fanbase- give me 14,000 real Palace fans over 15,000 plastics any day (not including the 6000 real, hardcore BHA fans in that, fair play to them)

OK, new question - I didn't have a ST to withdean because I was going through college and uni, I couldn't afford it. But I went to gillingham and the goldstone, and got to as many withdean games as I could. So by your definition am I one of the 6k real fans, or the 15k plastics?

Squad- let's be honest, you don't hear in the press about teams coming in for Brighton players yet players such as Speroni, Clyne, Zaha, Ambrose and Williams are often linked with Premiership clubs.

Is squad quality now defined by tabloid transfer rumour rather than results on the pitch?

Funny how you fail to mention that said squad took 4 points off you last year including giving an absolute lesson at the AMEX.

Yep, you did beat us. And we beat Newcastle and you beat Man U. Does that make either of our sides better than them?

Funny how you forget to mention the injuries that we suffered to 3 key players that struck in the same week and pretty much made us plummet down the table into a disappointing 17th finish. You try taking Greer, Bridcutt and Buckley out of your side all at the same time and see if it doesn't affect results. I assure you 17th was not a fair reflection in where we finished, that is not sour grapes it's fact. Until the injuries we had the 2nd best defence in the division and were still in with a shout at the play offs.

Does that not say a lot about your lack of strength in depth? We had serious injuries to vicente, painter, lualua, dicker and el-abd this year. We played southampton with 12 senior players missing. And won 3-0.

Academy- so clearly ours, as you fairly mentioned.

Won't deny that, but ours is being built and we haven't done too badly without one - el-abd, elphick, dunk & forster-casket all came through our youth setup and 3/4 are junior or senior internationals.

The reality is that our clubs are if similar size, financial backing and potential. Ours with better immediate attributes (facilities, on-pitch momentum) and yours with less tangible attributes (experience, academy). It's natural that as rivals most discussions develop into dick-waving contests but as you say we paint your future as bleak, equally you lot are guilty of claiming we're all plastic and forever in your shadow. Nope, I'd say normal service is resumed, we're on roughly even footing and the next few years are going to be banterific.

 

[peterward]

yeah nobody knows about parr.

A Cardiff fan in Row Z with a sore face knows all about him

 

[Glenn-Murray]

Name a SINGLE ONE of your youth products who have signed for a Top Prem club. ONE. I'm only asking for ONE, should be incredibly easy.

This would be a lot easier, say, next week. Victor Moses is currently completing a move to Chelsea. Nathaniel Clyne, as I said, is currently deciding between Man United and Newcastle. Wilf would be playing for Newcastle if we accepted their offer (we didn't).

If I were a tinpot club that accepted crap bids for our best players, Clyne and Zaha would both have been playing at the top of the Premiership by now. As it stands, Clyne will be playing there next season. Zaha probably the season after.

To directly answer your question, there are no names to give you. To accurately answer your question, Moses and Clyne - in a few days time.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

You only have to listen to what Joel Ward said when he joined us last month (turning down Leeds and Ipswich I might add) stating he sees Dougie as a fantastic manager and that the club matches his ambitions of getting to the Prem.

And he could still live down Portsmouth way.

 

[Eagle_83]

Yeah but Easy, they beat us to AARON WILBRAHAM

Add Murray and Garvan wanting to stay at us rather than join you and that tells me you're not anywhere near as high and mighty as you think you are. Outside of Brighton nobody sees you as anything special. Deluded bunch.