Crystal Palace League Cup 2nd rd, Tues 26th Aug, 7.45pm

[SaddlerCrewe]

Grimes has just hit the post.
Not sure what with, it can't be a football surely, that would mean we had had a shot

[SWS1]

I blame the coaching staff (and Bonser, it goes without saying).
:(
Still, a comeback to 3 - 3 is on the cards :D

[Twelthofapenny]

Grimes, I'm asking you nicely. Please figure out a way to make the ball hit the net.

[BathSaddler]

Lower table L1 side in losing to (unfashionable) premier league side shocker :shock: :shock:

I'm going to slit my wrists.

Even so, most other 'lower table L1 sides" seem to be making a much better fist of it than we are.

[latviancheese]

Lower table L1 side in losing to (unfashionable) premier league side shocker :shock: :shock:

I'm going to slit my wrists.

Even so, most other 'lower table L1 sides" seem to be making a much better fist of it than we are.

Bit better second half but Palace are basically having an extended training session.

Load of bollocks if you ask me.

[BathSaddler]

Attendance is 3,987, including a decent 879 from the Greed League.

[Happydays2122]

To score would be good

[BathSaddler]

Well Grigg has done so again....now 2-0 to the Dongas :shock:

[Welsh_Saddler]

To score would be good

How many times have I said that to myself on a Saturday night.......

[Soton Saddler]

Grimes, I'm asking you nicely. Please figure out a way to make the ball hit the net.

Done. Offside though unfortunately!

[BathSaddler]

Well Grigg has done so again....now 2-0 to the Dongas :shock:

Make it 3-0. Such a pity it is by that fraud of a club though.

[chestersaddler]

Well Grigg has done so again....now 2-0 to the Dongas :shock:

Make it 3-0. Such a pity it is by that fraud of a club though.

Lots more empty seats to celebrate in front of :)

[Soton Saddler]

Full time. Interested to hear reflections on that. Sounded dismal with a second half that petered out. Hopefully we can turn this around come Saturday. UTS.

[Tyldesley_saddler]

At least Manure got ripped a new arse hahahaha :mrgreen:

[BathSaddler]

Full time. Interested to hear reflections on that. Sounded dismal with a second half that petered out. Hopefully we can turn this around come Saturday. UTS.

"Walsall much better in the second half" according to 5Live. I expected us to get beat tonight and will reserve any future panic for League games only.

4-0 Dongas now...

[Happydays2122]

Nothing to change my opinion really that best we can hope for this season
Is that were in a relegation fight

Just hope were not cast adrift completely.

Which based on the start to the season is a very real possibility

[philthesaddler]

Thats twice I've seen us this season. We're going to be in a relegation battle - we appear to have a team full of small midfielders with no pace or strength, our main attacking outlet is our left back and Romaine Sawyers has gone backwards drastically in the last 12 months.

Palace beat us comprehensively without breaking in to a sweat and with us threatening just once in 90 mins.

2 wins in 23. My patience with Smith is wearing thin.

[JonnyOwen]

Change is needed at home games, serious fudge change.

I don't want him out, and it is silly to think that at this stage. But for fudge sake Deano, if things are broken, like our home performances, don't keep doing the same thing over, and over, and over, and over again. Change the formation, change the personnel, and play a different style.

Watching Walsall at home games is bloody depressing and boring.

[Big Dave wfc]

Palace never got out of 2nd gear really, done what they had to do, Dwight gayle could have scored when he wanted to if he could have been bothered, praying for a win Saturday and follow that up with a big 3 back at home to colchester, wishful thinking

Side note, sawyers lacks any sort of fight or bottle what so ever, get him out the side, it's only going to get worse for him, maybe try bakayoko upfront as some support for Bradshaw the lad is running his nackers off

[pumajaguar]

Had we been in any sort of form I'd have fancied us here. Lower Prem team without a manager, minds may well have been elsewhere.

Sadly not though.

We desperately need a result at Scunthorpe. As for you Deano, it's clearly broken, try and fix it!

[realist saddler]

Well that was desperate - pass forwards, sideways, back sideways, forwards, back, sideways, forwards, no one in front of goal with poor Bradshaw who is trying hard, but he can't do this on his own.

Thought Clifford did well but was then taken off

Sawyers, please nobody try and defend that performance tonight, no effort, no tracking back, no running, sprinting, challenges are half hearted - if I was DS he would not even be on the coach to Scunny Saturday and I am not a person who has booed him, that was shocking, he is not worthy of a place no way on that tonight

I like DS, i dont wanna see him get sacked etc but he has to see we need another striker, another dimension, formation to upset teams at the back - we dont get behind teams, we play the ball with 10 of their players in front of us and cannot break them down, there is little pace

If there is no new players in by the end of this window it will be extremely disappointing, and I dont even want to think about who scored 2 against Man Utd tonight

Open your eyes Deano before its too late!

[Sadders]

People are jumping the gun saying we are relegation certainties or that a huge fight is on our hands, there may be one but we are at no stage to judge yet. Yes, a poor start to the season. But I'll judge in October time, not before the fudge window shuts. Let's see what the rest of August and a fit Cook/Mantom/Chambers bring. 4 league games into the season and were down. Smith MUST change it at home and he can't be blind enough not too see it, but I don't want him rushing players or signings in that may cost us down the line. Give it 10-12 games, then decide.

That being said, we need at least 1 win in our next 2 games. Saturday being the perfect opportunity.

[m&m]

We have gone well and truly backwards with the team Smith has assembled for this season. Knowing the problems of last year i.e scoring goals he does nothing about it whatsoever.Bradshaw looks good but not isolated on his own. He will lose confidence very quickly. Grimes "the best finisher I've ever seen" will never score.
We no longer have players who can beat a man(Lalkovich and Brandy) and no leadership (Butler). Oh and no goalscorer (Westcarr). Deano obviously fell out with him and it got personal which is poor management.

Yes we were expected to lose tonight but that was very very easy for Palace.
I fear the worst! Tippy tappy rubbish.

[tinned]

The clock's ticking. We keep doing the same things and (surprise, surprise) keep getting the same results. Smith is either to thick or too stubborn to realise changes in tactics/system must be made now.

How long will it take for some people to admit the plain, hard truth? Like previous managers it's loads of posts of "Let's wait till blah, blah, blah" or "I'll judge after .....". Anything but admit the damn obvious.

[JonnyOwen]

Why are we so monstrously different at home than away from home? Teams sit back, we have no legs in behind, and no-one is brave enough to run at their defenders apart from Taylor. We just pass it around VERY predictably in front of their 2 banks of four, and end up losing it or winning a corner (which we will never score from).

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Chambers to Clifford, Clifford to Taylor, Taylor to Forde, Forde to Taylor, Taylor to Clifford, Clifford to Chambers, back to Clifford, back to Chambers, over to Grimes, Grimes to Kinsella, Kinsella to Grimes, Grimes to Chambers, Chambers to Clifford, Clifford to Taylor, Taylor to Sawyers, Sawyers to Clifford - ball lost and we get counter attacked.

[Salop Saddler]

Dismal, dreary and that's about it.

[m&m]

[quote="JonnyOwen"]Why are we so monstrously different at home than away from home? Teams sit back, we have no legs in behind, and no-one is brave enough to run at their defenders apart from Taylor. We just pass it around VERY predictably in front of their 2 banks of four, and end up losing it or winning a corner (which we will never score from).

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Chambers to Clifford, Clifford to Taylor, Taylor to Forde, Forde to Taylor, Taylor to Clifford, Clifford to Chambers, back to Clifford, back to Chambers, over to Grimes, Grimes to Kinsella, Kinsella to Grimes, Grimes to Chambers, Chambers to Clifford, Clifford to Taylor, Taylor to Sawyers, Sawyers to Clifford - ball lost and we get counter attacked.[/quote

Grimes and Forde have no pace and cannot beat a man. For all of their faults at least Lalvovich and Brandy could on their day do this and create openings for others.

[saddlertd]

Deano's summer transfer dealings have been peaspoor. Our defence is porous, we have very little creativity in midfield, little pace out wide and no natural goalscorer. It's all very well saying we don't have much money but where has the million quid gone that we got for Pato and Grigg? We certainly ain't spent it on players. Of the summer signings, I reckon only Jordan Cook and O'Connor are on a good whack. I can't imagine Bradshaw, Grimes, Forde and Clifford are earning that much. Considering we have lost Butler and Westcarr who must have been two of our top earners then it's all rather unambitious. But, I'm sure we are on target to earn a small net operating profit by the end of the season and, of course, we will have paid another season's worth of rent to the Pension Fund which is all that really matters. Not good enough, for Crissake show some donalding ambition for once!

[ToeJoe Jnr]

A game against a Premier League team, well that was grim and a waste of time! We put up no fight whatsoever and that was the most disappointing thing. I would love to gain some clarity from Smith as to what we are trying to achieve with his mantra? If passing the ball around for ages between the centre circle and the edge of the opponents box is sexy football then I give up because it is dreadful.

Defensively we were destroyed by fast paced attacking. This will have been to quick for Smith to see and therefore we can keep our snail paced attacking style for the rest of the season as he won't learn.

Bradshaw worked hard but he should have someone tied by a 3 foot rope to him as he can't do it on his own and our midfield doesn't appear interested as getting within the same postcode as him.

Sawyers didn't help his cause today with a poor and lazy display.

Grimes shouldn't be anywhere near this team, I have no idea why we bought him and what role he is supposed to play.

Fords looked the most energetic but has little end product, but then he is trying to pick out Bradshaw in the box who is surrounded by 3 or 4 defenders.

Bennington isn't a left sided attacker so can we please stop pretending he is.

I hear Manset is signing tomorrow. He isn't the answer if we play him as a lone striker as our midfield just isn't capable of attacking with any pace and urgency. 1 goal in 4 games is a dismal return, I expect better on Saturday.

[derbysaddler]

Second time I've seen us this season as well, even the two neutral lads with me said we are frustrating to watch. Improved second half but palace didnt really give a toss then.

Sawyers looks shot of any adventure that used to be in his play. Shame.