Match Day Bournemouth v Palace, Tuesday 31st January 19:45

[SALTIRE]

Match chat.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

The worst thing you can do prior to a match against a Big Sam side, is develop a complex regarding balls into the box and corners - right? At least, even more of an issue with them than we have on average.

Two corners conceded against Watford, the first allowing them 3 unopposed headers in our box eventually resulting in the goal, like watching a training ground game of head tennis. The second Boruc flying out and flapping at near post thin air. That coming after Hull in which they equalised through a ball lofted into the box between keeper and defender, both attacking thin air. Coming after Millwall where they scored from lofting the ball to the near post for an unopposed header.

You get the picture. It ain't pretty. Our January long attempts to sign keeper Asmir Begovic from Chelsea look unlikely to come to any fruition at this late stage. And we appear to have no interest in any defenders, despite losing Ake back to that same London club this window. So we're in a bit of a state back there, and our only hope seems to be the return of Simon Francis from suspension, who's had far from an assured season himself, he might return some stability in his longer term partnership with Steve Cook.

Elsewhere we're ok, we score goals of course, we have creativity out wide, if we can just stop being complete idiots at the back we'd pick up our fair share of points. However our fixtures get worrisome after this. A run of Hull, Watford, and Palace I stupidly thought might be fruitful, if we stumble again here then the likes of Everton, Man City, Man United doesn't hold great hope. Although we have generally been better against better sides who allow us to play. Who knows. We're weird.

Palace have been busy in the transfer market, with Townsend and Zaha both linked with moves away. Defenders Van Arnholt and Carl Jenkinson are inbound I gather, along with wideman Schlupp. Benteke will be key for them, with his size and presence if they can feed him in our box they will score. We have to cut the supply as much as possible.

 

[Skinner]

Zaha ain't going nowhere

2-0 home win

 

[Super_horns]

Palace score from a corner as Mark predicted..

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Well...we have some serious thinking to do.

For bursts of that second half, we actually looked rather good. Problem is, it took a completely wasted first half where we did fuck all attacking, and the concession of a soft soft opening goal immediately upon the second half start, for us to spring onto life. Why? A football match I'd 90 minutes long. What good is it playing well when already 1-0 down with half the game gone?

A first half in which both sides looked devoid of ideas, yet both hit the post from speculative efforts for their trouble.

Sure enough a set piece saw us go behind. As expected.

The response wasn't to address the blindingly obvious lack of bite in midfield, but to remove Stanislas who actually looked alright. Bizarre.

The likes of Arter, Ibe, Wilson get dropped after a handful of poor games. Ok fair enough. But be consistent. Drew Surman despite being good last season continually looks terrified in midfield. Rather than playing him into form, all we're doing is exposing him all the more by sticking King and Wilshere around him. King isn't a no10 and Wilshere wants to play further forward. It just dwindles Surman's confidence away all the more, whilst limiting both Wilshere and King.

Obvious solution is Harry Arter, and sure enough he comes on for 20 mins and we look better for it. This is obvious stuff. Eddie desperately wants King to become a 10 and Surman to reignite hid form, but doing the same thing week after week for 2 months now is a sign of madness.

We can cry about bad luck. The ball falling to Francis 4 yards out after some laughable Palace defending, yet Francis finds the keeper with the entire goal at his mercy. We can cite the free kick which hit the post, the keepers back, rolled towards the net and somehow stayed out. Also the self created mad scramble in Palace's defence that was inches from an OG.

We can cry about a very debatable night of refereeing also, in which Palace got away with so much. Fouls like that which saw Francis sent off against Arsenal don't go our way. And all the cynical yellow cards taking one for the team which Palace are fully entitled to do when 1-0 up.

All the crying over those things is only a mask for our own poor decision making and lack of first half intent which has become a feature in recent weeks.

A football match is 90 minutes long. Let's play some football in the first half. Let's get ourselves onto a game rather than wait for a game to occur around us.