Don't understand why Rafa is so protected by certain fans. No matter what players he has, he is paid to mange the team. Play your best XI, set up to attack or at least threaten the opposition and try and win games. The fact is that he doesn't do that. The players he has are irrelevant, he simply doesn't play football with any sort of attacking intent which just invites teams onto us. Shelvey and Merino are the best passers of the ball we have, yet he plays one or the other and then proceeds to have the centre backs ignore the midfield and hoof it downfield to Atsu or Gayle.

He's alienated players, Saivet has his best performance for us and doesn't make the bench for the next 2 games yet Diame is clearly a terrible player yet continues to make the 18 every week. I for one am glad Mitro has the balls to speak out, the guy has done nothing to Rafa and must be watching Joselu thinking what the f*** is going on here. We have no attacking threat up top yet his pettyness and some could say arrogance refuses to include Mitrovic. Arrons hardly features, meaning he can;t get a run of games to establish any form... don't know what he was expecting him produce vs City of all opponents.

I wouldn't trust him with the money from the takeover because lets be honest, this is the same man responsible for Manquillo, Hanley, Joselu and Lazaar. Yes there have been better players signed but the fact of the matter is he spends money on utter crap players, who he then insists on playing no matter how little they contribute to the team. How he still plays Joselu after scoring 2 (i think) goals all season is a joke. He's paid to manage the team and get us playing and scoring and winning games, which he is failing miserably at. If we at least had a go in games and lost we could say we were unlucky. We're not, we do nothing all game and then get fed the same **** line "the players are working hard".

Bodacious Benny wrote:Palace were lucky to have the opportunity to win the game seen as zaha dived.

Townsend had already missed a great chance.

Palace were lucky to have the opportunity to win the game seen as zaha dived.

Don Sholeone wrote:

Colly wrote:On target?

2 on target and more than palace had, their only one was a penalty.

Point is the difference in actual stats between us and palace is miniscule at best, yet we are horrific and they are superb apparently

Just goes to show that stats don't matter. The difference when watching the games was clear as day, palace had a game plan and were unlucky not to win the game, we didn't work out how to play until the end and spent most of the game defending a 1-0 defeat. Palace actually looked dangerous and tried to counter city and take the game to them, we hoofed the ball up pitch at every opportunity and made no attempt to counter. I know we don't have a Zaha but Atsu, Murphy and Aarons are all quick enough to get in behind and yet we never really looked to do it.

Don Sholeone wrote:

Colly wrote:On target?

2 on target and more than palace had, their only one was a penalty.

Point is the difference in actual stats between us and palace is miniscule at best, yet we are horrific and they are superb apparently

Yeah but we lost and Palace didn’t.
Anyway, a chance to start the new year with a win tomorrow.

Colly wrote:On target?

2 on target and more than palace had, their only one was a penalty.

Point is the difference in actual stats between us and palace is miniscule at best, yet we are horrific and they are superb apparently

On target?

Colly wrote:

Don Sholeone wrote:
Oh yeah, forgot about our 0 shots on goal

We had 2, 1 of which was Shelvey "shooting" from kickoff.

That's funny because official stats have it at 6

Don Sholeone wrote:

The Deluded Pablo Diego Jose Francisco wrote:
But they've got into the City half though, thats the difference

Oh yeah, forgot about our 0 shots on goal

We had 2, 1 of which was Shelvey "shooting" from kickoff.

The difference is, Palace have dangerous players. If the ball goes forward to Benteke, he'll bring others into the game, with Townsend and Zaha supporting and causing problems for their fullbacks.

We have nothing at all. Give me a front three of Ben Arfa on loan, Mitrovic back from the dead and some random Northern or Eastern European left winger over what we have playing at the moment.

We need to let our midfield and defence worry about defending and tell our front three to play their game. You think Woy tells Zaha how to play?

The Deluded Pablo Diego Jose Francisco wrote:

Don Sholeone wrote:Shockingly everyone in the media/punditry is raving about Palaces 26% possession with 0 shots on target today, apparently a masterclass in dealing with Man City

But they've got into the City half though, thats the difference

Oh yeah, forgot about our 0 shots on goal

Pen to Palace!

Saved!

The Deluded Pablo Diego Jose Francisco wrote:

Don Sholeone wrote:Shockingly everyone in the media/punditry is raving about Palaces 26% possession with 0 shots on target today, apparently a masterclass in dealing with Man City

But they've got into the City half though, thats the difference

Plus they actually have a plan of what to do when they get the ball rather than "just give them it back". Couple that with not resting players, and the fact they're hanging on to a draw rather than a loss...

Don Sholeone wrote:Shockingly everyone in the media/punditry is raving about Palaces 26% possession with 0 shots on target today, apparently a masterclass in dealing with Man City

But they've got into the City half though, thats the difference

Shockingly everyone in the media/punditry is raving about Palaces 26% possession with 0 shots on target today, apparently a masterclass in dealing with Man City

Yes, I'm a fan of Rafa generally but it is absurd the amount of times he's as good as said the players are s***. It's bound to effect some of them. On paper half the Huddersfield, Burnley, Brighton team etc are crap but you don't hear their managers saying that.

ColbacksFlamingBarnet wrote:

gawalls wrote:I'm staying to think that Rafa saying the players aren't good enough all the time is getting to them - they either believe it and heads are dropping or they just don't want to play for Rafa any more, players are getting played every week if their bad because they're one of Rafa's favourites or getting dropped after they played really well and not even on the bench.

Huddersfield and Brighton know their going to struggle this season but I've never heard them say their players are lacking and too inexperienced.

Confidence and pesimissm are both contagious

I'll admit, I've been thinking this as well. Imagine going to work every day and being told you're terrible and the manager wants to replace you. You're not going to want to work there.

I do have that at the moment - I work as a database developer for a company that's just been bought out - their it department is massive compared to ours and they've said in on the scrap heap and getting made redundant. It's not a nice feeling knowing you're not wanted or needed and I'd that's what the players are feeling is hard to give a s****

ColbacksFlamingBarnet wrote:

gawalls wrote:I'm staying to think that Rafa saying the players aren't good enough all the time is getting to them - they either believe it and heads are dropping or they just don't want to play for Rafa any more, players are getting played every week if their bad because they're one of Rafa's favourites or getting dropped after they played really well and not even on the bench.

Huddersfield and Brighton know their going to struggle this season but I've never heard them say their players are lacking and too inexperienced.

Confidence and pesimissm are both contagious

I'll admit, I've been thinking this as well. Imagine going to work every day and being told you're terrible and the manager wants to replace you. You're not going to want to work there.

He does need to calm it with that, but on the flip side of that, McClaren had a specialist mind guru telling the players they were brilliant every week (famously telling them they were fantastic after getting stuffed 1-5 away at Palace). So the other side of that doesn't work either.

It's more about catering to the individual. As a manager myself, one of the biggest traps you can fall into is having a 'one size fits all' approach to your staff. Some will respond well to a kick up the arse and being told they need to improve, others will need that arm around the shoulder to get the best out of them.

I agree though that coming out and alluding to the fact the squad isn't good enough as a whole won't be doing us any favours. But then I personally believe man management to be the weakest aspect of Benitez' style, as spoken about by Gerrard and other former players.

gawalls wrote:I'm staying to think that Rafa saying the players aren't good enough all the time is getting to them - they either believe it and heads are dropping or they just don't want to play for Rafa any more, players are getting played every week if their bad because they're one of Rafa's favourites or getting dropped after they played really well and not even on the bench.

Huddersfield and Brighton know their going to struggle this season but I've never heard them say their players are lacking and too inexperienced.

Confidence and pesimissm are both contagious

I'll admit, I've been thinking this as well. Imagine going to work every day and being told you're terrible and the manager wants to replace you. You're not going to want to work there.

I'm staying to think that Rafa saying the players aren't good enough all the time is getting to them - they either believe it and heads are dropping or they just don't want to play for Rafa any more, players are getting played every week if their bad because they're one of Rafa's favourites or getting dropped after they played really well and not even on the bench.

Huddersfield and Brighton know their going to struggle this season but I've never heard them say their players are lacking and too inexperienced.

Confidence and pesimissm are both contagious