Weekly Views- Spygate, Safety and West Ham

Safety: it feels good doesn’t it? Now I know that Palace are not mathematically secure at the moment, but I am sure Pulis will already be planning for another stay in the Premier League next season. Another fantastic victory against a strong Everton side capped off what has been a brilliant few weeks for Palace. 4 wins and 3 clean sheets- that’s Champions League territory!

Despite the win on Wednesday night, many people have been left with a sour taste in their mouths over this whole ‘spygate’ scandal. I’m sure most of you know what I am talking about, but if not I will quickly sum up the situation for you. Vincent Tan and Cardiff City have accused Palace of getting information about the Cardiff team in advance of the game two weeks ago. This was apparently all found out when Iain Moody sent a text to the wrong person: a certain Dougie Freedman. Now, I always keep an open eye when it comes to claims made against Palace, but this one seems extremely strange. To me, it is as if Tan just wants to get his own back on a team that beat Cardiff 3-0 away from home, but I don’t see it happening.

Attentions now turn towards tomorrow’s game at West Ham. West Ham aren’t truly safe yet, and could do with some points just to keep them going until the end of the season. Because of this, this game will be just as tough as any other, but hopefully Pulis can guide Palace to a fifth win in a row. Palace managed to record a victory over the Hammers in December, in a game which was not the most exciting or the greatest advert for English football. It will be a similar game tomorrow, with both sides focusing on their defence. It won’t matter, though, as Pulis has taught us over the past few months that you can play good football but still keep it tight at the back and win games. Possession is just another statistic.

Palace’s key players will once again be the wingers. Bolasie and Puncheon have been in fantastic form recently, and they should be aiming to keep this going into the future, starting tomorrow. Counter attacks need to be quick, and that is what these two players offer. Palace fans will also be hoping that Bolasie can fetch himself a goal soon. He has come close in the past two games- hopefully he can send the travelling fans mental with a last minute winner tomorrow!

Up the Palace

Transfer News- Bendtner, Makienok and more!

As the season draws to a close, we get closer and closer to the transfer season. Each week from now on, I’ll be looking at the transfer rumours and speculation surrounding Palace.

In both the summer transfer window and in January, Palace were linked with the Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner. Having been at the Gunners since 2004, the Danish international has seen appearances become hard to come by. Reports say that he has been training for 8 hours a day just to prove himself to Arsene Wenger, but in reality he will be leaving Arsenal in the summer. The forward is strong, tall and athletic- all of the qualities which Tony Pulis like his players to have, and on average scores a goal once every four games. The last Arsenal reject to come to Palace has become a hero to many fans, and I’m sure that if Bendtner arrived in the summer break he would be able to cement a place in Palace folklore as well.

Wilfried Zaha is being linked with a move back to SE25. A frustrating first season at Manchester United has seen him shipped out to Cardiff on loan, where he has also struggled to settle in. Zaha loves everything to do with Palace, and most fans love everything to do with Zaha. I am sure that Wilf would be able to achieve his potential at Palace.

Simon Makienok- that’s a name many of you will never have heard of before. Both Palace and Wigan Athletic have been linked with the 6ft 7in striker, who currently plays for Danish side Brondby IF. In his past two years at Brondby, Makienok has scored 29 goals in 64 games, which is an impressive record. However, taking it from a sceptical point of view, the Danish league is not the toughest in the world. Personally, I do not see Pulis as a manager who often delves into foreign transfer markets, as he would rather look for experienced Premier League players.  Cardiff are a team who springs to mind when it comes to importing players from smaller European leagues. Many of their signings have not worked out for them, and despite his tall frame and scoring record, I doubt that Makienok would work out for Palace.

Reports are coming in that KG is wanted by several clubs in England, Spain and Germany. His contract with Palace runs out in the summer. I must admit that I was a little surprised to see Newcastle linked with the defensive midfielder. He has had an average season for Palace and has looked relatively comfortable at times. In the past I have not thought very highly of KG, but I would be sad to see him leave in the summer.

Aston Villa Preview (and Vincent Tan)

Aston ­­­Villa travel down to Selhurst Park this weekend ahead of what could be an extremely crucial game for both sides. Equal on points at the moment, a win for either side would almost guarantee safety, whilst a draw would keep both teams running closer to safety. A loss, however, could throw either side right back into the relegation mix.

Palace go into the game off of the back of a wonderful win away at relegation rivals Cardiff. Two goals from Puncheon and another from Ledley ended a fantastic week for the Eagles. Good news also came long in the form of Chamakh’s return. He wasn’t on for long, but showed some of the fantastic skills which have helped him to become a fan’s favourite in SE25. His return will create even more competition, which will push the players even further.

Last week saw some wonderful attacking football played by Palace. It was quick, exciting and adventurous, and left the travelling support purring at times. Because of this, Pulis has no reason to change the team that started. If the same energy and desire is sown tomorrow that has been displayed in the past two games, then Palace can easily be looking to get something out of this game.

Aston Villa, despite three successive losses, are still a good side. A young team, they too play counter attacking football- which should set this game up interestingly. Their main striker Benteke is out for the rest of the season, but that doesn’t mean that Palace should be switching off on Saturday. Players like Agbonlahor carry a massive threat, and so the key for Palace will be keeping the defence as solid as it has been in recent times.

Yesterday Vincent Tan made some ludicrous allegations about Iain Moody. Iain was accused of ‘spying’ on Cardiff ahead of the game. The erratic owner of Cardiff wrote to Richard Scudamore, the head of the Premier League, and was old to lodge an official compliant if he wanted to take the situation any further. Such a ridiculous claim is likely to just make Tan look even more absurd, and isn’t likely to carry much of a threat for Palace.

Saturday is a big game, but it is a winnable one. Pulis will be targeting three points ahead of some tougher matches over the coming weeks. A draw would certainly not be a bad thing, but a loss could leave Palace looking over their shoulders.

Up the Palace

Weekly Views- Cardiff, Villa and more

Another fantastic win on Saturday dragged Palace 3 points closer to safety. It was a fantastic game, with Palace playing brilliant, free flowing counter attacking football. The obvious stand-out performer would have to be Jason Puncheon, for his two excellent goals, however the whole team played an important role in the win. It was good to see Chamakh returning and in the later stages of the game he showed some brilliant skills, which Palace fans have come to enjoy during his short stay at the club so far.

Thoughts now turn to the game against Aston Villa on Saturday. Both teams are on the same points tally at the moment, and a win for either side would almost guarantee safety. Palace can now benefit from a fully fit squad, whereas Villa have just added Christian Benteke to a growing injury list. It should be an interesting game, with both sides favouring counter-attacking football. I am sure this is one game where Pulis will be targeting a win.

As I write this article, the under 21s currently lead Brentford 4-0 in their final game of the season, with Dwight Gayle so far getting three. It is clear that he is a natural finisher, and as soon as he is fully match fit again hopefully he will be straight back into the squad. Coming on late in the game, he could be the difference between a draw and a win, which was shown back in December at Villa Park.

It saddens me slightly to see the Daily Mirror reporting that Campana will quit the club in the summer. If Palace stayed up, Pulis would hopefully introduce some flair to the style of play. Jose can offer this, and he is a great distributor of the ball. I know it is up to the player to decide on his future, but I sincerely hope that he decides to stay this summer. Who wouldn’t want to stay at a Premier League side?

Up the Palace

Cardiff Preview

So it’s a trip to South Wales on the cards this weekend for Palace. After such a fantastic result last week, Tony Pulis and his squad will be hoping to take some points off of Cardiff, who themselves come off the back of getting a vital point away at relegation rivals West Brom. It’s going to be a tight, tense game, with neither side wanting to lose. Hopefully it will be the boys in red and blue who are celebrating come the final whistle.

In terms of team selection, in my opinion not much needs changing. Every player who started last week worked their socks off against Chelsea, so it would be unfair for anyone to get dropped. Chamakh will hopefully be returning, but it would be a silly and unnecessary move to rush him back into the starting line-up after a few weeks out. He would probably oust Cameron Jerome from the forwards role if he was to come back into the side, but that would be extremely unfair on the best players last week.

Despite not picking up many points for their efforts, Cardiff have been scoring plenty of goals over the past few weeks, including 3 at West Brom. It’ll be extremely important that the defence stay solid and don’t let any crosses get in to players like Frazer Campell. Every Palace fan knows what a danger Wilfried Zaha can be. The two full-backs are going to be in for a tough game, but hopefully Wilf can have an ‘off’ day against his former club.

It will be a tough game. Palace will be extremely cautious, as they don’t want Cardiff to get three points and catch up in the relegation battle. A draw would keep momentum going, and a win for Palace would see the club almost safe from relegation. It will be close, but hopefully Pulis can get his tactics right and leave Palace fans celebrating this evening.

Up the Palace

Opposition View- Cardiff

This week, ahead of the game against Cardiff, the opposition view is from Phillip Nifield, from the Cardiff City Supporters Trust.

1. Who have been your stand out performers so far this season?

Our goalkeeper David Marshall has been a star performer. He has made numerous stunning saves and Cardiff City’s position would be even worse if not for Marshall. Other key players have been Jordon Mutch, who is our top scorer in the Premier League from midfield, Gary Medel and our captain Steven Caulker, who has also notched several important goals. Upfront Frazier Campbell has been very hard-working and his pace has been a threat to many defences.

2. Was Solskjaer the right choice of manager?

The jury is still out on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He had no Premier League managerial experience and several of his signings in the January window have not made the impact we hoped such as Kenwyn Jones and two of the three Norwegians side and Fabio. But he did come into a very difficult situation after the sacking of Malky Mackay. All the off-the-field controversies have undoubtedly undermined our efforts to stay in the Premier League. It is hard enough staying up without all the off-the-field nonsense.

3. How do you view the Palace game, will it be a walk in the park or a tough game?

It will certainly be no walk in the day and we are expecting a very tough game with Tony Pulis’ team keeping things very tight and hoping that his players can hit us on the break. It’s very much a make or break game for Cardiff City if we are to have any chance of getting out of trouble.

4. Who do you think is likely to get relegated at the end of the season?

Bluebirds’ fans hope that Cardiff City will defy the pundits and stay up against the odds. Fulham look odds on favourites to go down, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich, given their tough run-in if they fail to beat WBA on Saturday.

5. Out of the current Palace squad, which player would you have, and why?

You perhaps won’t be surprised if I said Joe Ledley, who is a legend at Cardiff City. He has a great engine and will always give 100%. It was a good bit of business to get Joe for such a small fee. We did try to buy Tom Ince at the start of the season so it will be interesting to see how he plays – if he’s in the starting line-up. 

6. Finally, what’s your score prediction for the game?

Very tight – 1-0 to Cardiff City

Is a summer move for Zaha on the cards?

The Daily Mail are reporting that a summer move for Wilfried Zaha back to Palace could be on the cards. I’m sure that the majority of Palace fans would love this move to take place, but will it be good in the long term?

Firstly, let’s start with the positives. Zaha is a fantastic player, and anyone who was lucky enough to witness him play in red and blue knows what a talent he has. His pace, skills and desire made him caused one of the biggest clubs in the world to sign him last summer. Wilf was loaned back for the remainder of the season, and was instrumental in helping Palace to achieve promotion to the Premier League. It was his goals that led to a victory against arch rivals in the semi-finals, and it was his speed which one Palace the penalty that Kevin Phillips converted on that glorious day at Wembley.

Zaha clearly loves Palace. Being a local lad who was recruited into the youth set up at such a young age, for the majority of his life he has been in and around the club. Pulis loves a fighter, and all Palace fans know that Zaha will give his all for the club. At his peak, he is a cut above the wingers that Palace currently had, and Wilf could easily walk back into the team.

However, he hasn’t been playing regular football all season. A public fallout with David Moyes saw Wilf shipped off to Cardiff in January. Despite glimpses of brilliance, he hasn’t been able to cement a place in the starting line-up. This has meant that his match fitness will have slightly dwindled, so it would take lots of effort pre-season to get up to scratch. As well as this, Zaha still hasn’t been able to prove himself in the Premier League. Everybody knew what he was capable of in the Championship, but will he have the same effect for Palace a league above?

Personally, though, I would love to see Zaha back at Palace. It will be a new start for him, and I know for certain that he will give his all for the club. Everybody know the talent he possesses, and I for one am confident that he will be a massive improvement on what Pulis has available for team selection at the moment. It would just be a case of United letting him go. Saturday proved that miracles can happen!