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.