HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday's game by delving into their forums.

“Finishing Seventh Would be Disastrous beyond Disaster”

“A couple of wins is all we need with play-off contenders playing each other. There is no need to stress”, “Six wins in twenty two; no wins in five; no goals in four… ‘A couple of wins?’ Where are they going to come from exactly?”

“It might have dawned on people just how close we are to dropping out of the big six”. Palace are in trouble, and risk ending up empty handed. “This year was our chance, and it is slipping through our fingers”, “OK. I’m going back into a darkened room till the end of the season”.

Some fans have more riding on the outcome than others: “If we drop out, it will be a disaster. I had a row with the missus yesterday as I refused to go on holiday over the play-off games. Come on Palace, don’t let me down.”

“Stand up Palace and be Counted, We are Running out of Lives!”

“We seem to have no idea at all. We’re playing with no confidence and don’t look like scoring. We’ve lost our way – that’s for sure”, “I think the players will crack and so will Ollie. Don’t understand how we have become a completely different team in recent weeks”.

“We lack urgency and pace which comes from a lack of confidence through recent results”, “Pace and speed of through are missing throughout the team”, “Off the ball, movement all over the park was awful”.

“We are a team of ball watchers. So many times if they had gambled and followed things in, we would have scored five or six in recent games”, “We have been over performing this season, and now we have been found out. We have lots of weaknesses, so we need to play to our strengths”.

“Our momentum came to an abrupt end at the Amex. That defeat nailed our confidence to the ground”. Palace have failed to score since their 3-0 defeat to rivals Brighton on March 17th. “There is no confidence whatsoever. We lost it as soon as we walked off the pitch at the Amex and as of yet we haven’t got it back”.

“We need to think that this break now may be a blessing, with the Millwall game being postponed”. Eagles are praying that their players will have used their weekend off to regroup. “The ten-day gap will give us a chance to regroup, work on a few things in training and rest those niggling knocks”.

Ian Holloway

“Ian Holloway has done the equivalent of buying a Ferrari and putting a Fiesta engine in it. I have no faith in him to take us up next season”, “I do think that Ian Holloway has started to lose the plot at the worst time possible”.

“If we fail to make the play-offs, I don’t think anyone but Holloway can be held accountable”. The manager is carrying the can for weak leadership and confused tactics. “Holloway's gung-ho style has its fans, but it is always likely to be found out by clever managers. He’s a one-man band manager”.

“There was a tactical mess when Phillips replaced Moritz, which was fixed later when Dobbie was introduced”. The manager switched from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 and back again midway through their 0-0 draw with Barnsley. “Holloway’s subs mystified me today, and I am becoming increasingly concerned with his tactical management”.

“Not making the play-offs at this point would be an atrocious achievement considering where we have been for the majority of the season”, “He will have managed one of the biggest collapses in Palace’s history”.

His response to the Brighton defeat has not helped. “We lost to the f***ing weed”, “Yes, and afterwards it tuned out our manager regarded the fixture as just another game”.

The Tactical Overview in One Sentence

The Eagles have become caught up in a vicious circle of a new manager’s changing tactics, injuries to a small squad, a run of poor results, a complete lack of goals and a loss of confidence both on and off the pitch, and all of this at the worst possible time in the season.

A Change of Tactics

“We are too direct. We hit too many long balls. Had we played the quick passing game we were before Holloway arrived, we would have won easily today. There is little movement and few players making themselves available because of this direct approach”.

“We play too many long balls, diagonal or not. We look our most threatening when we play it on the floor, so I don’t understand this tactic. The final ball is usually a poor decision, and this is why the goals have dried up”.

Former manager Dougie Freedman’s approach was primarily based on a fast passing game, getting the wingers involved quickly. The squad are struggling with Holloway’s preference for a mix of more direct play.

“We have lost the slick snappiness to our play”, “Holloway has messed this team and the way they are playing right up with his ego driven tactical changes”. “We have become too predictable”.

Defence

Popular Argentinian keeper Julian Speroni has been criticised for his “poor distribution”, “He nearly caused several seizures when deciding to play the ball with his feet under pressure”, “He can be unwilling to command his penalty area”.

Former Pompey full-back Joel Ward made an “excellent returning performance from injury” against Barnsley. “He powered forward threateningly”, and had a “good performance once the rust fell off the wheels”.

Old Blue Damien Delaney “tries to force the issues offensively at times” or “looks to bring the ball out of defence”. Less charitably, one Eagle put it thus: “Is he told to p*ss off up the pitch on bombing runs leaving wide open spaces at the back?”

“Rambo’s passion is infectious. He’s very up for it and tries to get everyone going”. Former Newcastle and QPR centre-back Peter Ramage “Does it simple, and does it well”, making “less cultured clearances than Delaney”.

Norwegian Jonathan Parr “links up well with Zaha, making lung-bursting overlaps and decent deliveries”. He is praised for his consistency and work rate.

Central Midfield

”We are short of midfielders. Simple”. “Our midfielders must get more into the game and start pushing forwards to support the attack”.

“F***ing hell, have we missed Garvan!”, ”Garvan’s intelligence is missing in the centre of the park”, “I’m convinced we’ve missed Garvan more and more as the season has dragged on”, “He would pass it on the floor and give us balance”. Former Blue Owen Garvan may be back for the play-offs.

“The Jedi booking was crazy”. The Australian Mike Jedinak was booked for unsporting behaviour against Barnsley and is suspended. “Why get involved in this situation? Very disappointing and he will be sorely missed”.

“This is not the NFL. We need more than a specialist kicker”, “Andre Moritz is too slow in thought and deed”. The 26-year-old Brazilian is “the weak link in midfield” and “has flattered to deceive all season. Every other attribute, apart from his free kicks, is poor”.

“Dobbie, what do people see in him that I don’t. Please do tell me because I am really struggling”. Former Swansea midfielder Stephen Dobbie is on loan from Brighton, and is struggling to make an impression in games.

“Moritz and Dobbie are the type of players that look really good when we are playing against a poor team at home or are winning comfortably”, “They mix decent control with zero tactical ability and a lot of passing from side to side”.

Jonathan (Joniesta) Williams is “a wasp on acid”, “Williams tired in the game. He plays at such a tempo that this is always a worry”. The 19-year-old Welsh International “is at his most dangerous when he starts getting past the 18-yard line, and I don’t like him playing deeper”.

“Williams faded when we switched to 4-4-2”, “He did well in the deeper role, but he needs to learn to release the ball quicker sometimes”, “Williams let himself down with poor final passes”.

On the Flanks

“When the wingers cut in after a couple of touches, it changes the whole shape of their play and drags the team out of position”. The tactical confusion is most evident in the diminished impact of Palace’s widemen.

“Zaha and Bolasie receive the ball and slow the game down to a halt, whilst doing step-overs, allowing the opposition to get back in numbers and crowd out the box. It frustrates me that they don’t utilise their pace more to get behind the defensive line on the counter-attack”.

“If Yannick Bolasie ever played in the Premiership, he would end up competing with John Jensen’s goal-scoring exploits at Arsenal”. The Congolese winger's “running with the ball is as unpredictable as watching a Jack Russell in the recreation ground”, “Bolasie turned inside each time and lost the ball".

“Yannick just needs to practice shooting. A lot”, “He is an enigma, gliding past players before not quite pulling off the final shot or pass”, “He is null and void as a footballer. He can hold a man off and make space with fancy tricks, but what is the point when his final decision is so consistently abysmal?”

“Zaha frustrates the living hell out of me when he won’t play the simple pass at times”, “Zaha comes inside when he should hog the line, and we are launching it long”, “He slowed the game down so much, just so he could try to beat the player”.

“Wilf is constantly losing the ball”, “He has been fading out of games lately but still looks up for it. I think he has one toe in Old Trafford”, “One toe? More like one leg”.

Strikers

“I am really not sure where the next goal is coming from”, “The shooting was awful against Barnsley”, “All that was lacking was the 23 missed chances”, “Abysmal finishing. Some of those players should hang their heads in shame”, "Crosses and corners are awful and our finishing is abysmal”.

“The biggest issue is the final pass or ball which for the most part isn’t there, and when it was, nobody was at the end of it”, “We put the ball across the box so many times, but didn’t have the anticipation to get on to it. Just a lack of confidence more than anything”.

Glenn Murray has been critically important in Palace’s successful campaign. The former Brighton striker's loss of form has coincided with the Eagles' barren run of four goalless games, and their fans are greatly concerned.

“The long and short of it is that when Murray doesn’t knock in a couple, we don’t have enough quality to score”, “No goals from Murray, and nobody else seems able to pick up the mantle”, “Murray is clearly carrying a knock and has not been at the races of late”.

“I’m not sure letting Murray play through his injury is doing his confidence any good”, “If Murray’s hip is playing up, we need to rest him. He has had a few miskicks recently. This is due to a more limited movement due to his injury”.

“Wilbraham is not a finisher and was brought on when we needed goals [against Barnsley]”. The former Budgie is “the unfortunate fall guy”, and “was slaughtered when he fluffed his big chance, and with every touch thereafter”. He was praised for “pulling defenders all over the shop”.

“Phillips goes missing”. The veteran, on loan from Blackpool, is seen as an impact substitute and is “completely out of touch”.

Palace Fans' Views on ITFC and the Game

”Difficult”. This word was repeated time and time again by Eagles discussing the game. Forecasts are pretty evenly split three ways at the time of writing between a victory for either team or a draw. I will update the forum on Tuesday afternoon with more detailed feedback.

“Ipswich is the acid test. A lacklustre performance there and I think that will tell us all we need to know finally about preparation, tactics and shape”, “A defeat on Tuesday could be terrible, resulting in having zero confidence within the team”.

“At least Ipswich are safe”. “Are they? Not quite, I think. I was hoping they would be safe by Tuesday and take their feet off the gas. They still need a win”.

“If we had any sort of away form then we would be fine. It is just not good enough”, “Ipswich are better than Barnsley and are at home. Expect nothing from the game”, “Ipswich know another win or two and they will be safe. Our away record is tragic. Can someone tell me where our next win is going to come from?”

“Not an easy task, as McCarthy has done a predictably good job there. They will want to get their own back for the 5-0 drubbing we gave them”, “The Tractor Boys and Big Mick have a massive point to prove after our hugely flattering 5-0 over them back in the dim distant days when we used to score goals. They've turned a corner since then and, sadly, so have we”.

“Another Freedman thread. FFS get over it”.

Many Palace supporters feel a sense of betrayal towards Dougie Freedman. “Unless a lot of us have got this very wrong, DF’s departure will continue to leave a sour taste in our mouths, which is very sad after all he has done for the club as a player and a manager”.

“If anyone deserves a rocket for f***ing it up and rocking the boat, the finger has to be pointed fairly and squarely towards the Bolton area”, “Dougie Freedman took over a club that was low on confidence and today they are flying. Holloway took over a side high on confidence and today do not know where the next point or goal is coming from”.

Websites

There are two very good Crystal Palace websites, http://cpfc.org>cpfc.org and holmesdale.net/. All the other forums I found were very quiet.

Steve_M added 09:57 - Apr 15 Holloway - an overrated comedian and football manager. Palace are far inferior to the side that ripped us apart in November (and even then we matched them for 45 minutes). Time to gain our third revenge win for the early season hammerings.
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Surco72 added 10:17 - Apr 15 Think we will comfortably win this one 2-0 and end all relegation fears finally . Palace are not the only side missing Garvan ,his passing and set pieces have not been replaced with all the millions we have spent
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Len_Brennan added 11:28 - Apr 15 I agree with Sucro. Garvan was one of the most frustrating players we have had in recent times, but he had quality & creativity. I was against selling him at the time, unless we could replace him, & we still have not replaced him, with Wordsworth being the closest we have come. There were times when I wanted him substututed after about 20 minutes, but there were other times when he played a ball that no other player on the pitch would even think about, which made me think he'll be a £6m Premiership player shortly. I wonder how he would have developed here had Mick & TC come in when Keane got the job. Always felt he was the kind of lad who needed good man management skills. Wasn't to be & we have missed that option in midfield ever since.

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Pessimistic added 12:07 - Apr 15 Yes, I miss Owen Garvan Too. he did not have pace but more than made up for it with brains. He is still sadly missed in my view and he should never have been sold.
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HarryfromBath added 13:06 - Apr 15 Thanks for the feedback, everyone. The Garvan quotes were but a small sample - he is massively missed. He seems to have become a centre of gravity for the team, and flair players like Williams have suffered without him there. Len and Surco, Palace fans are quite fatalistic, but I was still quite surprised by the depth of the their fans despair. We have a terrific chance to get our last much needed win tomorrow, if one of our strikers can hit form, or maybe Wordsworth can strike with a set piece.

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tractorblue99 added 16:19 - Apr 15 A last minute Wordsworth freekick from 25 yards to send us all into delirium...would be nice.
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NorthSTANDER_ITFC added 18:34 - Apr 15 http://www.holmesdale.net/page.php?id=106&tid=131512 They like you Harry!
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Daleyitfc added 18:52 - Apr 15 Have to laugh at people criticising Ian Holloway : he is the best English football manager since Brian Clough. Wish he was here.
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cooper4england added 20:04 - Apr 15 Thank God we got mick not ian. Daley=trolling is so last year. Pathetic
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JCBLUE added 20:41 - Apr 15 Harry, love your notes, keep up the great work! 2-1 blues.
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HarryfromBath added 21:14 - Apr 15 Tractorblue99, I imaging Wordsworth doing just that. We so badly need a free kick and dead ball specialist, and he could garner so many points in tight games. Nice one, Daley! Living in Bath, there are a goodly number of Bristol Rovers fans, partly due to their time playing at Twerton Park. The love Ollie, but are not blind to his shortcomings. Thanks for the kind comments, JCBlue, they are really appreciated. NorthStander, many thanks for putting that link on. The notes have made their way back to the original websites on a number of occasions, and usually to London clubs. The reaction is usually indignation, followed by "hang on, he may have a point here..." This is quite funny. I found this on the thread following the link: "Some of those multiple quotes, I hate to say, are spot on." I am just playing their own comments back to them. I am very careful to only include quotes which are representative of a consensus of opinion, e.g. Owen Garvan. Often fans will be full of praise, as will Hull's Robbie Brady on Saturday. I have to say that Palace fans were utterly downbeat and it was mostly grim reading on their forums.

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itfcbarmyarmy added 21:15 - Apr 15 Leicester, crystal palace and Blackpool the three sides which beat us by a large amount of goals away from home. two of them have come here and lost 1-0 i really feel this is winnable game as well as being a must win to just solidify are place in the championship.
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bugledog123 added 21:36 - Apr 15 Thanks for the analysis Harry - very interesting
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HarryfromBath added 11:11 - Apr 16 itfcbarmyarmy - Logic says that we should win tonight, and I am greatly hopeful that we can gain revenge, just as we did against Leicester and Blackpool. There is always that nagging voice that says that you can take nothing for granted in this madhouse of a division. We have a great track record at home against struggling top half sides this year. Thanks for the kind comments, Bugledog123.

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irishtim added 15:05 - Apr 16 Brilliant blog as usual. Great time & effort. Much appreciated. Hopefully 3 points.
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TonythePony added 15:13 - Apr 16 Great article Harry. I thoroughly enjoy these pre-match notes. Keep up the good work. 1-0 to Town tonight methinks :o)
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HarryfromBath added 18:12 - Apr 16 Thanks Tony and Tim. Of our four remaining games, I think that tonight represents our best opportunity to put the campaign to bed. Really hope we can do it and get this season out of the way.
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theobald1985 added 19:40 - Apr 17 cant understand why people having a go at holloway not many people could have done what he did at blackpool on the budget playing attacking fotball. im happy with mick but would have been happy with holloway as well. we could have had him when magilton got the job but sheepshanks said no. agree its a shame about garven and we got a rubbish fee for him
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