When we sat down to write this together, my first thoughts on the match were Zzzzzzzzzz.
However, we didn’t think that would make very good reading so we have decided that despite struggling to make it through the game due to mind numbing boredom, we would look for some positive takes from the game rather than the doom and gloom that seems to be circulating across social media at the moment.
Firstly, we were sat in the Whitehorse Lane end like always, and next to us were a small group of Scottish fans who came down to London to take in a Premier League game, only to find all the good ones had been moved so they ended up at ours.
They were very complimentary on the atmosphere (it was poor to be fair) and they said it was better than most of the games in Scotland. Then true to form, they went on to moan about the price of a pint in London!
Secondly, Tyrick Mitchell seems to be growing into his old self this season and we are seeing better performances from him week in week out. Another player stepping up during this injury crisis we seem to have at the moment is Will Hughes.
The ‘Albino Iniesta’ has been a suitable stand in for Jefferson Lerma in his absence but has nullified the freedom that Eberechie Eze has enjoyed as both Hughes and Cheick Doucoure like to sit deep.
The other stand out performance came from man of the match Sam Johnstone. He was assured and solid in the face of a backline who seemed to concede more chances than they normally do. I fear had Fulham had Aleksandr Mitrovic then we may well have lost that game.
Thirdly, do we have a new cult hero in Jean-Philippe Mateta? The shift in atmosphere and playing style when he came on was visible and audiable from the moment he stepped across the white line. Fan and players seemed more up for it – if only enthusiasm equalled goals
The other statistic of note came from an article in The Mail by Alex Jennings. It may have gone under the radar about fortress Selhurst but there is some truth in it – “Selhurst Park has quietly become one of the hardest places to visit in the top flight. In the last 260 days, Palace have played 13 league games at home and were undefeated in 11. The only teams who left with three points? Arsenal and Manchester City.” The article went on to say – “The ability to grind out results even on off-days is a quality many teams don’t possess — and probably the reason Palace will not be in a relegation battle this season.”
We won’t lose many games at home. We won’t win many, however, we do seem to be draw specialists. At the time of writing, we are about to embark on a double header against Manchester United and given the fact that there seems to be a protective memory foam at the bottom of the Premier League in the form of Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley I would like to see us go as full strength as we can and see if we can mix it in a cup this year.
Would I take a win in the cup over the league? Yes, but I think we can win both.
Our next write up will come from the Forest game in a few weeks, but if you want to hear more from us, then do let us know.
