FIVE Year Plan fanzine editor Robert Sutherland says sometimes quality will win over hard work...
TIMES are tough. Palace have now lost two home games in a row and the reality of a relegation battle is once again looming.
As is typical with any relegation battle, criticism is levelled at players for their contribution to defeats or for their lack of a contribution to a win. Much of that criticism comes from a theoretical standpoint that every game is winnable and that each player has a specific level of performance that they're expected to meet.
The reality is very different. There is no minimum performance. There are so many variables that have to be factored into how we assess a player.
Take Jason Puncheon, for example. His error cost Palace a goal against Southampton – although it could be argued that having so many players forward of the halfway line was sheer stupidity, while his opponent was Luke Shaw, a full-back who is being linked with Champions League level sides. So what do people expect of him?
The same goes for Mile Jedinak, whose opponent was Victor Wanyama, a midfielder Southampton paid Celtic £12 million for. There are going to be some matches where, in theory, a winning performance is possible. But when a team with the quality that Southampton possess plays well, it's hardly going to be an easy ride.
The Palace side of this season were always going to be one fighting with every ounce of energy, and sometimes that energy just isn't enough to make a difference.
Equally, there are always going to be frustrations that come with losing performances, but it is crucial that the squad keeps its spine. So while criticism has a tendency to spread from one player to another like wildfire – those who populate the forums and social media will see that Julian Speroni and Mile Jedinak have been singled out for it recently – it would be crazy to make significant, spine-altering changes to the line-up.
Speroni was hardly to blame for the goal, while Jedinak always seems to return from international duty with a hint of exhaustion – yet both still provide the squad with an infectious level of grit and determination.
If anything, the issue now lies with the headache that is Marouane Chamakh possibly being sidelined for two to three weeks. Chamakh may not be a constant threat but his presence in the first team turns Palace into a more fluid, attack-minded side. If there are to be changes, Pulis will have to focus on the squad's attacking options if there really is a chance of staying up.
The coming weeks will be season-defining. Speroni and Jedinak have contributed in getting Palace this far; they'll also be the ones to drag us over the line at the end of the season.
