That's a bizarre list to have a problem with.

A bunch of frees and loans who cost very little. That's how clubs like us build a squad, by taking a gamble on players who can provide depth. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If we never took risks like that, then we wouldn't have signed:

Jerome, Chamakh, Ledley, Hangeland, Delaney, Jedinak, KG, Ramage, Moritz or Phillips.

All of whom played a big part while they were at the club, in one way or another.

Employee of the month is a good example of how someone can be both a winner and a loser at the same time.

Kermit your just finding fault with everything.
All clubs waste money on players.
Cheer up mate it's only a game.

Palace 13th 2017/18.

Kermit, your free from blame super al signed that £80mil lot whilst supposedly having palace's best interests at heart whereas I think he's always aimed to be as close to the manager as possible and safe from the sack and the offer of a new contract just around the corner. Same at Newcastle. All of which was the case just before signing that quartet and nobody else in defence or down the left hand side.

Ultimately Parish and Pardew being too close is where it's gone wrong and it all stems from there. I'm sure Parish knows that now. Filling the coaching staff with pals from the early '90s and booting out Garner was highly unprofessional and arrogant and that's why we're uncohesive, unfit, unable to hang onto points and unable to salvage anything from being 1 nil down.

But he thinks he did nothing wrong. Yeah nothing if you look at the table from when he was sacked and end your analysis there beside him on the sofa or in Staines Palace's mind.

COYP

Not when we were at the bottom of the champ they weren't. The figures might be higher these days, but then as a club we have a budget that is 100x what we had previously to work with.

And you're right, my lot did give more. That's the point I'm making. Sometimes these work out, and sometimes they don't. You can't sign Jedinak or Jerome every time. Sometimes you end up with Adebayor. Mutch didn't work out, McArthur did.

There isn't a single club in football who has a 100% success rate.

The fees you mention? Have a look at other clubs. That's how much player's cost these days if you are a Premier League club. We sold Yannick for £30m, Bournemouth paid £15m for Ibe etc.

If you're a Premier League club signing a player who you expect to start for you, £10m is a pretty common starting price. That's why Cabaye's fee doesn't seem so ridiculous to me? He's a regular starter who was exactly in that price range.

Benteke? There are only 10 players who have scored more than him in the league this season:

Sanchez (£36m)
Lukaku (£28m)
Costa (£32m)
Zlatan (£0m)
Defoe (£8m?)
Kane (£0m)
Aguero (£30m)
Alli (£5m)
Mane (£35m)
Hazard (£30m)

Six of those have reportedly cost more than, or a similar amount to Benteke (and I imagine Lukaku, Hazard and Aguero would all cost a lot more now). Other than that, you've got a 34 year old Jermain Defoe (CB is 26), a 35 year old Ibrahimovic (who let's face it is not exactly in our category) and Harry Kane and Delle Alli, who would probably cost £50m each as well.

Point is, in terms of goals Benteke is pretty much performing where he should be based on the transfer fees, and likely salaries, of those ahead of him on the list. If we wanted to replace him, we either have to gamble on someone who could flop completely, or spend at least the same amount again. Islam Slimani has 5 league goals for Leicester this season and cost about the same as Benteke.

Those price tags are why it's still worth gambling on Flamini or Remy. If these sorts of players were guaranteed top performers then they wouldn't be available on a free or on loan would they?

Employee of the month is a good example of how someone can be both a winner and a loser at the same time.

Rudi - i started a thread on here a year or so ago lamenting just how awful Palace have been through the decades with getting the right 'big money' signings and not wasting money and hoping Parish hadn't forgotten the past and learn from it. He has and he hasn't, obviously.

Big chest and massive boobs

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I was no major Dwight Gayle fan but even I recognise he would have scored as many goals as Benteke given the same amount of playing time. Just using goals as a pointer to overall worth is mis-leading.

You may think Parish/the managers have been successful and used most of the Prem dosh wisely and with prudence and in-keeping with what was expected given the status but I politely strongly disagree.

Big chest and massive boobs

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