Dear Sam,
I’ve been a Palace Fan for 40 years and I’d like to help you keep our team in the Premier League.
I’ve never played football professionally, but I was on the club’s books during the mid-1980s in their School of Excellence, before playing non-league football for a number of local teams. At best I was average, but I do think I can read a game of football and its amazing how obvious things seem when looking down on the pitch from high up, rather than pitch side.

It seems to me that Alan Pardew over complicated matters and asked players to do things that they were not capable of achieving, as well as playing players out of position. He was also unable to see that Wayne Hennessey is not good enough to keep us in the league. One or two worldy saves every 3rd game does not make up for his lack of command in the box and his inability to read the game that is going on in front of him. It’s clear to me that the defence do not trust him. Please do not fall into the same trap as AP.

Here’s some other simple ideas to consider:

Play Julian Speroni until Steve Mandanda is fit (at least the crowd would be on board and Jules couldn’t be any worse than WH).

Play James McArthur alongside Yohan Cabaye or Luka Milivojevic. He is our most hardworking midfield player and makes the side tick by keeping the ball moving. He should not be played as our most advanced midfielder.

If you are going to play Jason Puncheon, then play him in further forward. Do not ask him to be a defensive midfielder because he cannot defend and you lose the one thing he is good at - his creativity.

Do not ask Wilfried Zaha to tuck in near Benteke, he needs space to play in. Every time Holloway and Pardew asked Bolasie and him to play more centrally, with the full backs providing the width, they were totally ineffective. Wilf frightens the opposition if played wide isolating a full back. Ask yourself if the opposition would be as concerned knowing the width is being provided by Joel Ward?

Perhaps allow Wilf and Andros / Schlupp to swap wings from time to time. Mix it up.

Benteke appears lazy, mainly because he is unable to anticipate and always look a yard slower in his thought processes than his marker, however he is remains a goal threat so play to his strengths, with genuine width and perhaps with Remy up top alongside him.

Please abandon 3/5 at the back as soon as possible. Milk turns faster than Dann, Delaney and Tomkins, hence CPFC 0-4 Sunderland.

Prior to your arrival, we were leaking goals due to having no left back, an inept goal keeper and no shield in front of back four. It looks like you have tried to address this with your signings, I hope they work out.

Keep things simple, our players do not appear to be the sharpest.

Find the players in training that are going to roll their sleeves up, they are the ones that will get us out of this mess.

Here are some suggested formations for you – a plan A, B & C if you like.

4-2-3-1
Speroni / Mandanda
Ward / Tomkins, Dann, Sakho, Schlupp / Van Aanholt
Milivojevic, McArthur / Cabaye
Zaha, Puncheon / Cabaye, Townsend / Schlupp
Benteke / Remy

4-4-2
Speroni / Mandanda
Ward / Tomkins, Dann, Sakho, Schlupp / Van Aanholt
Zaha, Milivojevic, McArthur / Cabaye, Puncheon /Schlupp / Townsend
Benteke, Remy

4-3-3
Speroni / Mandanda
Ward / Tomkins, Dann, Sakho, Schlupp / Van Aanholt
Milivojevic, McArthur, Cabaye
Zaha, Benteke, Townsend / Schlupp

Don’t over complicate, defend together, attack together and show some f#cking b#ll#cks when the going gets tough.

If we, the fans see that, then that’s all we can ask for.

Good luck with that.

CPFC1971.

Hope not,but you could be in for a job come next season.Good post and hope SA reads it,lot of sense in the contents.

I can tell why you never made it , I think Sam will be just fine without your advice , as for the players , thats something else .
If whatever eleven we put out is not better than the bottom 4 thats already down there then we deserve to go down
Simple .

Don't think Sam will read the OP.
Talk about don't over complicate.
Pardew wanted to replace Wayne hence the signing of Steeeve.

Palace 13th 2017/18.

I think a team doesn't have to be better they need to have more fight and determination to win. Lots of good teams go down and s*** ones stay up. We need to find our fight.

People standing in the rain just to see their dream again. The Damned

Yeah you are damned right.I have played a lot also and I can see you know a bit about this.