that is why Liverpool did not want him!

But what about the period sept - Jan last year where the same accusations were being thrown at him (lazy, disinterested etc), and it simply wasn't his fault. Pardew attempted to play a style that we are going to try and adopt again this season and it simply does not suit Benteke. The management should realise this and if they are that determined to play this way, then they need to sell Benteke and buy a more mobile striker. Benteke is ten times the player that Frazier Campbell was, but Campbell would have offered much more on Saturday than Benteke. ( I am not suggesting Frazier Campbell is the answer).

has resisted writing a single post on the Ross McCormack thread !!!

Thing is - he did have a few headers but they didn't go in...

You can't compare Mounie and Benteke, they are totally different. The style of play isn't suiting Benteke very well, and if he is a £27 million striker, we should surely just build the team around him? He isn't lazy or unfit, it's just he isn't the type of player who can take on defenders with the ball at his feet.

No, not really. If you factor in he should be being fed from both the others in the front three and from two wingbacks then he should actually be getting a better service than before.

Add to that the ability to flick on for others running beyond him and we should be far more effective up front than just relying on wide men hitting teams on the break.

Saturday's biggest issue from what I saw was an imbalance with Ward at RWB which meant that HT could simply shut down our left side as there was no real threat from our right (which changed in the second half with RLC dropping back & Andros coming on). This over exposed the back three as well as leaving the front three more than a little isolated.

He showed that he will win headers if we get the ball in (only a top class save prevented him scoring) & he did win a few balls deeper for Wilf to run on to.

Do you need reminding of the goal he goat against Chelski? Surely that showed he has a great touch & cool head - as do many of his international goals. He's a goal taker rather than maker so give him the chances & he'll convert them.

Will this be five? It's gonna be five! It IS five!

I'd love to see the stats (which no doubt will prove me wrong) but it felt like Townsend won more balls than any other Palace player on Saturday and he didn't even play the whole game!