What’s next? My annual piss up in Newcastle on Wednesday. Every cloud….

True, regarding a vital cog enabling others to work.

I just feel a fit Olise and the feedback from the game yesterday isn’t so cantered on CG not playing. I felt very excited with Wilf, Olise, Eze on the pitch at the same time and for a few minutes we were playing good. Incisive football. Until they scored the second.

Wilf and Eze’s movement and energy shifted significantly when Olise came on.

My overriding thought when I got home last night was that football is dead. As lifted and proud as I always am by following the Palace in victory or defeat, I was utterly depressed at the pointlessness of it all. Following Palace feels like being a missionary for something that no longer exists.

Sport is competition, and there is none left in ours. So what's the point? The game is just a handful of foreign millionaires who, if you're lucky, leave a few scraps for the other 90 clubs to fight over. Personally, I genuinely wish the European Super League would go ahead. Then Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, and a couple of others can f*** off and let the rest of us revive and enjoy what sport used to be and should be all about.

Yesterday was embarrassing and the authorities who've allowed the game to be reduced to a giant, prawn sandwich should hang their heads in shame. What happened at Wembley? A big wallet followed by absolutely no one who gave a f*** (I'm not sure who the people were at the other end of the stadium, but I wouldn't call them "football supporters" have reached yet another soul-less Cup Final. Palace, meanwhile, were the last actual football club standing in the competition.

Note the words "football club". We are a CLUB. The other sides in the semi-finals were "teams" (possibly excepting Liverpool). There's no sense of "club" about them. I'm surprised, on the back of their shirts, Chelsea and Man City don't add sort codes to their squad numbers.

Edited by sydtheeagle (18 Apr 2022 10.56am)

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.

I’m still scratching my head about Ward as a wing back. If it was a sentimental decision fair enough. He always tries but it didn’t really work.
The succession of substitutions left us totally unbalanced. From Hodgson to Pardew in one game. This all sounds a bit harsh . It was a nice day out and I’m sure PV had learned about the squad.
His biggest challenge for next season is getting Eze back on track. The injury won’t work as an excuse next season. Use him as a sub for the rest of the season. He may come on and do something special which will boost his confidence.
Where was Hughes? Thought he’d be a natural replacement for JM when he ran out of steam.

Positives
Palace fans were immense throughout, in attendance colour and voice. Great day in the sun.

Eze – whilst he didn’t have a telling impact on the game, he looked a cut above. Seriously talented footballer, just need to find a way to get him involved more often.

We’re a club on the up. A lot to be proud of.

Negatives
Team selection and formation – playing 3 at the back, with ward as a wingback just felt odd. And even stranger to go with something very different on the biggest game of the season.

Ruthlessness – potentially just unlucky that too decent chances fell to CK, but both were at important times of the game. The header especially, just before they scored the opener. Big games, need players to step up. Andersons open goal was also pretty terrible.

Chelsea fans – WTF is wrong with them. Loads of empty seats, fans streaming out at 2.0, not a single song sung in the ground, and out of it all they want to do is to goad and fight

Policing – how can they get it so wrong, fans sit at opposite sides of the ground so should be easy enough to keep them apart. Loads of coppers, all in the wrong places, standing around doing f all. Fans mixed and stuck on Wembley way fighting.

I think PV let his heart rule his head in this one. Giving a last hoorah to Ward and Benteke and playing Eze when he has not been given a chance all season.

Olise had to start that game - if he was fit for 20 minutes he was fit to start.

I know this won’t go down well with most fans but if we get a AWB type offer for Mitchell I would take it. As good as he is defending he is so poor on the ball that it causes us a lot of issues.