The elephant in the room

PatrickA London 23 Oct 22 7.56pm
Zaha is the top four or five goal scorers in the Premier League this calendar year. Where would we have been without his goals over the period? I need Willo or another stats man to explain the closest Palace scorer over the equivalent period, but I would doubt that they have more than 4 or 5 league goals (Mateta?). There must be a reasonable chance that Zaha will depart at some point next year as he will be available without a fee and should be able to command wages that Palace cannot match. There will definitely be interest from top clubs as a free transfer. So where are our goals going to come from if he departs? We need to planning for this eventuality as I cannot see the goals coming from our current strikers or midfield. Even with a good defence it can be a struggle to win games without goals. In some ways it’s a longer standing problem as Luka was previously our top scorer when on penalty duty, as indeed is Zaha currently. I hope this post does not compound people’s misery after yesterday’s performance, but we need to find goals from other areas or from new players.
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PatrickA

London 23 Oct 22 7.56pm

Zaha is the top four or five goal scorers in the Premier League this calendar year.
Where would we have been without his goals over the period?
I need Willo or another stats man to explain the closest Palace scorer over the equivalent period, but I would doubt that they have more than 4 or 5 league goals (Mateta?).
There must be a reasonable chance that Zaha will depart at some point next year as he will be available without a fee and should be able to command wages that Palace cannot match.
There will definitely be interest from top clubs as a free transfer.
So where are our goals going to come from if he departs?
We need to planning for this eventuality as I cannot see the goals coming from our current strikers or midfield.
Even with a good defence it can be a struggle to win games without goals.
In some ways it’s a longer standing problem as Luka was previously our top scorer when on penalty duty, as indeed is Zaha currently.
I hope this post does not compound people’s misery after yesterday’s performance, but we need to find goals from other areas or from new players.

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crystal-purley Purley 23 Oct 22 8.30pm
Good post. I am assuming that COFC are talking with Wilf but the other elephant is that Wilf wants out to pick up some silverware and if the scousers are looking at him then we could well lose him. On the positiuve side Olise and Eze will be well grounded by then and hopefully will take over from him and (again hopefully) we will have picked up that additional midgfielder which will make a difference (think of Luka yesterday being on the bench instead of starting). I am being positive but I can see the green shoots coming through but there is always the chance that we need the money to pay for the extra cost of the new stand which will stop us buying that midfielder. Many a slip twixt cup and lip. Enjoying getting up later and not having someone who knows better than me (apart from the missus of course).
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crystal-purley

Purley 23 Oct 22 8.30pm

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Good post. I am assuming that COFC are talking with Wilf but the other elephant is that Wilf wants out to pick up some silverware and if the scousers are looking at him then we could well lose him. On the positiuve side Olise and Eze will be well grounded by then and hopefully will take over from him and (again hopefully) we will have picked up that additional midgfielder which will make a difference (think of Luka yesterday being on the bench instead of starting). I am being positive but I can see the green shoots coming through but there is always the chance that we need the money to pay for the extra cost of the new stand which will stop us buying that midfielder. Many a slip twixt cup and lip.

Enjoying getting up later and not having someone who knows better than me (apart from the missus of course).

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HeathMan Purley 23 Oct 22 11.22pm
Thankfully Zaha is talking about enjoying his football with Palace. PV is in the background. Assuming Wilfred could walk into any PL team on transfer, he only needs to be injured to start a struggle for a starting place at the receiving club.
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HeathMan

Purley 23 Oct 22 11.22pm

Thankfully Zaha is talking about enjoying his football with Palace.

PV is in the background. Assuming Wilfred could walk into any PL team on transfer, he only needs to be injured to start a struggle for a starting place at the receiving club.

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ASCPFC Pro-Cathedral/caravan park 24 Oct 22 7.17pm
If you genuinely want to talk about this, consider the reality. If we were top half, competing for Europe then Zaha would stay. As it is, we're fighting relegation, maybe we can get mid table. Zaha is going to leave in those circumstances. Red and Blue Army!
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ASCPFC

Pro-Cathedral/caravan park 24 Oct 22 7.17pm

If you genuinely want to talk about this, consider the reality. If we were top half, competing for Europe then Zaha would stay. As it is, we're fighting relegation, maybe we can get mid table. Zaha is going to leave in those circumstances.

Red and Blue Army!

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PatrickA London 24 Oct 22 7.36pm
The point of the post was more about how we replace his goals if he does leave. He’s third top scorer in the Premier League over this calendar year (13 goals) and I can’t see where equivalent goals are coming from other members of the squad. If he leaves, whether in January or the summer, we need to replace his goals somehow or we face a struggle.
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PatrickA

London 24 Oct 22 7.36pm

The point of the post was more about how we replace his goals if he does leave.
He’s third top scorer in the Premier League over this calendar year (13 goals) and I can’t see where equivalent goals are coming from other members of the squad.
If he leaves, whether in January or the summer, we need to replace his goals somehow or we face a struggle.

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ASCPFC Pro-Cathedral/caravan park 24 Oct 22 7.53pm
Originally posted by PatrickA The point of the post was more about how we replace his goals if he does leave. He’s third top scorer in the Premier League over this calendar year (13 goals) and I can’t see where equivalent goals are coming from other members of the squad. If he leaves, whether in January or the summer, we need to replace his goals somehow or we face a struggle. Fair enough, my point was if we were any good he'd stay. He's Palace through and through but he's not going to stay as we've been treading water for ten years. Red and Blue Army!
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ASCPFC

Pro-Cathedral/caravan park 24 Oct 22 7.53pm

Originally posted by PatrickA

Fair enough, my point was if we were any good he'd stay. He's Palace through and through but he's not going to stay as we've been treading water for ten years.

Red and Blue Army!

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Brinscalleagle2 Online Brinscall 24 Oct 22 8.24pm
Originally posted by ASCPFC Fair enough, my point was if we were any good he'd stay. He's Palace through and through but he's not going to stay as we've been treading water for ten years. I think that is correct he would stay if we were a team challenging for the top. The reality is we do not yet have the players to do so and I fear if he does stay and we do not progress markedly then he will lose interest and become a negative influence. I think it is in the best interests of the club’s development that he moves on as much as it hurts me to say so. COYP
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Brinscalleagle2 Online

Brinscall 24 Oct 22 8.24pm

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Originally posted by ASCPFC

Fair enough, my point was if we were any good he'd stay. He's Palace through and through but he's not going to stay as we've been treading water for ten years.

I think that is correct he would stay if we were a team challenging for the top. The reality is we do not yet have the players to do so and I fear if he does stay and we do not progress markedly then he will lose interest and become a negative influence. I think it is in the best interests of the club’s development that he moves on as much as it hurts me to say so. COYP

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southnorwoodhill Online 24 Oct 22 8.53pm
It wouldn't sadden me overly if he left. The "we can't do without Wilf" brigade need to realise that at some stage he'll go anyway, and this being the last season of his current contract it may well be now, unless the club decide to offer him another year. Others will step up to the plate and it may well be that we'll function a lot better with the load spread more evenly.
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southnorwoodhill Online

24 Oct 22 8.53pm

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It wouldn't sadden me overly if he left. The "we can't do without Wilf" brigade need to realise that at some stage he'll go anyway, and this being the last season of his current contract it may well be now, unless the club decide to offer him another year.
Others will step up to the plate and it may well be that we'll function a lot better with the load spread more evenly.

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doombear Too far from Selhurst Park 24 Oct 22 10.14pm
I think we will be surprised where the goals will come from when Wilf leaves. Currently, we are still set up to try and get the ball to Wilf as often as possible with Andersen using his long diagonal crosses and Olise admitting that he tends to look to pass to Wilf whenever he can. When he gets the ball, Wilf has too often lost it or has slowed the team's momentum by keeping the ball too long before passing. Whilst his goal return since PV came has been the best in his career, his record of assists has been poor for a player in his role. When he goes, our team may be more balanced and less predictable to our opponents as our players hopefully seek to play the right ball and not seek out a particular talisman.
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doombear

Too far from Selhurst Park 24 Oct 22 10.14pm

I think we will be surprised where the goals will come from when Wilf leaves.

Currently, we are still set up to try and get the ball to Wilf as often as possible with Andersen using his long diagonal crosses and Olise admitting that he tends to look to pass to Wilf whenever he can. When he gets the ball, Wilf has too often lost it or has slowed the team's momentum by keeping the ball too long before passing.

Whilst his goal return since PV came has been the best in his career, his record of assists has been poor for a player in his role.

When he goes, our team may be more balanced and less predictable to our opponents as our players hopefully seek to play the right ball and not seek out a particular talisman.

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ATL Eagle Atlanta 25 Oct 22 12.48am
Originally posted by doombear When he goes, our team may be more balanced and less predictable to our opponents as our players hopefully seek to play the right ball and not seek out a particular talisman. You've got a point. It's becoming clearer to me that the young guns are deferring to Wilf by always looking to pass to him. I'm concerned that Eze and Olise are also taking a cue from him in being more concerned with looking cool than doing the hard work. On the other hand Wilf has had some good games this year. For me Olise and Eze were much more at fault vs. Everton than Wilf.
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ATL Eagle

Atlanta 25 Oct 22 12.48am

Originally posted by doombear

When he goes, our team may be more balanced and less predictable to our opponents as our players hopefully seek to play the right ball and not seek out a particular talisman.

You've got a point. It's becoming clearer to me that the young guns are deferring to Wilf by always looking to pass to him. I'm concerned that Eze and Olise are also taking a cue from him in being more concerned with looking cool than doing the hard work.

On the other hand Wilf has had some good games this year. For me Olise and Eze were much more at fault vs. Everton than Wilf.

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Phil’s Barber Crowborough 25 Oct 22 9.05am
Originally posted by doombear I think we will be surprised where the goals will come from when Wilf leaves. Currently, we are still set up to try and get the ball to Wilf as often as possible with Andersen using his long diagonal crosses and Olise admitting that he tends to look to pass to Wilf whenever he can. When he gets the ball, Wilf has too often lost it or has slowed the team's momentum by keeping the ball too long before passing. Whilst his goal return since PV came has been the best in his career, his record of assists has been poor for a player in his role. When he goes, our team may be more balanced and less predictable to our opponents as our players hopefully seek to play the right ball and not seek out a particular talisman. Excellent post.
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Phil’s Barber

Crowborough 25 Oct 22 9.05am

Originally posted by doombear

I think we will be surprised where the goals will come from when Wilf leaves.

Whilst his goal return since PV came has been the best in his career, his record of assists has been poor for a player in his role.

When he goes, our team may be more balanced and less predictable to our opponents as our players hopefully seek to play the right ball and not seek out a particular talisman.

Excellent post.

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