You’re kidding right? mcTominay is atrocious.

To try and take a balanced view of the game
- we were slightly the better team in the first half
- we won’t come up against a player like Kane every week
- it’s rare for our defence to collapse as comprehensively as it did in the second half.

On the other hand
- Spurs created very little through midfield with all the threat coming down the sides and we did nothing to counter this with our full backs very exposed throughout.
Our tactical response was poor.
- Schlupp will never be the answer in central midfield and it’s baffling why he continues to be used there
- We have to many players who run with the ball rather than play first time passes.
Pass and move and making the ball do the work are fairly basic aspects of the game which often escape us, in particular in the absence of McArthur.
In my view it will be difficult to accommodate all of Zaha, Olise, Eze and Ayew in a consistently successful team in the absence of a solid midfield platform.

It’s unclear to me why the noises coming from the club point to very limited activity this transfer window.
We had money in the summer with moves lined up for Gallagher, Downes and AWB and also offered Kouyate a one year extension.
None of those players signed and McArthur has also been injured all season.
The gaps in the squad are all too apparent.

There's a fair amount wrong at the club, starting at the top whose big shareholder says he's more interested in his other club.
Then there's the lack of investment (in PL terms), the reliance on loans and the Academy coming good one day, if ever. The Championship level ground and players. A naïve and inexperienced manager in charge of an unfit squad. After 10 odd years we've become adept at treading water and got rather to used to it.
After the first season's lift of a new manager playing in a different way from the previous incumbent's anti-football, and a loan player who competed at a level that illustrated what was required, then we all got excited about future possibilities.
Second season reality, honeymoon period over, best player gone, the other big name at the end of contract, thin squad quality overall, no new signings incoming, 7 goals against and none for in two recent home games - some would say we've been treading water far too long and haven't progressed.

There is nothing wrong with most of the players, a good CF is obviously needed and i am not sure what Doucoure adds, he cant read the game, cant pass, and is too lightweight.
The problem is as i have said numerous times is we have a rubbish pair in PV and Roberts, Cant motivate, cant organise, does he have any ruthlessness in him at all, he is too pally with the players, get rid of them both and make Freedman Manager with Derry assistant if not get Dyche.

“That’s a joke son, I say, that’s a joke.” “Nice boy, but he’s sharp as a throw pillow.” “He’s so dumb he thinks a Mexican border pays rent” “ “Son… I say, son, some people are so narrow minded they can look through a keyhole with both eyes.”__ Forhorn Leghorn

Don't be daft. Doucoure must be at the stage where he's looking to the left and right of him and thinking "f*** me, look at this pair of useless lazy herberts I have to carry"...

Edited by southnorwoodhill (05 Jan 2023 8.24am)

Teams come to Selhurst, thump us 3 or 4 nil then say what a good team we are and what great players and manager we have!. The truth is we are very inconsistent, Eze and Olise flatter to deceive. Wilf has given up caring I think and we have no natural goal scorer at all. Vieira is one of a small group of managers who the media choose to give a very easy ride.