Did seem a bit odd he went off on holiday the last two weeks missed the end of season awards and all goodbyes and the group photos etc...

More likely a contract tour than a holiday...

26th January 2010 - Enter Administration
2nd May 2010 - D-Day 1 - Survival at Hillsborough
1st June 2010 - D-Day 2 - Survival at Lloyds
7th June 2010 - CPFC2010 exchange contracts.

Has Wilf ever been as good as he was in the past?

I ask that question partly tongue in cheek, but also partly seriously.

There can be no question that he will go down as a Palace legend, having given us some abiding memories. There have been some great goals and we have loved watching him turning opposition defenders inside out.

However, he has, in my mind, always been a inconsistent. He has had purple patches but also periods when he hasn't delivered.

I distinctly remember that in the second half of our promotion season in 2012 2013, after signing for United but staying with us on loan, his form seriously dipped and only really perked up for the play-offs.

I reckon if you could bothered to trawl back over posts about Wilf from 6 or 7 years ago you would find many of the same things being said about him then as now, bemoaning his temperamental side, selfishness, and sometimes going anonymous in games. I very clearly remember a period when there was debate on this site as to who was the better player - Wilf or Bolasie - and there was no clear concensus on this.

Don't get me wrong, I am not slagging the fella off. He has been a great asset for us and on many occasions thrilling to watch. All that I am saying is that he has some frailties, inconsistencies and shortcomings which have always been there, and which have not just emerged in the last 2 or 3 years.I think it can be easy to forget this.

There was never a time in the past when could be relied upon to consistently perform game in game out all season.

In fact I can remember a post of my own from several years back on one of the many "Wilf" threads debating his pros and cons, where I posed the question, "how often is Wilf man of the match"? My answer to my own question was, not very often, and not many respondents disagreed.

I think this is a fair and balanced assessment, and I say this even though he is one of my favourite Palace players.I don't have blinkers on where Wilf is concerned and am aware of the weaknesses.
His value to us has been magnified because of the lack of other talented forward options for much of Wilf's time with the club.
My favourite period was the promotion season when some of his footwork on the ball had to be seen to be believed.

Seconded.

Dad and I watched games standing on the muddy slope of the Holmesdale Road end. He cheered and I rattled.

However good wilf has been, there’s always been talk on previous seasons of whether we’d better off without him. For all the good memories he’s given me I also remember the games when his attitude just stunk, constant moaning, petulance, not tracking back and getting silly bookings costing us precious points. I think he’s been good for us but we have also been good for wilf, don’t see him achieving success, specially on a cl side. I see his future going the same trajectory as Townsend. The grass is not always greener on the other side.