Always Brighton for me .

Always
Ask palace fans living in brighton what their fans think and it's the same or worse.

Not at all, I certainly do.

But I don't expect Parish, Freedman or Hodgson to pay any real attention to my views, and quite rightly so. It's not that they are more competent than me (though they might be), or that they have achieved enough to be above question (though they have achieved a huge amount). It's simply that they know the club, the business, the finances, the people, all to an extent I cannot possibly do.

I think the issues with the Manager and the players performances are the effect, and the way the club has been run, the cause.

Yes, they can choose to ignore part if not all of the letter, but it needed to be said.

Old, Ungifted and White

The bit in the letter/statement about losing games without a fight, and a lack of leadership and pride on the pitch is fair on recent performances (and recent performances alone by the way), and I’m sure many of us would make a similar point, loudly, if in the ground this season.

Otherwise, the statement certainly doesn’t speak for me, even though I think I’ve earned the title of a ‘committed supporter’ by now.

I don’t want the ultras, or even the wider fan base having a say on formations or team selections thanks. We’ve all got our opinions, but that's all they are.

Give youth a chance they cry! Not a single one of us has the experience, knowledge and access to say that a single one of our youth team would improve our first team. Not one. It’s a classic statement of its type: A big sweeping, crowd pleasing demand made from a position of absolutely no knowledge, or responsibility for the outcome.

The idea of there being a ‘Palace way’ is odd. What's that then? Is it as meaningless and vague as the West Ham way, or the Spurs Way? Always thought that stuff sounded like total bollocks personally.

Which youth was 'put front and centre' of the promotion side the statement cites as a true example of The Palace Way exactly? Zaha, and, um, oh that's right, nobody else at all. Salako and Shaw were the only youth players in the 1990 side. Dowie got us promoted without a single youth team graduate, and of that team only Black and Grey were even young. Still, it sounds good when you say it, so that'll do.

The complaint of having no ambition or vision is just utter s***e. As several people have posted on here, the club has outlined, and made progress on a clearly defined, realistic long term strategy. One might not like the strategy, but to say it doesn’t exist is the kind of ridiculous ignorance that gets public opinion ignored. Personally I hope Parish sticks with his eminently sensible strategy come what may. He has achieved as much if not more than any chairman in palace history. Still, better to have a pop though eh?

‘We must...use this opportunity with so many expiring contracts to make substantial changes across the club’. Good idea. Lets release all 12 of them, and have whip round for the £70m or so it would cost to replace even half of them. Oh hang on, what's that calling us? Oh, it's the real world, asking us to come back...

This is why functioning societies keep power and the people at arms length from each other.

Edited by TheBigToePunt (17 Feb 2021 4.49pm)

Reasonable points. There's obviously a great sense of frustration at our uninspiring, half-hearted performances. Imagine if grounds were open and this protest found its way into the stadium? Banners unfurled, chants of Hodgson Out! Parish Out!? Who knows where it might lead. The management and players ought to take heed. It's easy for them to hide behind an empty stadium, yet it would be counter productive in the long run for any such protest to grow wings. I doubt it would make much a difference to those players whose contracts are up anyway, they already seem to have an eye on the exit door if their lack of effort is anything to go by.

Edited by southnorwoodhill (17 Feb 2021 5.24pm)