I have felt for the last year or so that the fitness of the players is not up to premiership standard. 75-80 minutes a match is all we seem to be able to muster.
Now that Sammy Lee has had them for over a month I think we will start to see an increase in their conditioning. I expect to see the first real signs of this new regime in the next matches.If the fitness levels are upped I have no doubt that results will follow. If they gain the energy I know they have the skill to get the job done.

Not unfit, just unmotivated and lazy.

It's all relative, especially when you compare us to say Tottenham or Liverpool. It's been a clear problem that our squad suffers from, particularly in midfield. The running stats prove it, we're not a team that has the majority of possession and we're not truly set up to defend like we used to under Freedman/Pulis, so there's no other explanation as to why the lack of distance covered by us is ok.

There is a clear drop off late in games, part due to confidence but it doesn't explain why it's been going on for 14 months and the fact that we ALWAYS have to sub one of our midfielders.

I think the problem is partly due to the lack of fitness training done under pardew but partly because of the players we have; Cabaye, Ledley, Flamini. None look like they have much running in them.

My brother is a professional fitness coach and has been so since 1997. He has worked at Palace, QPR, Dagenham and Luton. Five promotions and one relegation in that time but particularly strong on player preparation and recovery. Well prepared players do not incur muscular injury. Fact not fiction.

A Palace fan, like me, for over 40 years, his assessment is simply based on what he can see, rather than what he can't (Beckenham): The players are overworked during the warm ups. Consequently, they potentially 'peak' during the game and then start running on empty before the ninety minutes are up. Kind of like the difference between being honed for a 60m sprint, rather than 100m. We might win the former, but the race is the latter.

He left Luton at the end of last season and approached Pardew, offering his help and consultation on the first team. Instead, he was offered (& took) the job of assessing every non-first team player at the club, down to U15 and providing a comprehensive fitness dossier on each. He got paid well but seriously, what was the point and where was the benefit?

Spirit of 1974

The team that Pulis prepared fitness wise before his departure was fit, lean & mean. Ok we then brought in Warm"the seat"ock but honestly while I liked him, he seemed clueless at premier level, great in championship most times, then Pardew arrives and we are so fit anyway, we turbo charged up the league! (Take Leicester last season, who really prepared that team prior to that season... look at what happening now .., the Pardew/Ranieri effect!!)
This season, Ive been to many games home & AWAY this season and we have never looked really fit from the start!!, we didnt look that fit last season!! So whats happening pre-season!!

Not just games. How many 1st halves have let in late goals?

Yes it's definitely contributed to our poor results and the new regime will address it and hopefully get some extra points from it. Hopefully it's not too late.

COYP