You need to understand that after our surprise arrival under Ian Holloway and the shotgun transfer policy that was adopted when we got promoted we have done exceptionally well for Crystal Palace to survive this long in the Premier.
We have adopted managers to help us survive, Pulis , Allardyce, Pardew, but the first time we tried to change under Frank was a disaster, it was too soon.
Roy gave us stability and a platform to build on a shoestring budget, yes it was turgid and boring at times it has given us a stronger base that hopefully PV can build on and now given a budget can make us a more entertaining, established Premier team.
Let us hope the more entertaining football can translate into points that keep us in the Premier league.
COYP

I agree - we look good and some players have been totally transformed under PV - J Mac for one and Ward for another.
However - and maybe it will happen soon - we need to find a way to kill games off when we have the opportunity otherwise last night will happen time and again.
The system didn't look quite right last night - although I am not clever enough to say exactly what it was that was wrong.
In broad terms I was delighted to see the way we played and the speed that we passed the ball.
PV has given them a confidence and that together with some good signings means that things are looking up - but please - no more games like last night - that felt like a loss.

Agree with that, the system was fine, the approach play was alright in the main. In particular , in the first half, Brighton, were getting everyone behind the ball and narrowing the area of play, At that point, Palace ,needed to be super accurate with their approach, and they were not quiet. But then even the very best can have that problem at times.
For a Palace fan they are a joy to watch at the minute, there is a but, however, even last night they didn’t really work the Brighton, keeper, and other than at WH it has taken a Pen, to get things going. Even the Spurs game took seventy plus minutes of dominance to get a Pen. Over all though they look like there is enough in the box to ensure an enjoyable season.

Ignoring the last few moments, it was a very positive performance, and shows how much progress we have made.

A few observations:

The CB pairing is like nothing I have seen for a long time. The guys both ooze class, always seaming to make the right decision. They also contribute so much to our new position game and build up. Both often only talking 1 or 2 touches, no hesitation just moving the ball on quickly.

Andersons passing range is immense, he can do what Sakho could do (but without the mistakes). Ping long balls, play straight to the strikers’ feet. A couple of times Ayew dropped a shoulder and ran in behind with the confidence that Anderson was watching and would find him.

Connor is immense, he is just so tenacious. Lost count of the number of sprints and battles last night. He really is a joy to watch. The added energy has also helped Macca out no end. He is also looking like a class act and a technically good footballer, not just an engine.

OE might need some time to get up to speed, but starting to get the feeling that he’s ‘just’ a finisher. Might be harsh, but he didn’t add a huge amount yesterday. When Viera made the subs (Benteke and CK) I thought they were the right guys at the right time. CK put himself about a bit and added some bite. Benteke was a disgrace IMO, the lack of effort he puts in is just not on. Everything is leggy and healf hearted.

Wilf was ok, he had flashes of brilliance, but for me he turned down too many options to run at them.

For all our good work and industry we created very little. The pen, the Ayew chance, anything else? We need to find a way of turning the control into chances.

Lastly, the 2nd half was a lot more scrappy. They still didn’t have control, but it was a lot more even with neither really looking likely to score. Did they come out better, did we run out of puff?

It slightly worries me we only have the 1 win to show for it and close to the relegation teams purely because of the brainfart at the end last night.

I'm not suggesting we even look like going down, but I wonder how long you can play with that tenacity and high work-rate if you're only seeing draws and losses on the board.

When Guiata does something like that, it must make Connor Gallagher think it's not worth all the pain and ice-baths he must be taking to press every single ball down for 90 minutes.

We have a run now where we might not pick up a win for 3 games. If that happens we might be under real pressure and that'll be a real shame for Vieira and his style because he doesn't deserve to be and as you mention we're moving in the right direction but he may be forced to go Roy-ball for a bit. If he gets more points that way in the short term I hope he has the nerve to go back.

That Guiata kick could define a lot of the first half of the season. It's so frusrtrating. 2 wins and a draw at home would suggest Palace are fighting for top 8. Now it looks like we could get temporarily dragged in despite playing amazing football.

Dare I say it, but if we don't create more chances and convert them, we could end up as this season's Brighton.

However, I still view us as a team in transition that is heading in the right direction.

Fixtures wise we've had a tough start. We will need to beat the teams around us to get the points total up.

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