As I’ve said before we need a striker who has the split second awareness and skill to find the corners of the net and unfortunately Benteke doesn’t have this in his locker. He’s a hit and hoper aiming in the general direction of the goal which is why he finds the keeper so often. Sure.. he sometimes gets lucky but we just need more at this level If we are going to challenge for a top 8.

The beatings will stop when morale improves.

No front player will get any goals unless they get the service , which has been our problem for many years .
I see at the first opportunity the Benteke haters are out again .

No it's about being realistic... If you think that Bentekes dreadful scoring record prior to the last few months of last season is purely down to a lack of service then you can't be watching him properly.

I've lost count over the last few seasons the amount of times he's displayed a terrible first touch, lack of enthusiasm, lack of motivation, awful finishing and hiding behind defenders.

I sincerely hope he carries on this season how he left last season. Time will tell.

Don't waste your time with jealousy. Sometimes your ahead, sometimes your behind, the race is long. But in the end it's only with yourself!!

This could go to the wire. It could be a question of who blinks first, Blackburn, Palace or So'ton?

Blackburn know they have to reach a deal with a PL club this window otherwise Armstrong will be off on a free next summer.

So'ton and Palace both need another striker with the Saints need possibly the greater. I fear they may jump first and cough up the full £20m that Blackburn want.

However, it seems Armstrong might prefer us so interesting days - possibly weeks - ahead.

There's also the question of who else we might be looking at.

There's an element of truth but think you're overstating personally - for the most part he looked like a good CF to me in general play but did as you say hide somewhat.

Where I diverge is on the question as to whether he is a "bad" centre forward and incapable of scoring goals.

Generally a fan of RH but prepared to entertain the notion that he had a negative effect on all our attacking players. Wilf I thought was often blunt under him and Townsend regressed too. In the - fairly extensive - spells where Wilf was pinned to the left touchline and targeted with receiving the ball as an outlet in our own half he was fairly ineffective as an attacking force and I thought slightly fed up.

Thought he only really perked up when he had Bats (version 1) alongside him, was pushed up further forward as per early last season or when Townsend was a threat down the other side.

What made Benteke perk up last season? Who knows? My version is that is was Eze becoming a real force which gave the whole attack a new lease of life. Not exactly the Zaha Bolasie effect but something akin to it.

Well the cynic in me would point to the fact that both his contract was running out and he was playing to get into the Belgium squad for the Euro's...

On the other hand there was very little change to his effort or his game play. He simply hit a patch of good finishing.

So its my opinion that Benteke simply picked up some form that perhaps was helped by the rewards on offer to him. He does genuinely seem to like playing at Palace and does come across as a very likeable chap. I consider him a good player who could easily score 15 goals a season if he stays fit and is used in a system that suits him well.

I'm not so sure he is going to be very good at closing down the opposition in the way PV seems to want us to do...but its very early days to write anyone off.