Regarding Ince in this game, I thought Man United just kept a close watch on him. If I was to pick either Ince or Bolasie going forward (sentiment aside) I'd pick Ince. What Bolasie seemed to bring to this game was the element of surprise. I could be totally wrong in this, but I thought MU looked like they didn't know enough about Bolasie (although, who does, he can be an unpredictable player). Bolasie played one of his better games and brought a lot to the pitch but for me (IMHO) he'd be kept on the bench in favour of Ince starting.

I realise this is a digression from the Murray discussion, but somebody did speak about Ince vs Bolasie in this thread.

Regarding Murray, Jerome came on and did well, but ultimately I don't think I could criticise the choice to start Murray.

Yes he did well, however he was introduced at 0-2 when the game was effectively won and Man Utd were content to see out the match.A different dynamic came into play.

I have NO problems at all with Pulis' decision to start Murray.At the end of the day Murray scored 30 goals for us last season (Albeit at a lower level) so he is a proven goalscorer. Jerome on the other hand struggles to score and has missed good chances so Murray deserved his chance.I can understand Pulis' thinking on this matter.

Edited by Willo (24 Feb 2014 10.22am)

ok just for you Ian I will share the obvious. Murray marshalls the front line better than both Jerome and of course Gayle who runs round like a headless chicken until he has the ball at his feet then he looks dangerous. Jerome holds the ball up the best out of the 3 but not by far from Murray as he equally does a superb job here IMO. Gayle when given the opportunity can score as we have already seen this season, Jerome cant. Murray on the other hand knows how to create space for himself in tight situations something gayle will learn over time, something we haven't got at present. Overall Murray is not only technically better than both Jerome and Gayle, but he also has their best qualities rolled into one. As for his dip in scoring goals last season, I was very pleased that he managed to score 31 goals in 3/4 of a season and that for me tell me how accomplished he is at scoring. Which again is something we need right now. We have tried the other format with both jerome and gayle and its not that effective in both cases. When Murray becomes sharper and Pulis knows this he will get that extra space all be it a few feet and start to score. I thought it was a master stroke playing Murray from the outset against Manure, because it would of been a coo if we got something from the game and also give Murray a good test against vidic as to what to expect from top premier league opposition in the weeks to come. Murray will score goals you can count on that in this division, I thought he marshalled the front line well in his first start for palace and to start to knock him before he gets started was way to harsh. Maybe in the OP's defence my he maybe a newish fan by his joining date and didn't get to see how affective Murray was last season.

Murray needs game time, becauase if he can discover the form he found last season, he will be nothing short of instrumental.

Chamakh, as mentioned already, plays better behind another striker. His hold up play and composure, at times, is superb. He is the best option behind the striker, in the hole, and so shouldn't be considered to lead the line on a weekly basis.

There have been so many times this season, when we've lacked a really clinical striker. I'm a big fan of Jerome, but whether it be lack of competition or confidence, he hasn't look as sharp as we need him to be. Murray offers such an inteliigent game; he's scrappy, his goals aren't generally pretty, but he reads the box well and finds himself pockets of opportunity. His hold up play at the weekend, I thought, was absolutely brilliant, I think there's the makings of a great partnership between him and those around him, and this needs to be given time to mature.

When it comes to the wide players, I think it's healthy to have three players viaing for two positions. Ince should start, unless injured or in bad form, because quite frankly we need to get what we can from the million we payed! His natural ability, IMO, is head and shoulders above Puncheon and Bolasie.

Murray's movement and desire on Saturday was brilliant; he's obviously hungry. As soon as he finds the net and builds his confidence, I think we will see the Murray we saw last year. There was always a question mark over what sort of player he would be, ACL injuries can change your career entirely, but I really do think we saw enough on Saturday to suggest he will be back to his best.

RED AND BLUE ARMY!

Murrays volley 2nd half was class. He was also doing a lot of running back to help out Midfield. I am amazed at how fit and sharp he is looking. Jerome has had chance after chance and is not up to Premier League standard unfortunately. Murray scored the goals that helped us get to the Premier League and deserves his place in the side.