FDB has been suggested to have been SP's 1st choice target for our replacement manager all along. I am sure we will all know the full story shortly.

I really like the fact that once again SP and Palace work extremely hard and succeed in conducting business privately and on their own terms.
Leaving the press, media and bookies to just run around like headless chickens filling space with complete verbiage (just like the Marco Silva story)

However the whole process does appear to have been a lengthy in terms of time but there may also be valid reasons for this?
Also some posters on Hol clearly expected a manager to be installed almost instantly and then after only a week without went into meltdown mode!

the usual bellendery you get on here , really annoying

Didn't do a lot for Cardiff and when he came back there was no end product. We were scoring about 40 a season with Zaha assisting about 3.

My point however is that if we had a Zaha now, he wouldn't be a Zaha because he wouldn't get that championship learning. You get there by playing. A player at the level from 2010 and about 4+ years after wouldn't get in. Sad but true. It's the system, not the player that's at fault.

He could earn his stripes out on loan but I think we know he likes to feel at home. Must take more character than we appreciate, having to be loaned out here there and everywhere.

Absolutely. I read this morning that personal terms and support staff remain to be agreed, but are not anticipated to be a problem; let's hope that's correct. I also read separately that Parish is sailing in the Med.

That's incredibly harsh. Our promotion season he was double teamed a lot. Allowing space for others, especially Bolaise to exploit.

Looking just a stats can be misleading.

I get your point, although Everton, Southampton, Swansea and Bournemouth (to an extent) have all bought talent in from the academy (albeit some purchased from lower league team.) If the will is there it can be done.

I was just using stats to make the point. For 18 months Zaha didn't really do anything. Then for 6 months in a cr@p side under Pardew after MacArthur and Yala got injured he stood out. Then for a full season he was exceptional.

If we got to the prem without him and he came through now he wouldn't play and would have to go out on loan for about 4 years. Would he have the mental strength that requires and temperament to get through that?

We aren't suddenly going to attract the best of south London's youth talent. The ones we do currently have aren't suddenly going to become better than those Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs have scooped up (I think there is an opportunity if we get them instead of them. Keiron Gibbs, Robinsonson etc).

Even the press have said the strategy might rather be buying early 20s European talent or players that haven't made it at big clubs, whether they were bought for millions or academy graduates who've played but haven't held down a place. Again this is what I was referring to in that the big clubs attract the best youth and then they fail because the development at first team stage is underrated. It does require perseverance and the pressure to finish top 4 or whatever is too risky financially.

De Boer changing our academy round in his tenure is a pipe dream and some would do well to realise it. He can set it in motion though. The best way we can turn it round is so the best around choose us over Arsenal or Chelsea. So for us to have success with that 10 year old is 10 years away + the time it takes to get the academy to the level a boy would choose us over them. Us being a stable prem club would help, Chelsea etc paying bribes doesn't.

Anyone who thinks within Frank's stay he's going to change the academy around, he can't. It'll take a long time to get prem graduates who'll make it in prem football.