To be fair the analogy of David and Goliath is a good one, mostly when people use David and Goliath it is the smaller team playing with hearth and courage to overcome the bigger mighty foe. What is overlooked in the story is they were allowed to choose their weapons, David didn’t choose a sword and go toe to toe with Goliath to show his bravery he used his brains picked a slingshot and was able to hit goliath at distance nullifying his power. All done and dusted before Goliath could get in range.
Palace don’t go toe to toe with most teams, we would be silly to, they have more money and more pulling power for the better players. Sit back, close down space and attack on the counter with solid players who know what they are doing and are well drilled to do it.
Roy has been in football a long time and people who think because he is old he is a dinosaur miss the point, he has remained in football for so long because he not only does the basic to a high standard but has learnt to adapt and take on new learnings, yeah it might be the same basic approach as it was 40 years ago at Malmo but he can incorporate that into the modern game.
How many managers have come and gone in Roy’s time because they could not adapt, it is good this has come up after the Arsenal game Arsene Wegner was seen as a genius he had big ideas nutrition, possession football and good knowledge of bargain players from Europe, once everyone else caught up with him he couldn’t adapt and his last years at Arsenal he was playing nice but ineffective football he had become a dinosaur unable to adapt to other teams holding onto possession and picking up players from the continent. Will Unai Emery be coaching into his 70s?
Would it have been a more exciting spectacle if David had chosen a sword probably, but we would probably not be discussing David several thousand years later. Would I like to see us being more innovative and see us being more adventurous in transfer market yeah but only when infrastructure and turnover is in place and we are more able to do that, that comes with developing the academy, the stadium or finding a benevolent owner. It is the equivalent to David putting off the fight for a year getting himself down the gym and getting a sponsorship with the best swordsmith in the land until then I’m happy with the more boring but more effective sling shot.
As for the story you are more multi-cultural then you think, David was Jewish and the story is in the Torah it also makes it to the Quran Al-Baqarah 2:250 ‘And when they advanced to meet Jalut (Goliath) and his forces, they invoked: “Our Lord! ... King Saul offered his daughter's hand in marriage to any soldier who dared face Goliath. Then to everyone's amazement, a young lean looking man stepped forward. He was Dawud (David).’

One supporter of hacking argued that without it "you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and I will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week's practice -Blackheath secretary at first meeting of the F.A

Good post. We do have to avoid confusing what we want with the reality of where we are. Football is very much a game of tactics. Not every team is equipped to play the Liverpool/Citeh way etc. Arteta knew full well how we would set up (he no doubt well remembers what we have achieved at the Etihad on our last couple of visits). If you want to remain in the PL, you have to play to your strengths. It may not be pretty, but we're not in a beauty parade.

I agree and I might have stretched the analogy a bit but it is about understanding our strengths and weakness and the strength and weakness of opposition which applies to the team as well as individuals.
Sorry if I’m missing your point but I agree 11 players working together is going to better than 11 better players not working well together but that fits with the David approach more expensive players don’t always make for better team although typically the better teams will be made up of more expensive signings.
To me Doombar is right, and I don’t see the game as a beauty contest, having said that and ignoring lockdown I don’t make as many games as I used to so it is easy for me to say as I’m not shelling out for a season ticket. If I were, I might have a different view more like Joe CPFC. I would also be the one annoying f***er at the David and Goliath fight saying ‘you dragged me out of the Pawson’s on wet January afternoon for this?’

Edited by Ketteridge (16 Jan 2021 12.23pm)

One supporter of hacking argued that without it "you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and I will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week's practice -Blackheath secretary at first meeting of the F.A

What a load of drivel

We are actually (when we do pass well) attempting to play attractive football, there were times against Arsenal where I thought we played some wonderful stuff and have done so much of the time Mr Hodgson has been here, results destroy good performances and too many fans simply fail to understand how much we've changed as a club, watching Andy Thorn and his team mates wasn't very attractive but because we achieved good results with them the performances are not mentioned.

Such a delicate flower aren’t you. I certainly don’t hate Roy Hodgson, why are you always so dramatic? I hate his style of football and believe he should be doing better - try to keep up.

To me, you are just blind to his inefficiencies and in lots of cases make up narratives to support your own agenda. I’m still unsure if you are just on the windup.