Another manager would play him regularly and make sure he is given the service to score goals. I’ve always rated him but Hodgson seemed to rate Edouard over him. Neither are great coming off the bench. Unless he wants to go, we should keep him in my opinion. 20mil is nothing in today’s terms and we are unlikely to get better for that money unless we are needing it to go towards a larger payment for someone?

I think that’s something he has done well in this recent little spell, rattling defenders. At least they’ve known he’s there, where as Edouard is a puff of wind and too easy for defenders to play against.

The one thing I like about JPM which I rarely hear from others is that I consider him to be very much a 'striker' in that almost his entire identity as a footballer centres around trying to put the ball in the back of the net. Despite his size, I don't think you'd call him a 'target man', even to the extent Benteke was.

We have Roy at the helm because of the limited playing resource we have, the two scenarios are married. If we are resourced sufficiently elsewhere on the pitch I imagine we'd see JPM putting chances away that others are creating for him, not panting as he moves around sluggishly, being constantly caught offside, having been asked to contribute toward a whole team effort that detracts from the focus of scoring goals.

This is where we need a realistic, longer term ideal for the team. Do we continue to buy players, most notably forwards, who are going to be asked to contribute to a laboured, evenly distributed team effort for however many games a season, or do we buy players to excel in their individual positions with a manager guiding them to do so?

You'd hope for the latter however our limited financial position often means it's the former. Our striker should be on the pitch primarily to convert chances the team creates and then perhaps contribute around that. If the primary ask is to link up play, hold it up, win knock- ons, put pressure on the opposition, defend corners, and then perhaps after all those things... maybe... try and get a goal, we'll see the returns we have from our sting of 'failed' forwards.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

He's crap.

Immobile, doesn't punch his weight, loses far more duels than he wins, and is clumsy as a new-born giraffe.

Signing a player to score goals (i.e 15-20 a season) in the premier league is very difficult, and I don't expect Palace to come up with one (unless they get lucky). Nevertheless, a forward who does a good job for the team, leads the line, runs channels, stretches and presses defences and maybe gets ten league goals a season is not out of the question.

Mateta usually does none of those things, and even when he manages to do one or two, he costs us so dearly in every other department that there is no net gain.

He's so bad he keeps Edouard in the team.

Funny isn't it but think that this is a huge weakness for him. To my eyes, he (infuriatingly) still cannot control the ball instantly; it just bounces off him, especially in and around the box.

I have to say I think he just doesn't cut the mustard. Not premier League class.

Can we crowdfund his fare to Germany?

I think most would have agreed with you until he came on for Eduoard against Liverpool. Since then in the last six games he's arguably been our best player. He has been dribbling past players, holding the ball up, winning headers, finding teammates with his passes, has two goals and an assist. He's even lasted the whole 90 minutes without dying of exhaustion in all but one of the last five games. Can it last beyond the transfer window closing? Who knows.