A lot of people are criticising Roy for a lack of creativity and our home record. IMO this is unfair for the following reasons:

For half the season we lacked an out and out centre-forward with Jordan Ayew playing out of position as a stop-gap.

Last season we had Cabaye and Loftus-Cheek - two attacking/creative midfielders who left last summer.

This season we brought in Max Meyer for that creative role, and although he has shown glimpses of his talent and put in 100% effort, has not yet adapted to the demands of the premier League.

So effectively there is a big hole in the creative department this season which we have struggled to fill. I agree it has been frustrating to watch at times, but in the end we look like having another season at the top level.

Some other posters have wanted us to move on to the 'next level'. By that I assume they mean a regular top 10 finish. So effectively there are four places available, as the top 6 are spoken for (unless some hugely rich investor buys us). So we're left with four places, from 7th to 10th.

Now look at the clubs we are up against for these positions - Leicester - a club with big money behind them and who actually won the league three years ago; West Ham - a club with a 60,000 stadium that costs them peanuts, so most of their income can go into squad-building; Everton - a much bigger club than us, about to build a new stadium and BTW have never been out of the top flight since 1949! So realistically that leaves one more place for us to battle out with all the other clubs remaining.

Lets face it - there are plenty of clubs of our status, and bigger (just look at the Championship table) who aspire to a top ten status and seasons free from relegation worries, but that is very hard to achieve. Effectively, we are in a relegation battle from day 1 each season.

All things considered, I thing Roy has done a marvellous job for us and I hope he stays for as long as he feels he's got the motivation and energy to do the job.

Good post. however it is far too reasonable and sensible for this forum

You believe it is a good post, because it agrees with your viewpoint. I wonder if you would ever say a post was good if it disagreed with you, even if written by Shakespeare himself?

Either way it will all be academic a year from now, when Roy retires from the game.

Then all the arguments for and against RH and his ways, will come to an end.

Dont get me wrong, if RH is able to get us firing at home next year, and shows some ability to offer a plan B, and be remotely flexible when the ultra negative defensive tactics arent working, I will be all for him staying on.

The guy above talks about strikers, and there being a lack of firepower up top this year.

Benteke has fallen off a cliff since being managed by Hodgson, I expect RH fans believe that is pure coincidence?

He bagged 17 goals under Pardew and Allardyce, operating in systems which suited his game.

Now, he operates in a system which does not suit him at all, and what a surprise, his form has totally deserted him. Its not rocket science really is it.

Hodgson sanctioned the signing of Sorloth, then in using him here and there for 15 minutes, basically guaranteed he would fail at this level. So that didnt exactly help the situation did it? But lets face it, that was a s*** signing and a total waste of 10 million quid, and anyone associated with it should hang their heads in shame.

Ayew was banging the goals in for Swansea in 2017/2018 and netted 11 times. Comes to Palace, and falls of a cliff. Must be another one of those coincidences.

So while I agree that RH has not had prolific strikers at this disposal, he hasnt exactly helped that situation, has he?

A lot of people are criticising Roy for a lack of creativity and our home record. IMO this is unfair for the following reasons:

For half the season we lacked an out and out centre-forward with Jordan Ayew playing out of position as a stop-gap.

Last season we had Cabaye and Loftus-Cheek - two attacking/creative midfielders who left last summer.

This season we brought in Max Meyer for that creative role, and although he has shown glimpses of his talent and put in 100% effort, has not yet adapted to the demands of the premier League.

So effectively there is a big hole in the creative department this season which we have struggled to fill. I agree it has been frustrating to watch at times, but in the end we look like having another season at the top level.

Some other posters have wanted us to move on to the 'next level'. By that I assume they mean a regular top 10 finish. So effectively there are four places available, as the top 6 are spoken for (unless some hugely rich investor buys us). So we're left with four places, from 7th to 10th.

Now look at the clubs we are up against for these positions - Leicester - a club with big money behind them and who actually won the league three years ago; West Ham - a club with a 60,000 stadium that costs them peanuts, so most of their income can go into squad-building; Everton - a much bigger club than us, about to build a new stadium and BTW have never been out of the top flight since 1949! So realistically that leaves one more place for us to battle out with all the other clubs remaining.

Lets face it - there are plenty of clubs of our status, and bigger (just look at the Championship table) who aspire to a top ten status and seasons free from relegation worries, but that is very hard to achieve. Effectively, we are in a relegation battle from day 1 each season.

All things considered, I thing Roy has done a marvellous job for us and I hope he stays for as long as he feels he's got the motivation and energy to do the job.

Class again from Roy and the team. Apparently Arsenal had won ten at home in succession. Newcastle five prior to us beating them.