For the record?

December 30 2010

George Burley

Once again our team squanders points, this time with a silly penalty in the final minute. Jamesey is really beginning to wonder where we are going with the current regime...

I didn't go to Bristol for our 1-1 draw with City (Dec 28) and my sympathies lie strongly with the 1000 plus Eagles supporters who had to walk out of the stadium after a ridiculous capitulation as the final whistle beckoned.

As we are reminding ourselves, we are at the half-way mark of the season and things are not looking good at all.

And before I am slagged off for fair-weather attitudes, may I say that I have just bought my season card for 2011-12 and will be there for what looks increasingly like our descent into the third division for the first time for well over 30 years.

I was intrigued by a posting from one of our more intelligent and thoughtful members "Phil O'Sophical" analysing our performances this season compared with those of last decade. Even "Phil's" screen name hints at possibly more sensible views than "Mugwump97" or "i8Scum 98" , etc, etc.

"Phil's" breakdown of our various managers' performances in the past decade leave George Burley stranded well at the bottom of the heap. And before the usual cries of "well, he only had 10 players at the start of the season" start to rise in volume, it is pointed out that GB has signed 11 players since then and the footballers who are producing the goods are the ones he inherited and not his choices.

For what it's worth, as one might expect, it is the records of Bruce/Francis (01-02) and Warnock (08-09) which top the chart at the half-way stage. The former figure was 37 points and the latter was 36.

As we view the decade, GB's statistic on points gained, to name just one area, is lamentably below all the others, with a dreadful 22 points, three points below even the Kember/Symons debacle (25 points) in 03-04.

In case that's not enough to cause concern we have scored fewer goals and conceded more than in the past decade at the half-way mark.

So, polish up the rose-tinted specs all those who think Burley is the man to lead us, as apparently do the bosses of CPFC2010.

And so, to Millwall on New Year's Day. I am not going because I have no motor at present and the thought of travelling to Bermondsey on non-existent - or sporadic at best - public transport doesn't fill me with enthusiasm.

The New Den is not the danger zone the Old Den used to be in the 70s, 80s and 90s when inside the stadium was dangerous for non-Neanderthals and even blowing your nose on a red-and-blue hankie in Cold Blow Lane could invite cranial apertures.

Good luck to those who are going, and maybe for once - if we can actually score a goal - we could break the away-game mould and not chuck it away in the final stages.

While the Burley in and Burley out camps get increasingly heated, an objective look at the stats tells a worrying story.

Half way through the season and this season’s team now sits firmly on the bottom of the 10 year performance table, setting a raft of new ‘lows’ for the half way mark. We have scored fewer goals (25), conceded more goals (41), (in 07-08 we conceded just 42 in the entire season) and gained fewer points at this stage (22) than at the same point in any of the last 10 seasons.

The attack has managed to get just 108 shots on target with a conversion rate of 23.15%. For the last three seasons the same statistic was 122-22.95%, 112-29.46% and 124-21.77%.

The defence has been even worse, allowing the oppo to get a whopping 149 shots on target, with Jules conceding a hefty 27.52%, even though he appears to be in as great form as ever. By comparison the same stat for the last three seasons is 120-22.50%, 113-21.24% and 110-23.64%.

GB continually bemoans the fact that he started the season with 10 players but he has signed 11 players – Wright, Barrett, Vaughan, Garvan, Dorman, Bennett, O’Keefe, Obika, Marrow, Gardner and Counago and after 23 games, with one or two exceptions, these guys have not delivered the goods. The players that have delivered are the ones he inherited.

To hit the magic 50 mark and stay up there has to be a marked improvement in results between now and the end of the season and on the showing of the first 23 games there seems little chance that this team will be the one to do it. Some big decisions have to be taken in the next month otherwise it’s League 1 next season. What ever happens we're in for another guaranteed hairy ride on the Palace rollercoaster between now and the end of the season.

Palace Championship Managers over the last 10 seasons after 23 games:

1. Bruce/Francis 01/02

W12 D1 L10 F44 A35 Pts37

2. Warnock 08/09

W10 D6 L7 F33 A24 Pts36

3. Dowie 05/06

W10 D5 L8 F35 A26 Pts 35

4. Francis 02/03

W8 D9 L6 F34 A26 Pts33

5. Warnock 09/10

W8 D9 L6 F28 A27 Pts33

6. Taylor/Warnock 07/08