Tom Ince or not Tom Ince? That is the question

If the rumours and reports are to be believed, and let’s face it they’re not, Blackpool and England under-21 star Tom Ince is in discussions with Crystal Palace over a potential loan switch to Selhurst Park. Of course there are other suitors, and why wouldn’t there be, with the likes of Swansea and even former club Liverpool rumoured to be interested in the young winger, and if we’re honest they offer a far more attractive proposition to a player of his calibre. However, as good as Ince has been for a struggling Blackpool outfit in the Championship, he is yet to prove himself on the big stage, and as such represents a gamble for any club looking to bring him in in the window. Especially for those clubs like Palace and Swansea who may see him as their saviour in their battle against relegation.

Sky Sports News today reported that Ince was to travel to London for discussions with Pulis and the Palace board, only for it then to emerge that the Seasiders top scorer was up in the Potteries talking to Stoke City. Whatever the case may be, Ince is certainly a player a lot of fans would like to see at the club, and certainly one Pulis and the board would be interested in signing. Yet despite all the optimism surrounding Ince, does he in fact need Palace more than Palace really needs his services at this moment in time? Now a lot of you reading this might think I’m mad to not want this transfer to go through, but that is not entirely what it is I’m getting at here.

The purpose for Ince to go out on loan in this manner, and half way through a season, is surely to see him get regular games at the very highest level. This will allow him to showcase his talents on the global stage and put himself firmly in the shop window come the summer when he inevitably forces a permanent move away from Bloomfield Road. Also a string of consistently top performances could see him make a late charge for Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad given the lack of quality England possess currently on the wings. With all this in mind, it would make sense for Ince to select a club like Palace for his move, and perhaps gives the Eagles the edge in the race for his signature. A guaranteed starting birth every week in the Premier League would be on offer, something that he might not get at the likes of Liverpool or Swansea, and for this reason I would suggest that Ince needs a club such as Palace to take the gamble and provide the springboard for his career, as many of the top clubs are clearly yet to be sold on the lads ability.

In here lies the problem as I see it for Palace. Do they really need him? Is he the kind of player that is going to be the difference maker come the end of the season? Maybe. But to pin our hopes on an untried Championship, who may purely be using the club to further his own career, just seems foolish. Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon for all their deficiencies have been in exceptional form since Pulis arrived; with both 100% committed to the cause and on their days both can be match winners. Unless we were given a first option on buying Ince after the conclusion of the loan for a reasonable fee, how likely is it that he will play for the club and not just for himself? I feel that if we pushed through this deal it would represent the only major piece of business for the club in the window, with time quickly running out before the Friday deadline, and as such the fans would expect him to start each week, and Pulis could feel obliged to play him regardless of his performance levels.

This could all turn out fantastically well for the Eagles. We could acquire a tremendous prospect for next to nothing who could seriously further our survival push, bringing a hunger to succeed that matches his undoubted talent. However a big part of me feels that if we were to sign him it would be detrimental to our survival hopes, as we would be obliged to field a player who’s own needs don’t match that of the club. The time and resources that will go towards completing this deal would surely be better spent bringing in a true proven Premier League goal scorer as well as a top quality centre half to provide back up for the ageing back-line.

#bringbackR&D

So Peter Ramge and Damien Delaney have left Twitter. At least for a short while. And why? Because of a few Palace “fans”, or “morons” as they should perhaps be properly referred to as, using the social networking site to abuse our lads for losing a couple of games.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that is one of Twitters greatest features, however the kind of stuff being said is going beyond mere opinion and it’s simply not right.

This behaviour is outrageous and so out of character with the rest of the season, with Eagles supporters getting behind their troops better than ever for the majority of the year. It’s a shame really, because Ramage and Delaney’s Twitter banter always brightens my day, even after a depressing result knowing that the players are gelling so well off the pitch gives me confidence that they will fight tooth and nail for each other on it.

Using Twitter for me has gotten me closer than ever to the team I love allowing me to share in the players everyday lives and interact and debate with fellow supporters. But a few idiots are ruining it for the rest of us, and for what? Because our lads have lost 3 games in a row. I think people appear to be forgetting a few things about being a Palace fan, its never smooth sailing, there are always ups and downs and that is why we love supporting them through the good times and the bad. And let me tell you now, in my 22 years supporting the Red and Blue army this is very much one of the great times.

We started the season as favourites for relegation, and our early form did nothing to allay those initial fears. But since then, both under Dougie and now Ian Holloway, the players have come together and spent the rest of the season punching well above their weight by putting in 110% in every game and never giving up. Those saying that the players don’t care, and that the manager is useless, might want to look at the table and at the results across the entire season, and then take a good hard look at themselves before abusing our team from the comfort of their own homes.

The performance of the club this season from top to bottom has been way above everyone’s expectations, and everyone should be getting praise for how far the club has come in such a short period of time. Two years ago we survived on the final day of the season after being docked ten points for entering administration. Two years on we have been in a Carling Cup Semi Final, currently sit 4th in the  league with a squad full of internationals, a manager playing a brand of exciting passing football, a youth system constantly developing exceptional young talent and a board full of sensible but well off Palace fans.

So to those “fans” that have caused all this unrest I say to you “if you are true Palace fans, shut the hell up, get behind your team that has given their all this season because it is now that they are going to need us the most to be the 12th man for the final push”.

And to Delaney and Peter “we are not all like this, in fact the majority of us true supporters realise how much you guys care and will miss you on Twitter. Good luck for the rest of the season, we are all behind you”.

And finally to the true Palace supporters I say “Keep the faith, we’ll be feeling glad all over come the end of the season”.

Defenders. Defenders. Where for art thou Defenders?

For my very first opinion piece for Eating The Burger I was hoping, giving the season we’ve had so far, that it would be a more uplifting piece, full of praise and optimism for the team going into the final 8 games of the season. This is however an article on the shambolic defending we’ve witnessed over the past two matches. Defending that has destroyed our momentum going into the crucial final 7 games, and turned fans on the team (rather unjustly I might add) and the manager.

Peter Ramage and Damien Delaney have been a revelation this season at the back for the Eagles forming a fantastic bond both on and off the pitch. Their commitment has never been in doubt, and those fans that have been getting on the teams back via Twitter and what not shame on you, because these two guys have given everything for the cause this season. However the truth remains we’ve struggled with conceding goals all season. Under Freedman Murrays goals and our natural momentum from the consecutive victories saw us winning games from almost impossible positions. We were 2 goals down on numerous occasions at home,  but for Murrays fantastic hat-trick at home to Cardiff which gave us a 3-2 victory , or Wilfried Zaha’s brace against Burnley which helped the team win 4-3, we could easily have been humbled on more than one occasion this season.

Yesterday Birmingham were clinical scoring 4 of their 5 shots on target, whereas Palace’s usually reliable front line misfired all night. On another night it could easily have been 3-3. But that’s no excuse. Under Holloway something has happened on the defensive side that is making me nervous. When Freedman was in charge, despite conceding our fair share there was always a sense of solidity at the back. An established back 5 of Speroni, Ward, Parr, Ramage and Delaney were mainstays, which gave us a real stability. Holloway on the other hand chops and changes the back four at will, even mid game, as we have seen most recently at Birmingham where KG was moved to right back to accommodate Dobbie, despite not being a natural right back.

Parr is a far, far better full back than Moxey, who is in my opinion is punching above his weight at this level. A fantastic tryer, but still lacking the necessary know how to deal with the quality of winger he faces in this division. The KG thing is unforgivably bad, considering he had a recognised right back on the bench in Joel Ward to bring on yesterday.

When Holloway surprisingly left Blackpool for Palace several months ago now, there was a lot of bad blood between the players who felt betrayed by his departure. Centre half Ian Evatt came out and openly criticised his former boss for a complete lack of defensive understanding, even implying that on the training ground defending was never worked on. Whether this is totally true we will never know, but I am starting to wonder. Under Freedman there was at least a shape and a method behind the way we defended set plays in particular, meaning the majority of goals conceded by us were of relative quality. Under Holloway however the same players are making the most routine of mistakes. Not picking up their men from corners, not holding a tight line, and allowing themselves to be pulled apart from one another on far too many occasions.

3 goals at Brighton was embarrassing, especially against the old enemy. But 4 at home to a lowly Birmingham City side with the chance to go second with a win is almost unforgivable. If what Evatt said was true and Holloway doesn’t focus on defending in training, he seriously needs to start if he himself is serious about his claims for wanting to get this side promoted.

Im still behind Holloway for now, and I’m 110% behind the boys that have done us all so proud this season. Blackpool will be a real test of character on Monday, but if we can address our defensive frailties, and knick a win then that will put our promotion push right back on track. If we continue to defend as we have been and lose again Monday then I wish Holloway all the best in his future job, because the wheels could well and truly come off and the blame will fall solely at his feet.