Malcolm Dawson writes….Is PDC’s hard line approach to discipline making life tough for himself? Few of us have been overawed by Stephane Sessegnon’s performances this season, but most of us would have preferred him hungover to the ineffective Ji. The manager was also evasive when asked about Gardner’s absence and despite signing 11 players over the summer today’s starting line up contained 5 of last season’s old guard and in Westwood, Wickham and Ji another three who were on the books but rarely featured. So only Giaccherini, Celustka and Diakite of the summer signings were on the field at the kick off. Fair to say the first half was dreadful but we started the second period brightly. The returning Norman Stanley did what Norman Stanley does and another fightback looked to be on the cards. Then O’Shea did what O’Shea does and it wasn’t. Paolo thinks we were OK in his e-mail to M Salut but truly this is not the start to the season we hoped the revolution would bring.
Dear Colin,
We conceded from the first corner – the opponent didn’t even jump or challenge, but the ball is two yards from goal and finished at the opponents’ feet. There was a little deflection but it was a very poor goal.
We came back but you can see that to score a goal we have to build up good play, otherwise it’s difficult.
We can only analyse the individual behaviour…because in general, to be honest, talking about football we did well.
They were down when we scored and we were on top, but we kept the ball without trying to do something to hurt the opponent.
Steven Fletcher proved today that even at 40% of his fitness he gives us something.
We didn’t have Jozy [Altidore] today and he’s one of our best players with quality so it’s difficult for us – you can create but it’s difficult to score.
We had four or five chances to counter but we gave the ball away too cheaply.
Today we have brought in Ki Sung-Yueng from Swansea. It’s obvious that he has quality, physical presence and he’s young.
The fact that he has played for a few years already in British football made me happy that he decided to sign for us.
All the best,
Paolo Di Canio
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Well hello I haven’t been on here for a while what a transfer window. We’ve had Joke-Innear running around Europe like an idiot and youve had your wild man manager buying anything from the basement bargain store. While I think the toon has had a bad window I would much rather have our squad (and manager) than yours. The Italian facist is proving to be a raving looney. I manage people in my job and am also a qualified football coach and what he is doing is no way to manager people. Going to be a long long long hard season for both clubs but I’ve put money on the toon finishing above you lot. I’m looking forward to the 1st derby and getting revenge for last season. Bye for now
I’m sick of people jumping on the ‘Too many signings/Need time to gel’ bandwagon. If anything, it’s the lack of quality additions that’s costing us, as we’ve had TWO YEARS to address our pathetic central midfield and haven’t. This is the most importnat area on the pitch.
We only had three new players on Saturday, two in the full back and wing positions – the easiest positions to integrate new players into – and one id a current Italy international.
Appaling defending cost us the game aa well as a lack of belief that a defeat against Fulham was always going to bring.
Would agree about this manager email business.If Paulo has any sense he will stop it,it only a club PR job anyway.It only serves as an ignition point to us disgruntled fans when things go wrong.
Otherwise,something is deeply wrong with this team,Ji and O Shea should never be in the side IMO.The new players are not up to snuff as yet,Altidore and Giaccherini aside.Trouble is you do not get time in this league,things go awry very quickly and unless Paulo gets it right soon you do see an early demise to his premiership career.
CSB – Diakite looks woeful – must have been watching a different match to me then , He was immense 2nd half its the slouch he was playing next to that was woeful !!!
Davey, in the first half he had a shocker, air kicks included. He did improve in the second half but that would not have been difficult bearing in mind his first half display.
He did have a couple of good moments and I think the jury is still out with him, he looked very very nervous but he wasn’t the only one.
You can’t really blame PDC for O’Shea’s awful mistake but you can question his team selection. Ji, Wickham, Vaugaun and Larsson is way too many players to carry for a whole half.
Diakite looks woeful, like the above four he did improve in the second half but we have to start performing from the kick off.
The only positive is that PDC must now surely know that we need to get some stiff resolve in to the middle of the park and this might mean having to sacrifice one of the wide men.
If Palace can do that to us, god help us when we come up against the top six. PDC needs to get it sorted PDQ if his tenure is to stretch beyond Christmas. I know we are only four games in but the weak areas are there for all to see. I’m all foe keeping the faith but blind stupidity is not the answer and I expect to see some astute tactical nous from our manager in the weeks to come.
CSB – I echo your concern. I expected that it would take time for a group of new players to gell [ although many of them have been at the club for some time now ] but you would at the very least expect the side to have some organisation and shape?
Frankly, they looked like rabbits in the headlights. No one wanted the ball, and they made Palace look like Barcelona.
You looked in vain for a leader on the pitch. I had the impression of a group of players fearsome of making mistakes.
It’s not fair to criticise PDC’s English, and neither should anybody take too much note of these “official” emails – since they’re not emails anyway. They’re snippets of spoken words in press interviews which have been clagged together to look like an email. But if anyone was writing it down, it wouldn’t look like that. This has been the case with all previous managers since the “email to fans” concept was dreamt up. They’ve never been a good read.
I didn’t watch Match of the Day on purpose after watching the game itself, so I haven’t heard what he really said; but I feel sorry for his No.2 who has to sit in the dugout and get ranted at non-stop for 90 mins. When the camera catches him he looks too scared to reply.
I wasn’t criticising his English, I was criticising the club’s need to offer an official statment when, clearly, a post match interview is a silly platform to do that.
Seems we have someone on the site with his thumb jammed in the down positiion – instead of in his arse where it normally resides.
Ok, this a botched up transcription of his BBC interview and another about Ki. Club are at it again, as when they transcribed a bit of audio regarding the fascism thing and released it as an ‘official statement’.
Very poor.
Reportedly we’re selling Sess for the same amount we paid for Graham who we gave away. We also paid a huge sum for the decent Alfred N’Diaye and gave him away to be replaced by Larsson and Vaughan .We’re weaker in goal and left back ( sorry lads, circumstances and all that!), Altidore and Giachharini look to be good signings and ill reserve judgement on the rest but if we can’t defend set pieces than we’re in trouble . Not to worry we’ve got Swansea’s fifth choice ” creative midfielder” coming in though so good times ahead!
We’ve got a Ji. Now we have a Ki. We also have a Ba. Po, Dipsy, Laa Laa and Tinky Winky will sign before the deadline (and no doubt improve the team).
Any other 2 lettered players out there we could sign? Saves costs on shirt printing.
Paolo, they were absolutely awful. Get real.
The result was bad enough but to try and cover it up it in poor English is just an insult.