Rival Lines: The Eagles Beak - our league form is horrendous!

Rival Lines
Match Preview: Crystal Palace v AFCB
Blogger Interview: The Eagles Beak
Twitter @TheEaglesBeak

This week we had the chance to chat with Jay Crame who jointly edits the Palace site The Eagles Beak. I have a confession to make in that visiting Selhurst Park is always something I look forward to as it is only about 40 minutes drive from my house or a quick train trip. But even with that convenience, I would rather travel down to Bournemouth most Saturdays to watch the team that means everything to me. But what does Jay think about the club he loves and the start they have made to this season?

CC: Are Palace fans as gutted as AFCB supporters that this is already a bottom of the table clash?

TEB: Perhaps but it is very early days indeed. I think most fans were expecting to win the opening game against the Baggies but lose the trip to Spurs, so I guess we are a win behind where we should be. The start of any season is always quite odd in terms of expectations as you hope new signings gel immediately but they often need time. Puts a little more onus on our clash as we will want to pick up a point or three going into the international break.

CC: How unlucky were Palace in their two games against Spurs and WBA as you seemed to have been victims of late goals in these games?

TEB: Against West Brom we played well in the first half and had we scored I am convinced that we would have gone on to win the game. You know what you are going to get against a Tony Pulis side, more so having seen what he did at Palace. The longer the game went on without us scoring you could just see them scoring from a set piece which is exactly what they did. The performance against Spurs was better but it was the very same result, late set piece proving the difference. One thing is clear, Palace are hard to break down but need to be much more clinical with chances that come our way.

CC: Do you think the side has fully recovered after the defeat to Man Utd in the FA Cup semi-final and the loss of form at the end of last season?

TEB: The league form in 2016 has been absolutely horrendous and there really is little excuse and it is foolish to think that the start of a new season wipes the slate clean. The fact is, these opening two games have continued in similar vein and that is the last thing Alan Pardew would have wanted. It sounds crazy but he is under pressure to get a result now as the fans are becoming restless. You cannot ignore the form that got us to the cup final though which is proof that we can get results against Premier League sides. Maybe we just need to go back to treating every game as a cup tie!


CC: Is the £27m spent on Benteke well spent or would you have preferred a quicker striker like Berahino for that kind of money?

TEB: Having seen Benteke make his debut for Palace against Blackpool in the League Cup the initial signs are good. He showed glimpses of what we can expect - strong in the air, agile and has quick feet. It was only forty-five minutes but it certainly wets the appetite. Is any player worth that kind of money? I don't believe so but football is in a world of its own and being in the top division you just have to try and keep up while trying to keep on the straight and narrow. I would never have said Palace would shell out this amount of money on a player which has smashed our transfer record but I'm hopefully that it will be a very wise addition.

CC: Was Conner Wickham the right striker to keep considering that Palace let Dwight Gayle go to Newcastle in the summer?

TEB: We seem destined to play a formation that will be much more midfield orientated with a lone striker. Dwight Gayle is a natural goalscorer but he struggles to play the loan striker role. He tried but it just did not work out. He will score 20+ goals in the Championship this season, no doubt about it so I will be intrigued to see how he does on a potential return to the Premier League. Connor Wickham plays the loan striker well but he need support from the midfield which he has not had in the two league games so far. Now he has Benteke to compete with which should make him up his game, in fact, he did just that against Blackpool, scored minutes after replacing the Belgian.

CC: Has the departure of Jedinak to leave for Aston Villa left the team more exposed?

TEB: It is telling that Mile did not sign for another Premier League side and facing facts, he would not make our first eleven with everyone fit. He goes with our very best wishes as he been a huge part of where we find ourselves today but however much I do not like saying it, there is always a time for a player to move on and this was his.

CC: Was the Yannick Bolasie move (£28m according to Sky Sports) good for Palace and is Andros Townsend a good enough replacement?

TEB: I am confident that the purchase of Townsend was not to replace Bolasie but it did soften the deal going through as it looked as though we did. The fee was too much to turn down and while many think we should no longer be a selling club, every player has their price. It is a great deal for Palace but while Bolasie is an exciting player, at the same time he is frustrating but that is what you have to put up with from skillful, wide players. He really needs to learn to perform more often as with the price-tag there is no doubt that the Everton fans will not be as patient as the Palace fans have been with him.

CC: Is Pardew the right man to lead Crystal Palace to a top 10 finish?

TEB: That is a hard question to answer at the moment with the possibility of a couple more players expected to come in before the transfer window ends. We are likely to have the personnel to push for a top 10 finish but I would prefer that we put an end to this wretched form we have been on since the start of the year. With Benteke on board now, I am sure he will add a new dimension to the team as well as that boost that we can actually score goals.

CC: Which three clubs do you think will be relegated from the Premier League this season?

TEB: This is a massive season both at the top and bottom of the table. It is likely to be close at both ends too but for me, the three that I think will go down are Hull City, Burnley and Sunderland.

CC: What formation do you expect Pardew to play against AFC Bournemouth and do you expect many changes from the starting line up in the last game?

TEB: The classic one up front formation with Benteke starting in that role while hopefully we will see the return of James McArthur and Yohan Cabaye to the starting line up. Many, including myself want to see Steve Mandanda replace Hennessey in goal but we may have to wait a couple more games for that.

CC: What do you think the score will be between the Eagles and AFCB?

TEB: We owe you one from last season and with the addition of Benteke, Palace will just edge it 2-1

CC: Thank you Jay for your thoughtful answers. I am pleased to hear that there is optimism in your words and the season is as you say two-games young. AFCB and Palace need to improve fast though and I get the feeling this could already be a 'six pointer' or at least steer one of the sides in the right direction and the other one into a more despondent mood. I'm backing AFCb to get a win though for the first time this season having suggested that they would lose their first two games. It's a 1-2 away win for me - same as last season!

Make sure you have a read of The Eagles Beak. There are not so many Crystal Palace sites and this one is a good one with views on Christian Benteke and the departed Jedinek who will be playing his football with Tommy Elphick this season and the Villa.

Premier Talk: Have the BBC got it right with another Premier League show?

Transfer News - Ben Whitfield has joined Yeovil Town until January.

Cherry Chimes has a long conversation with Owls Alive!

Match Preview

AFCB v Sheffield Wednesday

Blogger Interview - Owls Alive!

Cherry Chimes tries to find out what Steve Beastie one of the writers on Owls Alive thinks about his team's performance this season and what needs to change to make Wednesday turn from something 'flakey' to a leading force in the Championship. I was worried that he may say they needed Eddie Howe, but even Steve believes Eddie's spiritual home is at Dean Court and that he has already done a magnificent job for our club.

CC: Is mid-table satisfactory for Wednesday this season or was it a poor season?

OA: It really feels like a poor season...I know that sounds poor when we've struggled for so long and quite a while now we've all said, 'we'd take mid-table obscurity in the Championship any year' but when it arrives it ain't all it's cracked up to be and it feels like a very dull season. Someone once said, I think was the sage David Pleat, football is only exciting when you're playing for something, either at the top OR bottom of the table and far be it for me to agree with Pleatipus, he was right.

One thing is for sure...I'm don't think I can take another dull season like this so I, and other Wednesday fans, are expecting more next season.

CC: You beat team like Leeds, QPR and Wigan this season so do you see plenty of potential in the team?

OA: We didn't beat Wigan...in fact we're one of the few teams that CAN'T beat Wigan...it's annoying watching everyone else beat them and seeing us play well but not come away with points against them.

CC: Right researcher - you're sacked! Or was Wigan put in deliberately to try and catch Steve out? 

OA: I think you may have meant Reading...who used to be a bogey team for us...not anymore :-) We've deserved those wins too....despite what Joey Barton said on Twitter and what's more we deserved to beat them at their on the opening day but couldn't do it and Barton not being given the red card for as clear a penalty as you'll see didn't help.

The win against Leeds was special...their worst defeat since the pharaoh was a lad by all accounts and again, we were good value for that victory and that margin. We were incredible that day and made them look what their fans don't see....a very, very average side at best.

We DO have potential but we've been way too flakey all season. We have a first 11 capable of competing at the top of this division...unfortunately we have no strength in depth so when they're inured, as they have been for large parts of the season, we look as average as everyone else

CC: What have you made of Stuart Gray since taking the helm?

OA: I like him...I think every Wednesday fan likes him. He's one of footys nice blokes and when he speaks, despite being a little on the dull side, talks a lot of sense but he's not making any great strides from when Dave Jones was in charge to be honest.

We play the same way with virtually the same players and even the tactics, subs and timing of subs is the same as Dave Jones used but the vibe about the club is better since he took over and I speak as a fan of Jones in saying that.

Gray's big test is the summer...let's see who he can bring to the club because he will have no excuse next season.

He needs to bring in quality and get them kicking on, certainly into the top 10 and probably top 8 with at least an outside chance of play-offs otherwise he won't see another season with us.

CC: Who would you say has been Wednesday's best player this season?

OA: My idea of players varies greatly from the consensus usually but we all miss Connor Wickham and would love him back next year but that's a pipe dream really....young Liam Palmer, a Wednesday product and 'local' lad has done well and impressed. He's been asked to play at right back when his skills are those of a midfielder...he has played on the wing and centre midfield too but he really got stuck into that right back position and from looking clumsy and out of his depth he has really come on in leaps and bounds and impressed no end. There's no one crosses a ball better than him and I'd put him as one of the best in the division for that.

I think my overall favourite has been Atdhe Nuhiu up front....Me and the Young Un and a few mates have loved the fella from the start. His eagerness, work rate and skill with the ball at his feet is breathtaking at times but it's taken a while for others to warm to him, in fact I've never seen a Wednesday player abused as much as him by his own fans in such a long time...probably ever.

His problem is for all his good qualities he IS a striker and he hasn't been scoring and he's missed some sitters, but he is more than that in my opinion and what he brings to the game others aren't capable of. The Wednesday fans are slowly coming round to him but it's a slow process.

Having said all of that about those two...our player of the season will once again be Chris Kirkland, I'm sure of it...he would be mine anyway. He's the best keeper we've had in decades and his contract is up at the end of this season I believe so we need to make sure he is top of the list of 'must dos'. I dread to think where we would have been without him...an incredible player, a good ambassador and someone who has really enjoyed his time at this club.

CC: Would you say the Owls are about the most inconsistent team in the Championship and can you see reasons for the up and down performances?

OA: As I said earlier, we are definitely flakey, but we are a match for anyone on our day and more than most if we could get our best 11 fit. Some of those injuries, like every other club I suppose, are key to our tickover and they've been at crucial moments in the season.

CC: What did you think about your last match against Nottingham Forest - I thought you were going to do us an even bigger favour?

OA: Yeah so did most Wednesday fans. We haven't won there for absolutely ages and this was our chance but in both games this season they've stolen points from us...at ours they took all three and were never in the game...one chance one goal BANG! Off they go down the M1 with the points tucked up.

They have been punching above their weight for a while now and are one of the worst teams in the division. If they make the play-offs let alone go up, it will be a travesty.

CC: If Stuart Gray has money to spend next summer who would you like to see come into the club?

OA: A big part of our flakeyness has been injuries to our defence and we've had to chop and change it a lot...our second and third string aren't up this level and it shows...we MUST make sure we have a good central paring.

I would make Kirkland top of any list for signings but if you mean who to bring in...it has to be a striker. Another area we've struggled in at times and only really flourished when Matty Fryatt and Connor Wickham were on loan. Our chairman has already said he is going out to get Matty Fryatt at the end of the season. I'm not really sure why you'd make that public so early but it's out there now and I'd love him at our place. Wickham is way out of our budget but maybe Fryatt is around the right price....I'd be all over either of them.

CC: It looked all set up for an FA Cup derby this year but it did not happen so do you miss that fixture or is it just great to be a league above them?

OA: Who would miss 2 weeks of sleepless nights, butterflies and nausea in the run up to the game only for everyone to say they'd take a draw twenty minutes into the game?

I LOVE being a division higher and I would take that for eternity over playing them every season...I am definitely not one who misses them....though I have to say there is absolutely nothing like a derby match victory.

CC: Have you been surprised by Bournemouth's results this season and are there any of our players that you are looking forward to see play?

OA: Not really. As I mentioned last time we spoke, I have a soft spot for Bournemouth and my daughter has one for Eddie Howe.

I love the connection the club has and HAS had with the Cherries fans over the years and the turmoil you've all been through to get here is fantastic.

Eddie Howe is at his spiritual home now and he will always do better here than anywhere else...other managers have done similar haven't they? Graham Taylor at Watford springs to mind...they can go to other places but the connection to their club is so great that they feel more comfortable back there and it brings good things.

Me and the Young Un have been watching with interest in the hope that you get into the play-offs just so Eddie can stick two fingers up at Burnley and the way he was treated there and just to show that he CAN do it and he IS a good manager.

CC: What is your score prediction for the match?

OA: Blimey it could be anything at all knowing us...6-0 to us...6-0 to you...or a 3-3 draw...I'd be surprised if it was dull but go on then, I'll stick my very ample neck out...2-3

Just know this...you will have a little part of the Wednesday fanbase cheering you into the play-offs no matter what happens and to every single Bournemouth fan that has been on this incredible ride, YOU DESERVE THIS!

More than anyone in any division in this country, you have been through the mill and to the depths of despair with your club through no fault of the fans...if you get there it is your reward, no matter what the results, enjoy the moment!

CC: What a pleasure it is always to have Steve Beastie on Cherry Chimes - I don't think he'll ever convert to being a full Cherry fan but he certainly has a soft spot for Eddie's Barmy Army and it is good to know that Eddie Howe's impact is been felt as far up the motorway as Sheffield! I reckon Wednesday fans get a real treat every week when Steve sits down to write some lines on Owls Alive and I have always found Wednesday fans deeply in love with their football, so it is good to know Steve's passion is never wasted. As for this season it may be one for Wednesday fans not to reflect upon for too long while Bournemouth fans are already joyous no matter what the results of the remaining fixtures. Winning sometimes isn't everything and just to have a club to love is something that AFCB fans hold onto very preciously. It is a huge match on Good Friday and the rewards for AFC Bournemouth are enormous, but we know that Wednesday have some great players and Steve's score prediction says it all really, but I will say it is bound to be another cracking Championship match. Thanks again Steve - catch up on his writings and fellow Wednesday supporters on Owls Alive.

The Cherries are hitting form

Just watching back the second goal at the weekend that Grabban lashed in against Sheffield Wednesday had commentators Kris Temple and John Williams on BBC Radio Solent more than a little ecstatic. It was not until I could see the highlights that I could truly appreciate the part that Harry Arter played in the build up to the goal. While Kris and Willo explained that the pass was exceptional and played with the outside of the foot to curve back in towards Grabban's run, it was even better than probably Arter could have imagined - it was inch perfect.

Arter's pass to Grabban was a beauty for AFCB's second goal.

Grabban has shown that he is usually good at running the lines to collect the ball, but does not always make the most of such opportunities. But he was like an Olympic athlete at Hillsborough, speeding to the ball with electric pace. His hunger and desire was great to see and even the finish was made to look very simple when in reality he had very little to shoot at, but blasted the ball in at the near post. 

The pleasing things I felt about the whole move was that both Harry and Lewis were on the same wavelength. They knew what they were trying to do before the picture developed and making that kind of space was no fluke, it was part of a game plan to spring Grabban when the opportunity arose. Just a few moments earlier Ritchie also tried a similar pass to Grabban, so the team is looking to play this way.

Grabban on target yet again.

Another good game from Surman. That is three starts in a row now although he was
subbed at half time in the Birmingham match.

Having seen the move back again it was good to see that it was Surman that initially won the ball tackling back to give AFCB possession in the first place, while he also had an assist with the first goal from Ritchie.

It is all very well to say our strikers should be scoring every once in two or three chances but doing it is a different matter. It would be easy for players to have become a bit despondent in recent weeks but as Steve Claridge admitted, on the Football League Show, with AFCB having come through a sticky spell , "they have shown a bit of character and fight to turn things around." I think that's the most praise our players will ever get from Claridge. 

Anyway, AFCB players are starting to show that they can play with grit and determination especially when trying to get that all important first goal. AFCB soaked up the early pressure so well on Saturday and awaited their chance to play their football. When they did, they were clinical, first shot - one nil up!

Is this the springboard now for the Cherries to start winning even more games? I don't see why not. The away form is simply stunning at the moment, even if the clean sheets have not quite materialised. It is possible that the knowledge that Connor Wickham was not playing for Sheffield Wednesday probably gave our players a boost pre-match, but even more pleasing was the way that they coped with a heavy pitch and players that were very much playing for their shirts with a caretaker manager taking keen note in their performance. AFCB were more often than not first to the ball, winning headers and playing with pace and great accuracy despite the sandy pitch. I am hoping that their latest win will remind them a bit of that run they went on last year, because if they can do anything half as good as that it will be a very successful season back at this level.  

Wednesday are unpredictable, like the Cherries

The Cherries should sit tight on Saturday and see which Wednesday team has turned up before getting too carried away. Wednesday have been the draw specialists and unable to win many games at home or at all but when they do get it right they have been devastatingly good. So what Wednesday team will turn up for AFCB? 

I am hoping that the Cherries defend well in the first half an hour and pass the ball well, keeping possession. If they can build up some pressure gradually without making mistakes the questions might start appearing in the minds of Wednesday's players, because they will be very keen to get off to a good start playing at home. AFCB could try and play on the break, but against Wigan (when the game was abandoned) it was Sheffield Wednesday that played that way with good pace up front.

All the poor teams play on the break well enough against AFCB when we are at home. AFCB did it well against Reading but I don't want to see the Cherries come under so many waves of attacks that they had to defend against in that first half hour at the Madejski. It would be nice to think that AFCB don't need loads of attacks, but just two or three good ones that result in goals - if only our team can be clinical. 

Connor Wickham is unlikely to be easy to keep quiet though and AFCB will have to defend much better than they did against Birmingham if the Cherries are to get a result.

One of the major battles will see Simon Francis come up against Stephen Jeremy Helan. Helan is a talented French player but has only scored once this season, while Jacques Maghoma may be used just behind Wickham. On the other wing, Daniels may face Kieran Lee on Sheffield's right.  

Sheffield Wednesday often play with Wickham up front on his own as they did against Wigan, but we could see Atdhe Nuhiu partnering him at home or Maghoma. Nuhiu has scored a couple of goals this season while Wickham is the main threat on 5 goals.The pitch is in may well have an influence on the team that Eddie picks if it is not possible to play AFCB's normal passing game. What the match abandonment in midweek does for Wednesday's confidence is hard to tell, coming into the match with AFCB , but Bournemouth will have to up their game to get anything on Saturday.

I suggest any one thinking of travelling up for the game keeps checking on the official AFC Bournemouth and Sheffield Wednesday websites and twitter accounts for information about the pitch. As far as I can tell so far the match is on and everything possible is being done to make the pitch playable.

If you have not yet had a read of Rival Lines you will find the latest conversation with Owls Alive on that tab.

Sheffield Wednesday Home Form:
DWLWL

AFCB Away Form:
DLDLW

Sheffield Wednesday team last time at home against Wigan: 4-5-1

• 26 Damien Martinez (Keeper)
• 22 Liam Palmer (Defence RB)
• 08 Roger Johnson (Defence Central)
• 36 Glenn Loovens (Defence Central)
• 03 Reda Johnson (Defence LB)
• 20 Kieran Lee (Midfield LW)
• 06 Jose Semedo (Midfield Central)
• 35 Seyi Olofinjana (Midfield Central)
• 10 Jacques Maghoma (Midfield Central)
• 17 Jeremy Helan (Midfield RW)
  29 Connor Wickham (Striker)
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