Why oh why do we do it to ourselves?
Buoyed by the recent mini-revival we kidded ourselves that Selhurst Park was there to be conquered. It mattered not that City hadn’t won there for 20 years, nor that it ticked every box possible in the ‘along came Norwich’ theory; we were collectively convinced that yesterday would be another small step towards survival.
Instead, as is so often the case when you support the Canaries, it was another lesson in not getting get too carried-away and not thinking too far ahead. And just when we needed them to continue the recent run of trend-bucking they reverted back to type.
It was one of those that was low on quality but high on twitchiness, and one that was always going to hinge on the fine margins. In the end a Michael Oliver decision that went against us and a moment of quality from Jason Puncheon were those fine margins and the pain and angst of which we have been free for a few weeks were to return in shovel fulls.
It was Swansea all over again when we needed it to be West Brom, the only real surprise being that Dwight Gayle didn’t get the goal and that Connor Wickham didn’t grab a second for Palace in his late cameo.
But, despite the outpouring of Twitter grief and the volley of dummies from prams that accompanied Oliver’s final whistle, Palace have not inflicted a final, fatal blow to City’s chances of survival. They’ve just given our forward momentum a nasty jolt.
The equation hasn’t changed significantly and a win next week against Sunderland is now no more or less important than it was at 2:59 pm yesterday. And given how well City managed last week’s game with Newcastle in very similar circumstances we need to trust them to do the same again.
To have expected consecutive away wins when we have only won two all season was a big ask. If survival is to be achieved it’s likely to be achieved by virtue of the home form and the other two remaining games, against Manchester United and Watford, still loom very large.
As far as yesterday’s game goes, it was a performance that just didn’t click. Crucially, Dieumerci Mbokani was unable to physically dominate Dann and Delaney in the way he did Taylor and Mbemba, and had far less joy in the air.
As a consequence Steven Naismith became a peripheral figure and whereas last week City were able to get the ball down and play in the final third, this time round the quality in that area went missing.
Minus the ball ‘sticking’ to Mbokani, especially when the Canaries (by choice or otherwise) chose regularly to go long to the Congolese striker, there was little for Naismith to feed off and little by way of decent supply to Robbie Brady and Matt Jarvis, both of whom also came under the peripheral heading.
Yet it was the turned down penalty appeal that turned the game the way of Pardew’s men.
A goal then would have given City the initiative and would have provided the perfect platform for another Hawthorn’s type performance but Delaney’s crude challenge was played out in front of the Holmesdale Fanatics and with Pardew seemingly Oliver’s number one cheerleader it was never going to happen.
Our run of not being awarded a penalty away from home looks likely to stretch the entire season.
Oliver’s decision not to point to the spot was the first sign of it not being City’s afternoon. The cruel loss of Timm Klose at a time when he has emerged as our survival talisman was the second.
In the medium term hopefully Alex Neil’s description of his injury requiring “a minimal lay-off” isn’t just wishful thinking but in the short-term it had an almost immediate impact. Seb Bassong and Ryan Bennett both look assured and decisive when playing alongside the Swiss international but less so when playing alongside each other.
City didn’t implode yesterday – as has been the case in the recent past – and Palace only looked liked getting a second when City were forced to over-commit late on, but a back-four with Klose slap bang in the middle of it adds some unequivocal oomph to our survival dream.
Alex’s decision to offer the floor to Patrick Bamford instead of Wes was one he may now regret, particularly given how it panned out for the Chelsea loanee, but there was a certain footballing logic in giving him the chance to show Pardew what he is capable of. It didn’t work.
So, for one afternoon only we all become Leicester City fans and if (big *if*) Ranieri’s men can continue their seemingly unstoppable march to the title by winning at the Stadium of Light then it’ll be a case of ‘as you were’.
If however the worst happens, and Big Sam has been telling us all week how well the Black Cats are playing, then we take it on the chin, act like grown ups and gear ourselves up for a massive one on Saturday.
And that’s something to look forward to isn’t it? Or would we prefer 14, soon to be 15, seasons of Championship mid-table nothingness?
Thought not.
“Never mind the danger…”
I’m not saying my wife is paranoid, but this morning she Googled Michael Oliver (the best referee in the Premier League, according to Mr Pardue – at least on this occasion, just wait till he gives a decision that doesn’t go Palace’s way), and she discovered that he comes from Ashington, in Northumberland. My daughter also believes she read somewhere that he’s a Newcastle fan.
Now far be it from me to suggest that this might have influenced his decision on the penalty incident (though every pundit so far has said it should have been given), but it does beg the question of why he was allocated this game. There were plenty of other games with no direct bearing on relegation where he could have officiated.
Maybe I’m becoming as paranoid as my wife, but I’ beginning to think the conspiracy theorists have a point.
Great piece Gary.
I’m afraid this really was a poor game of football, ultimately settled by one of its few moments of quality.
Ryan Bennett looked solid at the back and the Howson / O’Neil (I just don’t think you understand) pairing worked well too. However, you sense it’s not going to be your day when the likes of Brady have an off day.
But, don’t be confused, this wasn’t a City no show like Watford, Bournemouth, Villa or Swansea. It was just a poor day at the office overall.
One final thought, is Palace away the new Fulham?
Jim(1) – the conspiracy deepens. Oliver was not only born in the NE and still lives there but he was in the Academy-youth system at Newcastle!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9019178/Former-Newcastle-youth-player-Michael-Oliver-is-a-refereeing-star-in-making.html
..it looks an increasingly ludicrous decision to give him our game at Palace.
Fingers crossed for Timm’s knee to make a quick recovery.
I wonder if next week’s crunch game against Sunderland was in their minds? I think if we win we will stay up, a draw leaves it all in the balance and if we lose I don’t think we’ll be watching premier league football next year- the momentum and pyschological blow would be too much.
Quality will be lacking but, for sure, it’ll be one hell of a match
OTBC
So Jim (1), what is your conspiracy theory regarding Mike Dean’s willingness to ignore Johnny Howson’s handball (possibly double handball) in the build up to our winner last week?
Keith(5) – Dean’s a scouser – they hate the Geordies.
Oliver has been ref for 21 PL games this season.
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/referees/profile.appointments.html/michael-oliver
The only 2 teams he hasn’t been involved with are..Newcastle and Sunderland! Clearly the PL consider his background an issue so why was he chosen for a match involving us at this atage of the season?
Keith B (5): easy to answer that one – sheer incompetence, but I’ll happily take it to help make up for some of the othe rubbishy decisions we’ve suffered this season (Palace in the first game, for Jerome’s overhead kick, Chelsea at home recently for the blatant offside goal, pick your own for any others).
So you think that the FA should not only stop referees officiating their home town team(s), which is fair enough and standard practice, but never be appointed to a match which might also have an affect on that team’s success or failure?
Good luck with scheduling the appointments on that basis. I have a nasty feeling that when Lee Probert from Swindon was around he’d have been very busy. And we certainly wouldn’t have wanted that!
Anyway if Oliver really is a Newcastle fan, giving that they are all but doomed, being bound to finish below at least one from us and Sunderland, he would surely be more likely to prefer to see the Mackems go down, Palace remain in the mire and so favour us.
Except that it’s all hogwash. Dean didn’t go out of his way to favour us, but his error gave us 2 extra points. Oliver didn’t go out of his way to favour anyone, his error cost us a point.
And as I write it seems that Sunderland have been denied a penalty against Leicester, so that’s a bit of luck heading back in our direction.
(By the way I wouldn’t try telling anyone form the Wirral, which Dean is, that they are Scousers….!)
I hate to spoil a nice self-indulgent conversation – but I share Pardew’s view that Michael Oliver is one of the best.
I don’t remotely think his background influenced his decision yesterday. It’s just that refs, when faced with a split-second decision, sometimes err on the side of not giving a penalty. A classic example this afternoon with Okasaki at Sunderland (happily, that one worked out OK in the end).
Keith and Stewart – damn your sensible and logical outlook – we wuz robbed in both Palace games. A clear conspiracy probably guided by the hand of the Vatican. You’ll be telling me that the moon landings weren’t faked?
Oliver clearly isn’t trusted by the powers that be to be impartial to ref a match involving the NE clubs (see #6). I think it inconceivable for him to be totally unbiased in a situation such as yesterday.
As for Pardew’s opinion – do me a favour. He would have been incandescent if that had been the other way round.
Cosmo (10): I might agree, but the Illuminati told me not to…
At risk of swimming even more strongly against the tide, I reckon Oliver would be fine officiating either Newcastle or Sunderland. The authorities are right to keep him away from those games, of course – but for appearance rather than substance.
Keith(8) – the Wirral is in Merseyside. The Royal Liverpool golf club is in the Wirral (Hoylake).
Scousers come from Merseyside – that’s a fact whether they like it or not.
Alex Neil wasn’t exactly convinced that it was a penalty, although to me it looked like the kind of thing that would generally be given anywhere else on the pitch.
Big Sam on the big match: ‘We’re going to try to win it, but we definitely can’t lose it.’ It will not be pretty. We’re much less likely to be the beneficiaries of loony-toon defending this time.