I mean I was his biggest critic when he was with us, from his transfer fee, to the performances and everything In between. But I’m happy to hold my hands up and say I was wrong and it really is just that we’re a basket case of a club.
Really happy for him. He's a player who is quality if used the correct way. Sadly we didn't do that, and over time his confidence dropped massively as a result. We wouldn't have got promoted without him, so I certainly wouldn't begrudge seeing him get a winners medal next month.
Difference at Palace is that he is not the best player in the team, he is not the clubs record signing. His signing for them was not putting all your eggs in one basket. He is five years older after playing (up to this season) more than half his games with us. No doubt a good player. But for us, the wrong signing at the wrong time. Would rather have seen us spend that money on Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins.
Though of course wouldn't have needed to spend that anywhere near that amount on either. We did such stupid business late on in the PL stint.
And he seems happy and Glasner actually wants him unlike Garcia. Obviously as you say playing in a team with other good players and confidence helps.
Happy for him (and Hughes)! Granted the City that Palace played today are a shadow of the one we played in the final, but still - just goes to show what can happen when you show up (and actually play your best players... Not your second choice keeper).
Agreed regarding Sarr and Hughes . TBF Citeh battered Palarce, the ball just wouldn't go in . That's football . I don't think Ben Foster would have changed the outcome . IMO.
City seemed to spend most of the second half trying to walk it in so Palace were quite comfortable but yes another day Palace are down to 10 and MC score the penalty.
City not a patch on team that destroyed us. Had they scored early could have been a different outcome but Palace goal gave them something to fight for.
“Fewer” (in honour of @Keighley ) We’d have won 2-1 if Foster had played. I know this for a fact. A FACT.
You’d have thought Liverpool of all teams would know better than to just leave Sarr unattended near the goal…
The optics of picking a guy who was supposedly retiring ahead of our number 1 as if it were a testimonial rather than perhaps the biggest game in our history certainly weren’t good, but I don’t remember Gomes ******* up that day
I don’t think he ****** up, per se, but he was timid for the first goal IIRC and given Foster was the much better keeper there’s always the chance he’d have pulled off a worldie or two to keep us in the game. The defence would also be far more familiar with having Foster behind them, knowing when the keeper would/wouldn’t come, which kicking foot to play to etc. However by far the biggest issue was the terrible message it sent to the other players. For many, the biggest game of their career, and we play our reserve keeper because he’s a nice bloke. Can you imagine GT playing a reserve keeper in that scenario ?
TBF he played a waiter in goal against Spuds in '87 instead of Steve Sherwood who said that he was fit to play .
And then a few days later at home to Chelsea I seem to remember Sherwood having a blinder! We will never know what would have happened if he had played in the semi, but that Football!
