Crystal Palace's Deadline Debutants

Article by e-Crystal Palace Correspondent Alisdair Kemp

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The word “verdict” was considered for the headline of this piece. However on reflection, in spite of the need for these key signings to hit the ground running, making a full judgement on them would be unfair after just a few games. Although much is expected of Scott Dann, Joe Ledley and the much-coveted Tom Ince, it is important to remember that all three were sourced from outside the Premier League.

Dann, despite having Premier League experience, has spent the last 18 months toiling away in the Championship mid-table, while Ince (although a regular at England U21 level) has yet to taste the big league. Stepping up from Championship level involves, above all else, an adjustment to the heightened tempo of games, with less time to dwell in possession. Furthermore, it requires an appreciation that, as the cliché outlines, you get punished for your mistakes in the Premiership.

The challenge to adapt facing Joe Ledley is a little harder to quantify as, despite the SPL being arguably at its weakest for some years, Ledley has plied his trade against some of the world’s best teams in the Champions League. It would be somewhat audacious to assert that playing for Palace in a relegation six-pointer against West Brom is a taller task than facing off against Xavi and Iniesta at the Nou Camp!

Nevertheless the 3-1 victory over West Brom provided some valuable insight into these three players and their potential impacts on the crucial final furlong.

Scott Dann

It was slightly surprising to see Gabbidon drop to the bench immediately to accommodate Dann and, while recognising the little time he and Delaney have had to form a partnership, the West Brom game certainly left question marks over his style of play and positional awareness. As he lined up at the start, it was not difficult to spot his immediate appeal to Pulis. Being 10cm taller than Gabbidon, our centre-back pairing certainly looked more imposing and West Brom had no joy whatsoever in the aerial battles throughout the 90 minutes. With Scott Dann in the side, we pose more of a threat at attacking set-pieces and are better-equipped to defend against them. His leadership qualities shone through in the second half as well, particularly after West Brom pulled a goal back and Dann beckoned to the defence to regularly push up the pitch. Another pleasing aspect of his performance was his holding up of the man in possession. Recognising his lack of speed, he hardly ever lunged or dived in for the ball, preferring to delay the man and allow reinforcements to get back. Perhaps he can be a calming presence alongside the more volatile Delaney.

However, the downside of this increased physical presence is that he lacks Gabbidon’s mobility – which thus far has complemented Delaney’s natural inclination to attack the ball (knowing that the more mobile Gabbidon is behind him to sweep up the danger). No one expects Dann to have the pace to keep up with the likes of Victor Anichebe – and this is not a problem provided that he reads the game. However, barely ten minutes into his debut, a harmless-looking through ball sailed past him as he was caught square-on to the play and Anichebe raced behind him to go clean through. In the first minute of the second half, although Speroni appears to have been made the scapegoat for allowing West Brom’s goal to beat him at the near post, Dann was at fault for allowing Anichebe to cut back his cross to Thievy (almost jumping out of the way as if terrified of conceding a corner).

Joe Ledley

It is a little harder to give an appraisal on Ledley, with Pulis having deployed him in an unfamiliar left-back role. He did play there in an Old Firm game once and against West Brom put in a solid, if unspectacular, shift (typical of a Tony Pulis full back, one might argue). Although not the quickest, it is clear that, when presumably played alongside Jedinak , he will offer a more energetic option than KG (thus offering the industry of Stuart O’Keefe whilst possessing better technique and, most importantly, being taller!). Scoring a goal certainly helped endear him to the Selhurst faithful.

Tom Ince

After allegedly travelling the length and breadth of the country talking to every club from Swansea City to the Dog and Duck, it was pleasing to see Ince still had the legs to put in a promising debut performance. His movement leading him to his goal just 15 minutes in demonstrated an alertness and killer instinct previously missing from the starting eleven, while the deft finish hinted at a level of composure that should hopefully see him score some key goals in the final 13 games.

With fans understandably keen to see how he measures up to the more enigmatic Wilfried Zaha, we were not disappointed. Despite perhaps lacking some of Zaha’s raw, edge-of-your-seat flair, Ince demonstrated superior positional sense and reading of the game – not to mention more reliable crossing and finishing. The beginning of an understanding between Ince and Chamakh was evident throughout the first half, as he followed Chamakh’s aerial challenges around the pitch and read the flick-ons. At the other end of the pitch, Zaha’s defending is one thing that improved dramatically during his time at Selhurst and, although Ince certainly put in the effort, he did at times appear to just be ball-chasing.

On reflection, Ince showed signs of being the match-winning signing that Pulis so desperately craved, while Ledley looks a reliable, solid, Pulis-type player, who should thrive alongside Jedinak. Scott Dann is going to have to put in a little more work if he is to permanently break up a defensive partnership that has yielded 6 clean sheets in 13 games since Pulis took over.

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