Changing of the guard - Too much, too soon?

 The news of Gary Cahill putting an end to his time with with the eagles has just hit, and with Andros Townsend joining Everton in recent days, it appears Palace are pulling no punches in their fight to overhaul the playing squad for the upcoming season.

Only a few weeks ago, the contract situation of 10 senior players remained unclear, and the manager yet to be appointed. Since then, many decisions have been made, and the playing squad has changed drastically. With Vieira having been appointed as Roy Hodgson’s successor, it was clear from the outset that youth would be at the forefront of everything we set out to achieve. Whilst the idea of freshening up the squad with young, hungry and aggressive talent fills every fan with excitement, I believe we should tread lightly as we embark on this new chapter. In this post I will address the issues involved with this radical change, and share my personal opinion on the decisions being made at the moment.

Wayne Hennessy, Andros Townsend, Dean Henderson, Mammadou Sakho, Patrick Van Aanholt and Gary Cahill have all been relieved of their duties as Vieira overlooks a revolution at Selhurst Park next season. Whilst I agree with the vast majority of these decisions, I strongly believe it is important to keep a healthy balance between experience and youth. The loss of some of these players will have a huge impact, for better or for worse next season, and I will explore those who I believe we should have done more to keep on.

Andros Townsend:

It will come as no surprise to any palace fan to tell you that Andros Townsend’s output as a premier league forward was far from ruthless during his spell at Palace. However, his ability to leave everything on the pitch in every game, and his excellent professionalism were characteristics that will keep him in the fond memories of many Palace fans for years to come. It has been evident since the loss of Bolasie to Everton in 2016 that Palace lack a clinical and ruthless winger to gel with Zaha. We all came to know what to expect from Townsend’s performances, setting aside “that goal”, Andros would run his socks off and work to the final whistle in all the games he featured in. Due to, Townsend’s gritty attributes, coupled with his wicked crossing, and capable defensive duties, his efforts have not gone un-noticed, with Rafa Bentitez making Andros one of his first signings of his Everton project. I strongly believe that Palace will find a capable replacement for Townsend when it comes to on the pitch performances, but his prestige among his colleagues, his professionalism, experience and wisdom are all things I believe this new Palace squad would have hugely benefited from. I will acknowledge that Everton would be more than likely to offer Townsend better wages to be a squad player than Palace could have afforded, but the ex-England international will leave a hint of regret from the boards perspective, should our upcoming attacking prospects fail to develop in the appropriate manor, as his mentorship and premier league experience would have been a great asset for the likes of Banks, Rak Sakyi and Olise to thrive off of.

Gary Cahill:

This one leaves a very sour taste in the mouth for me. There’s very few players who come in, and you believe your club is punching a bit above their weight. I thought this when Cabaye joined us in 2015, and at first glance I did not feel the same way about Gary Cahill. However, after some days of reflection, I had officially purchased my ticket on the Gary Cahill hype train. His wealth of success, quality and experience was still very prominent even in his later years, and watching him command the the back four during his time in a Palace shirt was a treat for us eagles supporters. Whilst it wasn’t always an easy ride, due to Cahill’s injuries and lack of pace, there were a lot more ups than downs in my personal experience. Cahill’s first team minutes would have surely declined from here on out, but I believe Gary was capable of one more season. One more season keeping a keen eye on the development of Palace’s two new, shiny assets in Guehi and Andersen. With the cover of Tomkins and Kouyate, Palace would even have been able to play a 5 back formation, with our two new centre halves playing either side of the veteran defender. Cahill commanded the respect of changing room on the first day of training at Palace, the youth would have jumped at the chance to work alongside Cahill, improving daily, and feeling at relative ease in front of the fans. Whilst Guehi already looks to possess multiple captain’s attributes, Cahill, the former Chelsea legend could have stretched the 21yr olds development as far as possible, raising the ceiling of his potential, and installing a winning mentality in the England youth player even earlier than could have been expected. I respect Cahill’s desire to make his pay cheque stretch as far as possible, his playing days are numbered, and his profile will surely earn him a pretty penny elsewhere. I also understand the clubs position in not renewing Cahill’s contract at the players requested rate. Our two new marquee signings are at the heart of everything this rebuild is about, and certainly starting every game they are fit for. They will also bring a new and improved quality to the team, with their ball playing attributes. It is for these reasons that I respect Cahill, and wish him nothing but the best for what surely will be his last couple years as a professional player, but I do believe Palace have let one slip through the net here with the loss of a player’s player, a captain, a leader and a warrior. Gary Cahill will be missed.

Scott Dann:

Scott Dann is a player which I personally would let go without hesitation, so it may come as a surprise as to why he finds himself on the list of players I would not let go. Dann has been an unbelievable servant to the club, and hit his peak in 2015/16, where he exhibited epic defensive displays and registering multiple goals from the centre back position. Dann’s early seasons earned him a mouthwatering new contract, making him one of the club’s highest earners by a distance. His performances of late have been unreliable, slow, and rare, as his long standing battle with injuries have hindered Dann from hitting the heights he once showcased. The reason I would keep him on, would be the clear and obvious lack of leaders, now that Gary Cahill has departed. Dann has still not decided his future, and it looks unlikely that he will find a shiny new contract presented to him in the coming days. However, Dann still commands respect among this current Palace squad, he is a perfect intermediate between the players and the management team, and would provide a perfect mentor and role model for the young defensive players looking to gain first team minutes. I want to go on record by saying between the two, I would have preferred to have kept Gary Cahill on, but following his recent decision, to leave the mighty Palace, Scott Dann is now one of the only senior Palace player who has held the captains armband for multiple seasons. I feel strongly that the decision to axe too many senior figures could prove detrimental in our ambitions for the upcoming campaign, and it begs the question, are we pushing for too much too soon? Inevitably, Dann would see a huge wage cut due to his reduced involvement in the squad, but to keep a veteran centre-back who knows the clubs philosophy, the fans, and the answers to any possible queries of the young talent could prove vital in their development process. Without Dann and Cahill, the number of possible captain candidates becomes worryingly thin, and the vital experience and knowledge of some of our most senior players is lost for good.

The training ground is likely to hold a very different atmosphere next season, ridding itself of the older, injured and out of favour players, and adopting an aggressive, fast pace and ambitious mentality, this is a thoroughly exciting prospect for us fans next year. My worry is that is it too much too soon? To answer this question, in short, yes. I do believe it is too much too soon. I agree with the club that the majority of the out of contract players needed to move on, and have enjoyed seeing Dougie and Steve’s recruitment so far in this window. With the additions of Guehi (21), Olise (19) and the promotion to the first team of the likes of Omilabu, Rak Sakyi and Banks (possibly), alongside the progression of Mitchell and Eze already underway, I think it’s important to keep these experienced heads in the background to provide support, mentorship and cover for the future eagles. Of all the players listed, it might not seem a big deal to keep a selected few players on, especially given the initial reaction of most fans. Opinions which include “he’s too old”, “he’s past it”, “he’s lost his legs” or “he’s always injured”, and in some instances these aren’t completely false. However, if you dig a little deeper, you will see that these 3 players have a much larger impact than just their services on the pitch. They keep the cogs turning in the machine that is Palace. Their faces, their professionalism, their presence all have a huge impact on the people around them, and whilst I know a few of you reading this will quite rightly point out that keeping them on just because of their presence and professionalism is costly and wasteful,  I would point out that football is a game of fine margins, and with tough start to the upcoming campaign, we will need every experienced head we can keep hold of, to steady the nerves, galvanize the team, and advise the younger players. We have seen multiple young, talented squads pay the ultimate sacrifice of relegation in recent seasons, with Norwich and Fulham being the standout teams in that regard. This is something that haunts us Palace fans, as taking the plunge into the unknown with this new era could prove too risky. I do want to point out that the saved wages on all of these players is likely huge, and will allow us to recruit young exciting talent to promote into the squad for next season. I am very excited for next year, and feel our recruitment has been excellent so far. But I believe the scales can be tipped very easily, and some veteran players to keep us grounded in this rapidly changing period would not be the worst of things. I, along with countless of you guys felt that it was time for change last season and that is what we are getting. This new era is at its early stages as of now, and we are all keen for the season to start, to see what these wholesale changes have brought onto the pitch. But as a former Palace chairman once said, "be careful what you wish for". It is not a phrase I particularly enjoy hearing, nor one I often pass out, however, in this chaotic period of change, I feel it is important to stop, take a look around us and assess the risks of diverting course too much, as the risks at this level are monumental. Having a young squad brings about so many perks that we have been deprived of for countless seasons now, but when the going gets tough, which it inevitably will, the three players I have mentioned are ones you want around for when things get messy.

Let me know what you think guys, would you keep any of these on, or do you disagree and think we’ll be just fine with the young squad we’re assembling. As always, RT’s mean more than you could possibly know and keep me going with these posts!

@CPFC_Curt