After all, last season started in similar fashion and ended okay. Granted, there has now been a big step up and it is more difficult to pick up points when not playing well, but the evidence of the last two games is that Palace have been playing well. It’s just a sign of the difference that the team could play worse last season and win or draw.
Trying to look at this objectively, the Eagles have missed two good opportunities to get points on the board. Although no-one would have expected a win against Spurs, Palace had home advantage and the element of the unknown that they could have used to pick up at least a point but didn’t.
However to stay in this league they will need to beat the Stoke’s of this world but they failed to hold their deserved lead.
There is no-one that will know this more than the manager and players though. They will be fully aware that they should have at least drawn at the Britannia, and they are the only ones that can put it right, starting with Saturday at home to Sunderland.
A win in the League Cup will be good for confidence but as it won’t be the first team it’s not quite the same.
There is a learning curve that the team must recognise, and they have to take to it quicker than in the Championship simply because there are fewer games to put it right.
But the general consensus from those that saw or listened to the game was that Palace played very well and were unlucky to not come away with something. Clarke Carlisle had constant praise for the Eagles, apart from a crazy five minute spell.
It’s one of those things where being the away team meant the equaliser got the home fans behind their team and pushed them to get the second. If the same happened at Selhurst, it would be much less likely Stoke would have gone in front.
Over the weekend there has been numerous mentions of the fact that Palace are the only one of the promoted teams not to win. Again trying to look objectively at this, I feel that more can be read into the Hull win than the Cardiff one.
Whilst it is a headline grabber, the Cardiff victory at home to Manchester City is one of those anomalies that the Premier League always throws up. QPR beating Chelsea and Norwich beating Manchester United in recent seasons are just some examples. It is always likely to happen when the big boys come to town as it’s treated like a cup final.
Hull on the other hand picked up three points against a team likely aiming for mid-table security with ten men, and these are the sorts of teams the promoted clubs need to be picking points up against.
Either way, it is still very early in the season to be reading too much into these results. Holloway is a good example of that, as Blackpool’s brilliant first half of their Premier League season was not matched in the second.
A victory before the international break will certainly be a big boost to the Eagles, but this is a difficult league and the worst thing you can do is let expectations get away from you.
The one thing fans can expect is an electric atmosphere on Saturday, something which can hopefully push the team on to three points.
Daniel Smith - @dmsmith1987