IT'S no secret that the Palace ethos is now 'score more than they do' and the weight given to the importance of a clean sheet lay by the wayside.
But when one of the most free-scoring Eagles sides in recent history is failing to find the net, and the confidence we were thriving on earlier in the season has all but dried up, the flippancy we had about out ability to shut-out opponents is coming into view.
It's easy to forget a little confidence goes a long way in defenders having the cajones to knock the ball between each other at the back, but it's not just a lack of confidence that has seen ourselves into this predicament.
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, our line is far too high for the players we have at our disposal. They get caught out due to their lack of speed – ie they're too slow to get back and cover once they've been beaten by a nippier opposition forward.
This is far more of a worry than it was at the start of the season. When we were masters at controlling the game, we often found ourselves with an abundance of possession. We were playing freely, without worry, and this made an occurrence such as losing the ball quite a rarity; and in turn put far less pressure on the men at the back.
Now there's nothing but pressure. Glenn Murray and the lads' lack of goals up top is piling the pressure on the men at the back.
Perhaps scoring goals at the weekend against Leicester – though conceding two – will allow Delaney, Ramage et al to play with a little more confidence again.