Crystal Palace skipper Shaun Derry says teams should start respecting them rather than criticising their style of play.

Nottingham Forest's Billy Davies was the latest manager to have a pop at the Eagles' physical style after Saturday's 1-1 draw with comments that sparked an angry response from Palace boss Neil Warnock and Derry was quick to back him up.

"A lot has been said about us this year and some comments have been unacceptable," he said.

"You have to respect us as a team and not everybody is going to have the same kind of style.

"If you had 24 teams playing the same way it's going to be boring.

"We know what our strengths are and when we come up against the more technically gifted players then we have to get in among them and break them down and make it difficult for them.

"We are confident in the way we play and we have proved we can mix it and at times played some great stuff."

After Saturday's game Warnock jokingly told Derry, who hasn't scored in almost three years, he should pass to keeper Julian Speroni in future rather than shoot after twice blazing over from the edge of the box.

He said: "I have told him next time he gets a shot outside the box I want him to turn and play Julian so that Julian can put a ball in the box.

"He is never going to score from outside the box. If he does I have told him to come and kiss both cheeks and do a somersault in front of me."

Derry though admitted his inability to convert chances had begun to annoy him.

"The amount of chances I have had and spurned it is a bit of a embarrassment," he said.

"It doesn't bother me because, with the position I play, goalscoring isn't up there as one of my main jobs.

"It would be nice but I have never been the kind of player to score regularly anyway.

"As for celebrating I don't know what I would do really, I would be more in shock than anything else."