All of the Time - Too Mutch of Nothing

You don’t need me to tell you it was the sort of cold, damp weather that seems to get inside every bone in your body.

And rather than giving us any warming respite on the pitch, from about one and a half minutes into the game Crystal Palace had made the day even worse.

Turning slower than a canal barge for the opener, Damien Delaney’s performance was worrying to say the least.

I can’t overestimate what the Irishman’s spirit has helped the club achieve, but I think it’s time we replaced the centre back with the sort of partner Scott Dann deserves.

As with the dire 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa earlier this season, we were totally outwitted by a visiting team giving us a taste of our own medicine.

Everton were perfectly happy to sit deep and soak up our attacks before exposing the absence of pace in our defence with rapid counters.

This is highlighted in the fact Palace had 53 per cent possession. When we won at Goodison Park in September we had just 33 per cent of the ball. Repeatedly, Palace look uncomfortable with dominance.

Against better teams our strengths lie in hit-and-run attacks, and players like Puncheon, Zaha and Gayle all work best on the break.

Other Palace news

Pardew not complaining about Gayle decision in Everton defeat

When the Eagles are allowed to hold onto the ball for long periods, with nine or more players in the opposition’s half, we run out of ideas and lack the creativity to break through.

It’s all hypothetical, but things might have been different had Marouane Chamakh not suffered a horrible broken nose in the 25th minute.

The Moroccan so often provides the cutting edge that was missing on Saturday and looked lively and dangerous when on the pitch – not to mention providing the crucial link between midfield and attack that was AWOL after his injury.

Comparatively, debutant Jordon Mutch didn’t offer a great deal in Chamakh’s position. Whether he wasn’t fully match fit or it’s something more serious, he seemed like a passenger throughout.

Just like that, the remarkable Alan Pardew honeymoon period comes to an end.

Nevertheless, I feel vastly more confident under Super Al that a defeat against Everton is a blip and we’re sure to come back fighting.

Decisive: Romelu Lukaku's early goal would be the difference between the two sides on Saturday

Four of his five games in charge might have gone well, but it’s still not enough time to settle on an ideal formation, impart a philosophy or decide on a preferred line-up – especially with new recruits added recently.

The jury’s out on Mutch or old man Shola Ameobi, but it’ll be lovely when Pape Souare joins up with the squad as we’ve needed a left-footed player at left back for so long.

Add the return of Asian Cup-winning Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie into the equation and for the first time I can remember it seems like we’re actually assembling a strong, varied squad.

So it’s not all doom and gloom, though it felt that way on Saturday.