Happy with the point today?
I think it was a well-deserved point. We played well in the second half. I was really pleased with the character we showed today. We have to build up from those performances. I’m really pleased with those goals we scored of course. I never had a doubt we would score them it’s just a matter of time.
Pleased with Conor Gallagher’s performance too?
He has the ability to remain calm in the box, he’s a really good finisher. He has a lot of energy and works hard for the team. When he’s in this kind of situation he scores goals.
After you got the goal your team was galvanised, what changed everything?
What we needed to change was being too compact, we needed to run in behind. In the first half, it was easy to defend as we always wanted the ball at feet. In the second half we stretched them more and our forwards created situations inside the box and created those chances.
Confident that after the international break we’ll see the real Crystal Palace?
it’s still going to take time. I think we have to realise the changes going on at our football club. The process of building a team that can challenge in the Premier League takes time. The performance that we had today, especially in the second half, shows the team is improving game after game. We build confidence and then we will be competing for ore in the Premier League.
Still a few players short?
Yes. We know the market is still open and we are working to improve the threat. We will do that.
Did the second-half show a change in the way you played?
It’s been about six or seven weeks I’ve been with the players and their concentration in training has been really good. We have to put this in place to be a good team and to compete in the PL and it’s not an easy thing to do. Games like today give us confidence and give us belief in that. It’s going to be challenging. There’s going to be times when things don’t go our way but it is important for us to keep working hard.
Key messages to the team?
They showed character and personality. West Ham is a difficult team and place to come. I was really satisfied with the competitiveness we showed and the character we showed today. The team keep playing better and we want to keep that level. We compete against teams which is important.
Any update on Eddie Nketiah?
I don’t want to make a comment on players who are at another football club. We want to improve the squad and we want to have more options up front. We are working on trying to find them. We may not find them. We want to find different profiles from what we have. Today the players showed they can compete at the level. There’s no doubt they can compete and do well for the football club.
Conor Gallagher (continued)
Conor had a good loan last year. He did well. He’s a player who needs to play week in and week out and coming to us was a smart move for him. We will give him time to keep playing and keep performing. Today he showed a lot of quality on both sides of the game.