With only two league wins and eight goals scored after 12 games, many football fans would be asking questions of their manager.

But, at Crystal Palace, Roy Hodgson seems to have avoided the wrath of the Selhurst Park faithful.

Hodgson guided Palace to 11th last season, and the way they finished the campaign with four wins and two draws led fans to believe something exciting could happen this year.

Twelve games in however, the reality is they sit 16th, level on points with Southampton and Cardiff City who occupy the final relegation spot.

So where has it gone wrong for Palace this season? Could it be the summer signings haven’t lived up to expectation?

Summer Signings

Max Meyer, Cheikhou Kouyate, Jordan Ayew and Vincente Guaita all came through the doors in the summer leading people on the outside to believe that Hodgson was backed in the transfer window. On paper, these looked like great signings, but seeing what left in the same window left some scratching their heads as to whether the squad was improved.

Jordan Ayew

Ayew joined on loan from Swansea in the summer and has featured ten times for the Eagles, without scoring. And in truth, he hasn’t looked like scoring.

Played in a more advanced position than he’d probably usually like, Ayew has worked hard for the team but has failed to get on the scoresheet, where Hodgson wants to see him. Once Benteke, Wickham or even Sorloth find fitness and form, maybe the Ghanaian will be able to showcase his talents playing behind a target-man.

We know he can find the back of the net as he showed at Swansea, Aston Villa and more recently for his country. Scoring both goals on his re-call to the national team, the Black-Stars saw off Ethiopia in an African Cup of Nations qualifier. Ayew no doubt will be desperate to transfer his international form to his club.

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Max Meyer

Yohanne Cabaye, Bakary Sako and Ruben Loftus-Cheek (who was on loan), were all key players in last seasons success and left a huge whole in the squad, most notably in mid-field.

Meyer’s arrival came with fanfare, but despite the undoubted talent the German international has, I don’t think there’s a Palace fan who wouldn’t rather see Cabaye or Loftus-Cheek donning the Palace strip right now.

The former Schalke man has started three league games so far, all on the wide right. And it’s safe to say he’s not convinced many, including Hodgson, that he deserves a start in his preferred role of playmaker.

Similar in stature to Eden Hazard, fans were hoping of a similar product when he arrived, right now they’ll hope for half the player Chelsea has.

Having missed a large chunk of pre-season it’s clear that Meyer is still adapting to life in the English league, and we should only judge him when he is back to full speed. That said, the Premiership is a dog-eat-dog league and there’s only so many opportunities Hodgson, and the fans, will give him.

Cheikhou Kouyate

Probably the better of the summer signings.

A slow start to life at Palace due to his late £10million arrival from West Ham, it took the leggy Senegalese man time to get back to full speed.

Having been a ‘bit-part’ player earlier in the season he’s started the last three matches and is surely in the team to stay. Building a solid partnership with captain Luka Milivojevic in the middle of the park, he’s added some strength and height that left when Loftus-Cheek went back down the Fulham Road.

One of the most important players for Hodgson, his driving runs from midfield and ability to get in the box is much needed considering the lack of aerial and physical presence offered by Zaha, Ayew and Townsend.

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Vincente Guaita

It’s hard to be critical of the Spaniard after his arrival from Getafe in the summer. The biggest compliment we can give him is that his arrival has raised the level of performances from Wayne Hennessey.

The Welshman’s showings this season have made him arguably the stand-out player for the Eagles, and such is the form of the shot stopper Guaita has had little opportunity to impress other than a couple of Carabao Cup fixtures.