Pictures and analysis of Crystal Palace 3 Wolves 1

Where do Wolves go from here?

A New Year is supposed to be about fresh hope and new beginnings. But another deserved defeat in another awful performance merely suggested the same problems linger on as Wolves completed a thoroughly miserable festive period.

Manager Stale Solbakken admits the club is in a full-blown crisis and the way the team is playing, there doesn't appear to be an end in sight.

This latest defeat carried on from the malaise served up against Peterborough and Ipswich.

The only difference was that Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's consolation 15 minutes from time at least finally nudged them into some sort of competitive life, partly spurred by the arrival of Jamie O'Hara and Anthony Forde just after the hour.

But this can't go on. Wolves' performances have become a footballing desert where the players look like a collection of strangers.

The football rarely goes anywhere and contains neither the passion nor the creativity to excite fans.

Devoid of pace, width, flair, imagination and a goal threat, Wolves shovel the ball aimlessly between themselves before losing possession, or play it long and lose it.

Bakary Sako, the one player capable of providing an oasis in that desert has, says Solbakken, joined the injured Tongo Doumbia in hitting the wall after a fourth ineffective game in a row.

For Wolves to be playing as badly as this suggests very real problems that half a year of his tenure haven't ironed out.

That could be Solbakken's change of style, the players' reluctance to accept his way forward or their inability to carry out the necessary changes, a gradual deterioration since May 2011 or a combination of all of the above.

Are the players so convinced his methods won't work that they aren't able to perform at the required level? Are they incapable of doing what he wants? Or is Solbakken not able to motivate them?

After the Ipswich defeat, Kevin Foley criticised the lack of effort of his team-mates, Solbakken suggested it just looks as if they are not trying. Chief executive Jez Moxey said it's down to the current players to 'get it.'

The differing views between dressing room and manager's office suggest players and management are singing from different hymn sheets. Ultimately the manager's way should prevail; if not, the lunatics will run the asylum.

But how long will this carry on before we see an upturn in performances and results?

There wasn't a hint of what was to follow in the opening minutes as Wolves went desperately close to taking the lead when David Davis' rising drive crashed off the outside of the post.

But Palace soon took control. Yannick Bolasie's 30-yarder bounced dangerously wide and Glenn Murray sent a skidding shot the same way after Wilfried Zaha left Wolves in a tangle.

Zaha was next to try his luck, curling over from Jonathan Parr's cross before seeing a shot hacked off the line by Roger Johnson.

It came as no surprise when they took a deserved lead, even if the trip by Sako that brought the free-kick from which they scored wasn't convincing.

The finish was, however, as Andre Moritz curled the ball into goalkeeper Carl Ikeme's left-hand corner from 25 yards.

Soon it was 2-0, Zaha emerged with the ball despite Richard Stearman's lunge and raced upfield before finding Bolasie for a toe-poke finish at Ikeme's near post.

Palace scored again in their first attack seven minutes into the second half. Stephen Ward tripped Moritz 25 yards out and the Brazilian picked himself up to curl the ball into Ikeme's top right-hand corner.

Ebanks-Blake rattled one fierce, angled effort into the side-netting on 69 minutes and, six minutes later, got a consolation with a smart turn and shot from 15 yards.

But this was hardly a new start for the New Year.

By Tim Nash