Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock has rounded on his team's critics ahead of Friday night's showdown with rivals Charlton Athletic, writes Simon Fitzjohn.

Warnock was angered by reports dimissing his side as one-dimens-ional' after Saturday's disappointing 1-1 draw with visiting Southampton.

The Eagles manager also lashed out after Saints boss John Gorman stated that he "didn't like the way they play" following the Selhurst Park stalemate.

"You play to your strengths in football," said Warnock.

"Do the fans want to see us being direct or playing pretty football and being 20 points adrift?

"I think the Palace fans are delighted with how things are going. They want to see a team giving 100 per cent every game and they are getting that.

"Actually, I think we play a lot more football than we get credit for. But because we are a Neil Warnock team' it is easy to have a go.

"To be honest, I think a lot of it is simply down to petty jealousy."

Palace head to the Valley on Friday night eager to get back on the winning trail after disappointing against Leicester and Southampton in their past two outings.

And there is certain to be a red-hot atmosphere thanks to the bad blood between the two London clubs.

A bitter court case stemming from the acrimonious departure of former manager Ian Dowie from Palace to the Addicks last season will no doubt provide a tasty backdrop to proceedings.

But Warnock has refused to be drawn into a slanging match with their promotion rivals.

"I know there is a history between the two clubs but all that happened before my time here," he added.

"I really look forward to games like this, though. When I was at Sheffield United I loved games at Wednesday because of the atmosphere.

"It is a vital game for us but, with the position we are in, we could probably say that about every game between now and the end of the season."