MARK Hughes was kidding no-one when he emerged to face the Press in a broom cupboard deep within the bowels of Selhurst Park on Saturday evening.
After watching Blackburn Rovers' first goalless draw in 58 matches, Hughes tried to accentuate the positives of a gritty defensive performance.
But for all the talk of clean sheets and displays of character, it was clear from Hughes' demeanour that he viewed this as two points dropped rather than one gained.
There were positives to take from this trip to the Palace, don't get me wrong.
Only one defeat in six games and just one goal conceded in the last three matches is further evidence of the great strides made under Hughes so far.
But Premiership survival is ultimately about results and Rovers have got to start beating sides like Palace if they want to climb towards safety.
For all their effort and endeavour, Iain Dowie's side were easily the worst team Rovers have encountered this season and they should have been comfortably dispatched by half-time.
The fact they weren't was largely due to a pyjama-clad Hungarian goalkeeper and a profligate Rovers side who have now scored less than a goal a game in their 17 Premiership matches to date.
What Hughes and Rovers are missing is the X-factor - someone to provide that missing spark in the final third which can tip the scales in their favour.
I'm talking about a Damien Duff or, dare I say it, an Andy Cole who can win a game with a flash of genius.
Such players are worth their weight in goals and Hughes must somehow try to unearth a talisman on the cheap when the January sales get underway in roughly a fortnight's time.
Various names have been banded about: Dean Ashton at Crewe, John Hartson at Celtic, and even Burnley's Robbie Blake, who underlined his value to the Clarets with another match-winning brace at the weekend.
None of those are in the Duff and Cole bracket and it remains to be seen what kind of impact they would have in the Premiership.
But one thing is certain - Hughes has got to find a way of turning the draws into wins and no-one is more aware of that than the manager himself.
"We had some good performances today but the disappointing thing is we haven't taken the three points and the level of our performance deserved that," said Hughes, ruefully.
"We've got to take some credit for the way we defended, we didn't really give them any opportunities all day long, and that's a credit to our lads.
"But in the cold light of day we need to convert the draws into wins and we haven't done that again."
For the umpteenth time in recent weeks, Rovers were the better side for the vast majority of a game that was embarrassingly one-sided at times but, for all their possession and neat approach play, they failed to find a way past an inspired Gabor Kiraly in the Palace goal.
The most telling statistic of the afternoon was the 'shots on target' column, which Rovers won eight to two.
In fairness, Kiraly had one of those days where he seemed to attract the ball like a magnet.
He might have looked like an extra from Gerry Cottle's Circus as he emerged from the tunnel in a dove-grey jogging suit but appearances can be deceptive and he went on to make five top-drawer saves in the first half alone.
As good as the Hungarian was, though, Rovers should have been more clinical in the final third.
Paul Dickov, in particular, should have done better with a golden chance in the 30th minute but his finish lacked the necessary conviction and that rather summed up Rovers' day.
Palace, meanwhile, hit more bum notes than the 'Kylie' tribute act who tried to pass herself off as pre-match entertainment. The kindest thing I can say about her is she definitely didn't have the X-factor.
Dowie's side were so poor at retaining possession, I only hope they don't attempt a game of pass the parcel at their Christmas party because it could turn into a long night.
Andy Johnson carried their only serious threat but the Premiership's second leading scorer was restricted to just one shot by the outstanding Andy Todd, who was 'Paul Burrell-like' at the back for Rovers.
Palace would surely have been sunk without trace by half-time had it not been for the brilliant Kiraly.
Brett Emerton blazed an early effort over the crossbar before Kiraly then made the first in a series of fine saves in the 20th minute when he held onto a venomous free kick from Jay Bothroyd.
The Hungarian should have been beaten midway through the half when Bothroyd nodded a ball into the path of Dickov, who was all on his own 12 yards out, but with the goal at his mercy, the Scot's finish lacked precision and the chance went begging.
Unperturbed, Rovers continued to call all the shots - and Kiraly continued to repel them.
In a rare foray forward, Lucas Neill traded passes with Dickov only to see his shot beaten away by the Palace keeper, who then sprung to his feet again to save Bothroyd's follow up effort.
If that was an impressive act of defiance then he eclipsed it on the stroke of half-time when he somehow got a hand to an acrobatic volley from Craig Short which was executed from point blank range.
Rovers started the second half in similar fashion as Emerton and Dickov combined to release Barry Ferguson but the skipper drilled his shot into the side-netting.
With Palace in danger of being swamped, Dowie took decisive action, replacing the ineffective Aki Riihilahti with Wayne Andrews, who joined Johnson as a second striker up front.
It was a bold move and suddenly Rovers had something extra to think about at the back.
Palace's best and only real chance of the game came in the 62nd minute when Johnson cut in from the left and burst past Todd, who for once was left trailing in his wake.
As he got towards the edge of the box, the former Birmingham striker unleashed a low drive that Brad Friedel did well to palm onto his right-hand post.
After that, the game became increasingly scrappy as tempers frayed.
David Thompson, who was on as a substitute for Steven Reid, picked up a booking when he took a swipe at Andrews after the Palace player had robbed him of possession.
Some refs might have deemed that a straight red but Alan Wiley was lenient on this occasion.
However, he merely delayed Thompson's departure by a matter of moments as the midfielder did see red in the 88th minute.
Sandor Torghelle's theatrical attempt to land Neill in hot water sparked an outbreak of 'handbags' and in the melee that followed, the referee's assistant saw Thompson raise his hands towards Fitz Hall, an offence he felt serious enough to merit a second yellow.
Even then, Rovers had a late chance to snatch the win they so desperately craved when Dominic Matteo rose to meet a free kick but, in keeping with the day, his goal-bound header was booted clear.
So, another draw - and another missed opportunity.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-5-1): Kiraly; Boyce, Granville, Hall, Popovic; Watson, Riihilahti, Hughes, Routledge, Kolkka; Johnson. Subs: Andrews (for Riihilahti, 53), Lakis (for Kolkka, 74), Torghelle (for Routledge, 82) Not used: Leigertwood, Speroni
REFEREE: A Wiley - Card happy. 6
BOOKINGS: Rovers; Dickov, Thompson, Todd Palace; Hughes, Torghelle, Andrews
SENDINGS OFF: Thompson (Rovers)
ATTENDANCE: 22,010
