The unsinkables march on...

I don't know about you, but I'm almost beginning to like this administration malarkey. Another massive game, another shiny three points for the Eagles - this time in the unspeakably galmorous surrounds of Scunthorpe, the only town in England to contain the word cu….well, you know what I mean. Pressed for time, I was a little concerned as to when I'd find the time to provide a summary of the day. Thankfully for me, our very own Dave stepped up to the plate with this quite magnificent email. Uncompromising in detail and majestic in scope, a better summary of the day you will be hard pressed to find. Over to you David...

"Firstly have to say that Scunny goes straight into top 3 worst towns I have been to in England - along with Rotherham and Gillingham. We had the misfortune to arrive in Scunny at 11.45 after a quick journey up a very foggy A1, picking up Dan C up at Swiss Cottage on the way. We drove straight to the ground to see how far it was from the town centre - Flynn said he could see the ground, at which point we all laughed. And then we all saw a big Rainham steel ad on the side and realised it was actually the ground. Hard to describe - looked like an old warehouse, or some kind of industrial storage centre. Apparently the first stadium built in the modern era. Joke. In the middle of a rancid retail park with the largest Tesco that I have ever seen - who says Tesco have killed off any type of local business?

We parked up in the town centre to be confronted by what can only be described as Britain's ugliest and most terrifying family. If one moment could capture the essence of a town this was it. After paying £1.50 to park for 4 hours in Scunthorpe's most central car park we had an explore around town. 10 minutes later we were in the pub. It made Croydon look like Florence. Town planners have much to answer for. Honestly the most depressing place I have ever been. People looked so miserable, and that was their life. They'll never escape. They don't deserve this - they are good people as well (well some)! As Cooper's mate informed us, anyone with anything about them leaves at 18, especially fit women who either get out or have to stay cos they get pregnant.

After finding a half decent sports bar Barracuda (a South African themed Walkabout - Luke took this pretty well to be fair) and annoying a Liverpool fan in there who was watching the Mickey Mouse Derby, we drove the 2 miles over to the ground. After I asked the car parking people at Tesco if there was a car par anywhere ("you are in one mate" laughed the local. Until he realised he was a local) we paid £3 to park in the ground car park (surely more car parking spaces than Glanford Park capacity) & went over to the Farmhouse Pub right opposite ground. As per usual we got to the ground just as players coming out, and discovered that sometimes first impressions can be absolutely spot on. It was as big a hole inside the ground as out.

About 700 Palace I reckon, I was hoping for 1,000, still not too bad. Subdued atmosphere really, although this might have had something to do with our really poor first half performance. We got absolutely battered 1st half - one man kept us in it - Matt Lawrence!! Best performance in a Palace shirt? Put in two goal saving tackles and won everything. Picked up the pieces from dreadful first half displays from Clint Hill and Claude. Scunny player had miss of the season when we were all resigned to it hitting the back of the net. Deserved to be 2 down, and were second to everything, but we thought that if we could escape 0-0 to half time we could have a chance of nicking an undeserved lead.

Then everything brightened up. Scunny brought on some no name numpties from the local council, and then introduced Geoff Hurst!!! Hardly got any reception from the crowd at all, people probably confused as to why he was there - was it really him?! Cheered up by England's World cup winning hero (he made a couple of gags about West Ham) Palace were a different team second half - obviously they got a half time bollocking from Sir Neil. Matched them physically and started putting them under pressure, although the Ambrose goal was probably our first shot on target. Great composure as he had a lot of time before drilling it in the corner. After that Dijali came on and his pace and skill caused the Scunny defence big problems. He got their full back sent off after bursting through onto a ball from Carle. Harsh red, but you see them given. After that Dijali had 2 fantastic chances but showed that he needs to work on his finishing / final ball. Still, very promising, and another fantastic Academy prospect.

Scunny's goal came as no surprise (always happened when you miss chances to go 2 up), although it was fairly gutting, coming around the '5/6 minutes left to go' time which we seem to love conceding in at the moment. We sensed after that there was going to be a winner - unsurprisingly I thought that it would be Scunny. Then in the 93rd minute, Clyney broke forward and fed Danns in the box. Great first touch to bring inside on left foot and create some room, before unleashing a superb shot into the corner. We just about saw the ball head past keepers outstretched arm on it's way to the corner. Cue utter pandemonium. Cooper and his hat were down the steps and at the front in a matter of seconds, followed by the rest of us. Proper celebration, hugging anyone, right on top of the pitch. Palace players as usual went ballistic. It made the 450 mile round trip so worthwhile. Whistle went 30 seconds later, cue fantastic celebrations, players all going mental in front of us, Warnock doing a Dowie's punch. Fantastic, very emotional. Fairly undeserved, but happens to us all the time.

Few drinks in pub watching England beat the Welsh, and the Quins boys doing us proud, to cap a remarkable day of sport. Think all of us were still drained from the game and in a state of shock. That was a huge win, absolutely massive, one of the most important results in recent times. A couple of Scunthorpe fans told us we didn't deserve it but fair play, and they were right to be honest. It was a smash and grab. But they were good lads. Couldn't imagine a Chelsea / Arsenal / Man U fan being so gracious in defeat. Journey down M1 quick, Let it be/ Alan Lee & Glad All over played over and over again. Flynn abusing people queuing outside exclusive Mayfair nightclubs; we certainly let central London know that Palace got a result!

Goes straight into top 10 away days. We deserved that last minute winner.

Donny away anyone?"

Wolves take a Buttering!

I've done this a day too late. I could have gone for 4 or 5 million on Monday!' Danny Butterfield

Over recent months I've managed to bag myself the unenviable reputation of being something of a bad luck charm. Soundly beat tough opposition, and I'll probably have missed the game. Get our pants pulled down at home by the likes of Scunthorpe and Doncaster however and you can guarantee I'll be there, with most of the other lads looking at me with a mixture of pity and barely concealed anger. Unfortunate as this is, it boded well for our midweek cup clash with Premiership fraudsters Wolves - in the midst of an unspeakably bad work related sh*t-storm, I was forced to forego my ticket at the last minute. 'We'll probably win 15-0, with Victor coming back to score 10 bicycle kicks' I quipped via email. Little did I know that the events which were to unfold would render that fabricated scenario entirely plausible by comparison. I wasn't there, but I think I can safely say that the 10,000 + hardy souls who turned up at fortress Selhurst will need to wait quite a while before they see something like that again.

Watching on from my living room (yes, Palace were actually on the box), it was evident that we were firmly in control from the word go. The match itself soon blossomed into a glorious affair, with Palace tearing apart their Premiership opponents with room to spare. Wolves found themselves not only out-muscled, but also out-thought and out-played. Our often-whinged-about direct style certainly did the trick, but there was no shortage of talent on show, with Palace equally commanding with the ball on the carpet as they were when it was collecting snow in the outer reaches of the earth's atmosphere. Matty 'Shaggy' Lawrence - so often on the sharp end of fans' vitriol - was imperious at the back, whilst the oft-maligned Alan Lee put in a Herculean shift up top, despite nearly having his head taken off in one particularly gruesome, blood soaked (albeit accidental) incident. Neil Danns and the recently recalled Nicky Carle buzzed around midfield with impressive results, although you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't impress on the night.

That said, there was one man who managed to stand out from the pack; a Palace old boy so often the unsung hero, who will no doubt be forcing his grandkids to watch the video of this game well into jeriactric-dom. Indeed, whilst Danny Butterfield can be described as many things, 'goal machine' isn't a term that I'd imagine he's overly familiar with. 7 goals in 252 appearances prior to this game would certainly attest to that. Playing as a makeshift striker against Wolves however, it looked like he'd spent his life sticking balls in the back on the net. 6 minutes and 58 seconds - the exact time it took Sir Danny to hit one of Selhurst's most famous hatricks. Just to clarify, that's a goal every 2.19 minutes. Unbelievable. Back in my living room, I was struggling to comprehend the events which were unfolding before my eyes. Having barely got over his second, the third had me reaching for the TV, wondering whether it had suffered some sort of cataclysmic technical failure. What on earth was going on? Had I inadvertently ended up in some sort of bizarre, work-induced twilight zone? The texts which flooded in - several of them from the game - appeared to confirm that the imnpossible was in fact, very much achievable. Even Merson couldn't believe it!

Joking aside, this was a result which meant so much to the club, from the players to the fans and everyone in between. From a financial perspective, the cash injection brought about by safe passage to the next round (and a home-game with premiership big-boys Aston Villa) will be much welcomed. On the pitch, it confirmed what we already knew; the spirit and belief in that dressing room is something else. Where lesser teams may have been divided by administration, it appears to have succeeded only in heightening the sense of unity in this particular camp. Warnock once again gathered the players in the centre circle at the end of the game - a display of defiance which wasn't far away from bringing a lump to the throat of all who worship at the red and blue altar. Where do we go from here? Who knows! One thing's for sure though - as our good mate Jason put it in a text from the game - 'love it, can't get enough at the moment!' Too true mate, too true.

Dan

(not so) Black Monday

Fresh from the morale boosting win against Peterborough, fans turned their attention to that most dreaded of days - transfer window deadline day. Whilst this bizarre phenomenon may give Sky Sports News the chance to wet themselves silly for the lion's share of 24 hours, for those of us in financial dire straits, it makes for a nerve shredding experience. The loss of Victor was a bitter pill for us all, but at the very least it was expected. However, little was known about how far the administrator was willing to go in the name of further cash injections. Would he try and keep the squad together, knowing that a League 1 bound team would do little to attract outside investment? Or would he take the money - flog all of our player assets, get some quick cash through the door and then hope for the best? For many of us, the later didn't bear thinking about. Speroni, Danns, Ambrose, Clyne - all up for grabs and all likely to go for rock bottom prices. Swanson might have been loving dicking about with his Star Trek style transfer machine in the Sky Sports News studio, but most Palace fans were spending the day dodging work and getting heavily acquainted with the refresh button.

As was to be expected, the rumours soon started swirling. Ambrose spotted at Sheffield Wednesday! Danns having medical at Southampton! Clyne on his way to Wolves! Well, as it turned out, there was more than a grain of truth to that last one. News soon began to filter through that Wolves - to be our opponents only two days later - had offered our mercurial right-back 10,000 big ones a week to move to the Black Country. To be fair, even I'd consider moving up there for that sort of wedge.

But as we braced ourselves for the worst, word got out that Clyney had turned them down, choosing instead to stick around and fight for the cause. Nice one Nate! Better still, 5pm came and went without news of further departures. But could it be true? Personally, I wasn't sure whether to be doing cartwheels or crying into my (well worn) keyboard. Everyone knew that the club was in dire need of player sale generated funds and yet... no action. The optimist in me saw this as a sure sign of an imminent buyer, but the devil on my shoulder persisted in continually whispering 'imminent collapse' into my ear. All of which added up to a very confusing state of affairs. I guess we'll only understand the hows and whys much further down the line - fingers crossed that there was method behind the madness after all.

In terms of losing players, we're not out of the woods yet - indeed, with the loan window reopening in two weeks, we may yet see the team broken up, albeit on a temporary basis. Still, in the absence of little resembling fact, I'm choosing to stay positive. The fact that Danns and Clyne chose to copy our great leader by sticking with the club in its time of need speaks volumes about the current spirit in the camp. If we can continue to hold onto our lads then maybe, just maybe, the dream scenario of a heroic play off push could yet still be on the cards. At the very least, let's just thank our lucky stars that we made it though to the other side with something that still resembles a squad. In our current predicament, that's more than anyone could ask for. Onward!

Dan

A day to remember

In the previous post, I discussed the importance of staying positive and getting behind the team as we continue to take tentative steps through the administration mire. If the Peterborough game was anything to go by, then no-one at this club needs telling - both on and off the pitch, this was a day to cherish for everyone associated with Crystal Palace. The game itself saw Palace ease past a fairly dreadful Peterborough side who - only days later - were to send manager Mark Cooper packing, p45 in hand. Chomping at the bit from the get go, Palace were simply too strong for a team who are now looking firmly down the relegation barrel. Both goals came from the ever impressive Neil Danns; his first a piece of acrobatic finishing of which Victor Moses himself would have been proud, the second a textbook example of cool finishing from inside the box. Special mention must also go to Palace stalwart Danny Butterfield, who looked disconcertingly comfortable in an unfamiliar advanced role. Disastrous finishing aside (we'll let that one go Butts), his performance epitomised what Palace were all about - passion, drive and an unwavering will to win.

Important as the victory was, the day was as much about what happened off the pitch as it was collecting those invaluable three points. Unsurprisingly, the Eagles faithful didn't disappoint, with the pre-match pub buzz being very much translated onto the terraces. From the moment that the players ran out to a sea of red and blue, South London's finest showed little sign of letting up. By the time that all four sides of the ground stood, arms aloft, to belt out 'stand up if you love Palace', even the most tear-proof of fans must have struggled to hold back the wet stuff.

Still, anyone left in the ground who had managed to suppress a tear was soon reduced to a gibbering mess on the floor when, at the full time whistle, Warnock led the players into the centre circle to a rapturous reception from the Selhurst faithful. What a moment it was. There's something about the bond forged between players and fans at times like these (trust us - this is our second administration in ten years. We should know!) which is unlike anything else - it brings everyone closer together and reminds all and sundry just why we follow this weird and wonderful little club from South London. The shock of administration and a ten point deduction already appears to have been banished - for that alone, the management team should be lauded. If this game was anything to go by, we'll be just fine.

Dan

Cheerio VicMo

"Players are frequently accused of being disloyal to their clubs but I wouldn't count myself among them. I owe a massive debt of gratitude to Palace. I'm a deeply religious boy and a day doesn't pass when I don't consider how fortunate I am." Victor Moses, January 2010

I can distinctly remember sitting in front of Newsround over 18 years ago, balling my eyes out at the news of Ian Wright's sudden departure to Arsenal. Whilst today's news that Victor Moses has finally left for the Premier League (at the time of writing it looks like Wigan Athletic is the likely destination) was depressingly inevitable, the sense of disappointment was all too familiar. As our most valuable asset by some distance, it was always a case of 'when, not 'if', especially once administration was confirmed. That said, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by both the fee (rumoured to be 2.5 mill up front) and the club of choice. It's a great shame that Mr Wenger didn't decide to take the plunge, as I could have seen him slotting in perfectly at The Emirates - surely the only 'big' club that would have given him sufficient match time and room for development. I'd love to think that Vic's move had been tailored to the best interests of the player; the reality, I fear, is that Wigan were simply the club happiest to stump up the hard cash up front. Beggars - as it is often said - can't be choosers.

As a fan, a true bond between players and fans is always something to be cherished. As all Palace fans will be aware, VicMo's story is both tragic and inspiring in equal measure. Born in Kaduna, Nigeria in 1990, Victor was forced to leave his native land after both his parents were murdered during religious violence which erupted in the region. Arriving in the UK as an orphaned asylum seeker aged little over 11, his rise to the Palace first team by 16 - via Sunday League football and a private education paid for by the club - was genuine fairytale stuff. You always got the sense that his bond with Crystal Palace ran deep; something which the lump-in-throat-inducing picture above captures perfectly.

Notoriously shy off the field, Vic's actions on the pitch were anything but reserved. One of the most naturally gifted players I've had the pleasure of watching at Palace, he is that rarest of gems; a player who can change the course of a game in the blink of an eye. Blessed with explosive acceleration, great balance and a bagful of tricks to rival that of Ronaldo, he created a buzz whenever he got on the ball. His recent goalscoring exploits - including a superb brace at Reading, a Cruyff turn and shot at Plymouth and an eye poppingly brilliant bicycle kick against Barnsley - were clear proof that he was turning things up a notch; maturing into a top class finisher and a genuine team player. There can be no doubt that he frustrated as much as he amazed over the course of his 58 games in red and blue, but this was, if anything, testament to the huge weight of expectation placed on his young shoulders. Ever since news of his outrageous goal tally in Palace's youth teams (50 goals in a single season for the under 14s) filtered onto the terraces, fans expected to see the second coming of Wayne Rooney. Whilst that was always a tad on the optimistic side, we were lucky enough to witness some truly electrifying flashes of genius over the course of his all too short Palace career.

As much as I will take great pride in watching Vic blossom into the great player that he is surely destined to become, it is hard not to feel that this is yet another case of what could have been. If anyone deserves to make it at the top, it's Vic - a young man who has showed great maturity by carving out a successful career in professional football in the light of personal experiences too horrific for most to imagine. Good luck Victor - I for one will take great satisfaction from watching you dump all manner of overpaid Premiership fullbacks on their rear-end in the coming years. When Vic returns to Selhurst, he can expect the warmest of receptions from all four corners of the ground, a place which I hope he will always be able to call 'home'.

Thanks for the memories VicMo!

Dan

Cometh the hour...

Palace vs. Peterborough - in any other season, this would hardly be a fixture to get the old juices flowing. Trouble is, this isn't just 'any other season'. In little over four hours time, Palace will be embarking on their biggest match of the season so far. On paper, it's a relegation six pointer - for Palace in particular, a chance to make an immediate step away from the newly discovered drop zone territory. But today is about far more than what happens on the pitch; it's a golden opportunity to show that this is a club which sticks together when the chips are down. From the fans, players & management through to programme sellers, the kit man and the tea lady; everyone - and I mean everyone - has a part to play in helping to lift this club out of the mire.

I couldn't fail to be impressed with Mick Jones' words, both in his ever-excellent blog, or on yesterday's Palace Player interview, which highlighted in far more compelling terms than I have expressed above, the need for unity and positive thinking during this time. The message was unequivocal; negativity in any form will not be tolerated within the club. Whinge, and expect a hairdryer. Mick's regular blog has been a firm fan's favourite this season, it's candid style giving fans a genuine insight into the day to day running of the club. What's become abundantly clear is the great affection Mick and the rest of the team have developed for the club during their tenure (note to administrator - long may this continue), something that, as fans, we can be immensely proud of. In the previous post I waxed lyrical about Neil Warnock, but we can count ourselves particularly lucky that we've got Mick and Curley down there in the trenches with him. Lesser management teams would quite justifiably feel a bit sorry for themselves, particularly in the light of the points deduction, but that absence of negativity will be integral to our chances of getting through this.

Talking of an absence of negativity, I will refrain from unleashing what would undoubtedly turn into an essay's worth of abuse in the light of Danny Baker's comments this morning - good old Danny feels that ten points isn't enough, and that we should be further penalised with a -6 goal difference. It goes without saying that Millwall have always been an utterly classless club, but never before have they displayed their long-held inferiority complex so brazenly. Indeed, where other clubs have made an effort to register their concern, all the noises coming out of the Lego Den have been ones of celebration. Let them have their little moment in the sun (Lord knows they're long overdue one of them) - the fact that it revolves around someone else's plight and not their own success tells you everything you need to know about that little lower league non-entity. Still, football banter is football banter, and in our heart or hearts we'd probably miss it if it wasn't around. I even think Millwall might miss us....well, most of them anyway.

Anyway, back onto important matters (and no, JT having a piece of Bridgey's missus doesn't count). Today is all about sending the players and management a clear message - as long as this club is around, the red and blue army will be there to support them. Dig out your colours, scarves, flags, Wembley flatcaps...anything that will help turn Selhurst into a sea of red and blue. Most importantly of all, make a racket. If you think a few pre-match sharpeners might help then you know what to do. Speaking of that, I'm off down the Cherries...come on you Eagles!!

Dan

Sir Neil achieves legendary status. Dougie goes off the charts.

If you'd have told me five years ago that the man pictured at the top of this post would become an all time Selhurst legend, I reckon I'd still be laughing now. Seriously. I - along with 99% of other football fans (not to mention officials) - saw this generously-beaked Northerner as one of the game's all time bell-ends. Of course, much of this vitriol had to do with the fact that he had an uncanny knack of getting one over on us, but I digress. Aggressive, appallingly biased, deeply unsporting and infamously whinge-tastic, he made for quite the pantomime villain.

Of course, I've long since given up trying to convince any of my mates that he is anything other than one or all of the above. Step into any Palace pub this Saturday however, and you'll hear nothing (sorry, nowt) but gushing praise for the great man. Put simply, the job he's done since replacing the hapless Peter Taylor has been nothing short of outstanding. Shoestring would be a favourable way of describing the budget he's been working on, and yet we've seen immense improvement on the pitch, no more so than when he took us to the brink of Wembley back in 2008. Now that everything's gone hopelessly Pete Tong, his presence will be invaluable; not just in terms of our prospects on the pitch but, more importantly, by installing that never-say-die, backs against the wall attitude that we'll need in order to get out of this debacle in one piece. The announcement today that he will be sticking by the club throughout the admin period (alongside the administrator's apparent desire to keep him here...) should be met with unreserved delight from all Palace fans. With Neil in charge (and with the dream team of Curley and blogger extrodinaire Mick Jones - more on them in future posts), I've got no doubts that we'll beat the odds and retain our Championship status. After all, who wouldn't perform in the face of an almighty bollocking such as the one below:

Talking of legends, they surely don't come much bigger than Dougie Freedman. News filtered through today that Sir Doug had taken the time out to comment on our current situation, through the CPFC Trust's website.

The message - found here: http://www.cpstrust.org.uk/news/article/38 - will no doubt bring a lump to the throat of all but the most cold-hearted of Eagles. His continued use of 'we' and references to 'our club' show just how deeply the man cares about Palace. Save for leaping in a time machine, pulling on the red and blue and doing a Stockport, I can't see how I could love (in a manly, back-slapping sort of way, obviously) the man anymore. Doug, on behalf of all Palace fans, we salute you.

Dan