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

The table's upside down, but the glass is half full

So it's the morning (afternoon?!) after the night before and we've gone from 9th to 21st in the blink of an eye. Obviously we knew it would happen once administration was announced, but it still hurts to see it in black and white. I think I've officially used up my month's quota of cliches in various recent emails discussing our plight (united we stand, divided we fall, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, onwards and upwards - take your pick!), so I'll attempt to refrain from unleashing yet more upon you.

What I would like to do however is share an email with you, received this morning, which gives a nice little overview of some of the highs (and lows) since our last meeting with the dreaded A-word. As any Palace fan will tell you, there have been plenty of these; good or bad, it's this very rollercoaster ride that keep us Eagles fans coming back season after season. Clearly, this administration caper has got us feeling all nostalgic.

It's not a complete list, rather a personal, unedited one. No names have been changed in order to protect the (not so) innocent in our midst!

Was just thinking back over the SJ years since he came into the club and some of the best games in those times.

This is my top 10 (in no particular order)

West Ham play off final....was proabably the highlight of the last 10 years for me. A cracking day out in Cardiff. Shipperley......legend! Strangely enough I was so confident we were going to win.

Sunderland 2nd leg. Just remember us at half time downstairs thinking how the hell did we f**k it up and then Powell scoring in the last minute!! We were never going to to lose on pens after that! Still can't stand McAteer after his action when Jules got sent off. Mikey Hughes....magic!

Stockport away.......that twist was very late in coming wasn't it! Just as memorable as West Ham in Cardiff.

Pompey away.....what an absoulte cracking night that was. Kolinko crying, we're staying up, we're down again....no we're not, yes we are!! I know some of you boys had a good singing session in the petrol station on the way home.

Liverpool in the cup. Rubens scoring a cracking goal and Clinton giving Owen lessons on goal scoring. Lets forget about the air shot in the 2nd leg in front of the kop at Anfield.

Liverpool away in the cup (different year)....Jules scoring in front of the kop and Heskey missing about 14 chances!

Wolves away....Kirovski. WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE!!

Brighton. 5-0 and you can't go home!! I forking love you AJ.

Ipswich away. Start of the Dowie run....somebody scored a cracker in that game (possibly Butts) and came over to take a bow in front of us. Didn't we kidnap Inkin for that game?

WBA away. Only game I actually enjoyed in the premiership. 2-2....I believe we scored 2 but didn't actually see either of them!

Others where I know some of you had a good day out. Walsall on that Tuesday and AJ bagging a hat-trick I think. Everton away in the prem where we got hammered but I think you boys had a few that day and enjoyed it anyway! Brum away in the prem. 1 - 0!

And some less memorable...

Watford in the play-offs.....that was 1 seriously terrible half! The 2nd leg wasn't great with the highlight being Lukey telling the firemen to 'Stop slacking and get back to work' before the game!

Plymouth away. Col having a tactical out of the car window before we even started! After a long trip down we walked into the ground and were 1 down in 30 secs. At the end of the game Dave having a pop at a Palace player right in his face. Who was that player Dave? He looked really gutted when he heard you.

Crewe at home. Losing 3-1 in the fog on the Tuesday night was probably the worst ever performance.

Brum away after Bruce went. Tommy Black sent off after the final whistle. Not so much a bad performance but not a nice night.

Luton at home 1st game of the season a few years back..........actually Luton away on Jason's birthday wasn't great either.

Charlton away in the prem. That still hurts. Some of you have you own 'Match Of The Day' experiences.

Charlton away in the championship. Not turning up and allowing them to end their ridiculous winless streak.......London Bridge drinks was good though.

Gills away....now there are a few. New Year/Xmas we went there under Smiffy and got properly stuffed. Also one Tuesday night under Kember. Was Wright and SJ really in the crowd that night?.

Saints...last home game of the prem season.....we were so so close to closing that game out!

This was only games since SJ came in. Imagine putting together a list of memorable matches of the 90s. This is what makes Palace the best roller coaster you could ever ride!

Well said that man. Let's raise our glasses (or novelty Palace mugs if you prefer) to these memories and the many more - good and bad - that are sure to come along in the future. Hold on tight and scream if you want to go faster!

Will

Zero points, maximum respect

Having barely had time to take in the events of the last few days, the lads were back in action tonight against table-topping Championship intruders Newcastle United. Having tuned in on the radio, it sounds like we gave them a real fright, despite eventually going down 2-0. In times such as these you would hope that lady luck would look favourably on us...but did she? Did she bollocks. None of us need an own goal at the moment, let alone one that - according to the commentator - 'defied physics'. Cheers for that God. Three missed sitters, one bit of woodwork, an Ertl injury and a Routledge assist later (the words wound and salt spring to mind), and the game was lost. Still, it sounds like the red and blue army turned up in numbers; their dulcet tones could be heard loud and clear through the radio, all the more impressive considering that they were sat in a different postcode to the players.

If anyone was under any illusions as to the scale of the problems facing the club at the moment, the fact that we had three - yes, three - on the bench this evening should serve as a sobering reminder of our current predicament. As has been widely reported, our cause wasn't helped by the forced exclusion of Victor Moses, left out of the squad at the request of the administrators. Whilst all but the most deluded of optimists have resigned themselves to losing Victor, never before had the intention to flog him been so clearly spelt out. Losing a talent like Vic was always going to be hard, but the thought of losing him for peanuts - potentially to a team in our own division - makes me feel mildly ill, especially when you know that's not what he would want. Still, I'll leave the Moses eulogising / over-the-top torrent of depression until the axe finally falls on his all too fleeting Palace career. Instead, let's focus on the altogether more upbeat picture below. Much as I like Curley, I can't say I envy our Vic here, no matter how much he appears to be loving it:

The talk before the game from Sir Neil highlighted the uncertainty around the club at the moment, with him mentioning that his own position is anything but secure. No doubt that situation will become clearer over the next few weeks, but I think I speak for, well, everyone when I say that Colin's departure would be a disaster of Kuqi sized proportions. I can only assume that he'll be at the helm for Saturday's game with Peterborough - unbelievably, a relegation six pointer. Personally I can't wait; getting behind the lads has rarely been so important. If they do us half as proud as they did tonight, then I'm confident we'll all be leaving Selhurst in a good mood.

Dan

And so it begins...

There are no good ways to find out that your club has just gone into administration. That said, receiving an email from a plastic Spurs fan, containing a news link and the words 'happy to lend you a fiver', is far from ideal. Save for having the news personally delivered to me via telegram by a mankini-clad Iain Dowie, I can't really envisage a less desirable way of finding out. Still, rest assured that said fiver will be claimed. And not returned.

It's hard to believe that ten years after our last flirtation with imminent collapse, we're back where we started - in administration. Despite our well documented financial woes, I've personally found it very hard to stomach, or indeed believe. It's difficult to know how to feel - angry, upset, worried, even hopeful? Certainly, in amongst the gloom there are still reasons to be cheerful. Those who remember our last period in administration will no doubt hold many of those memories dear; Norwich away, the re-birth of Dean Austin and, most importantly, the incredible camaraderie on the terraces are but a selection of the memories that have long since gone down in Palace folklore. Suffice it to say, there's plenty more where they came from.

Which brings me onto the subject of this humble blog. No matter how this story ends, there can be no doubt that we're now entering a crucial period in the club's history; it's no exaggeration to say that the very future of our club will rest on the events that take place over the coming weeks and months. Quite simply, I want to document this journey as it happens. This blog isn't a place for up to the minute news, nor will it be home to behind the scenes insight and gossip. What I and a few other Palace fans will be providing is a fan's eye view of the current situation, toy throwing and hopelessly biased commentary included. If other fans (Palace or otherwise) happen to stumble across this blog, then comments and discussion would be more than welcome.

Finally, I couldn't finish this introductory post without including an email from a mate, received just this morning. Mourning our inability to get up to tonight's game on Tyneside, the following put a big smile on my face:

"Why aren’t we there tonight??? Palace win 2-0, full celebration by players and staff, even claude on stetcher celebrating, moses and danns in tears throw their shirts to crowd, derry climbs to 7^th floor to reach fans a’la Pat Cash, Newcastle cheers us out of ground, speroni shakes hands with every member of 50k crowd, our greatest ever night, Warnock says bring on peterboro we’re all staying to fight, Jordan on bench, dougie and clinton come back, Lombardo pledges support and routledge breaks leg……….

Here we go again...

Dan