Power To The Palace

PTTP Needs YOUR opinion- T Shirts.

2010-08-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Over here at PTTP, we were tossing around the idea of having some (probably) lovely T-shirts made and giving them to whoever wanted one, in exchange for a small sum of cash...

Well, to see whether this was a good idea or not, we thought we would devise a small survey, designed to psycho-analyse you all Derren Brown stylee, to give us the best possible chances of snaring you in to buying one.

So, if you would please be so kind to either leave a comment at the bottom of this blog, on the Facebook, or even email albert@powertothepalace.com with your answers- that would be the greatest of help. Who knows, your idea might end up on a shirt (you might even get a free one).

So, take a deep breath, and answer honestly.

The boring bit:

1. Do you wear T-shirts?

2. Are you male/female?

3. Are you in adult sizes yet?

The creative bit:

4. If you were in charge- what would you like to see on a CPFC-related t-shirt?

5. Thinking a bit more specifically- on a CPFC-related t-shirt, would you like to see:

a) current personnel (go to 5i)

b) past/cult personnel (go to 5i)

c) Selhurst Park/SE25

d) chants/slogans (go to 5ii)

-other suggestions:

5i. If you answered current/cult personnel- who:

5ii. If you answered chants/slogans- which:

5. How "obviously" would you like your T-shirt to state your allegiance to Palace?

a) I want EVERYBODY to know that I bleed red 'n' blue.

b) I like something a little more subtle.

c) Not fussed- i'll go for a design that i like regardless how blatant/subtle it is.

6. Apart from red 'n'blue stripes, what colour schemes/layouts do you like on a shirt?

a) Simple. e.g- 1, maybe 2 colours for the design, one colour for the shirt.

b) Complex. photo-real colour images.

c) I really don't mind. As long as the design interests me.

7. Do you like to see a bit of wit/charm thrown into a design?

-yes

-no

-depends how witty/charming it is.

Finally, the financial bit:

8. How much, including postage, would you pay for a t-shirt that you really did quite like:

a) £5 - £8 max

b) £8.50 - £10.50 max

c) £11 - £13.50 max

d) £14 - £16.50 max

e) £17+

9. Could you be more tempted to purchase a CPFC-related t-shirt if a small amount of the cost went to a local charity?

-yes (go to 9i)

-no

-it wouldn't affect me either way.

9i. We're getting ahead of ourselves here, but if you answered yes, which charity?

10. Anything else you'd like to tell us?

Thanks very much for your input, here's to the new season.

PTTP

George (and Steve’s) Marvelous Medicine.

2010-06-18T01:57:00.000-07:00

Morning all! It’s certainly been a while!

First things first, we at PTTP would just like to point out how good it feels to be able to come out of blogging limbo to put up an article that didn’t have a title along the lines of “What We Loved About CPFC.”

For a while, it didn’t look good- but thanks to all the fans that campaigned for our future, the supporters trust, Brendan Guilfoyle and his team, Lloyds PLC and of course CPFC2010, we finally have a new (hopefully successful) era to look forward to. As of yesterday afternoon- I officially lost interest in the World Cup. Who needs Cabanaga, Jabulani and vuvuzelas when you’ve got new owners, a new manager and a brand new fixture list? Roll on August!

CPFC2010 have really impressed so far, and I’d be fairly surprised if there was a single Palace fan that didn’t feel the same. For those of you that frequent the BBS and The Holmesdale Online, you’ll be well aware that Mr Parish (posting under the name CPFC2010) very bravely opened himself up for a direct Q&A with the fans. What a simple, novel, refreshing concept; engaging directly with your customers without anybody having to put on their shoes. The guy should get a job in marketing or something.

We observed the thread with great interest and quite honestly, we waited for ‘CPFC2010’ to reveal himself as some sort of Beadle reincarnate. It didn’t come. Instead, Steve Parish did his absolute best to answer as many of the questions as he could. Ranging from “How involved is Ron Noades?” (a minimal amount thank fook) to “Can we get some cold beer in the Arthur Waite?” (never mind the finances, out of contract players and stadium improvements!) Steve gave us a real insight into how they see the club running and developing. Any questions he couldn’t answer, Steve said he’d look into and everything he could answer, was all good to hear- with the key focus on making sure the club is run within it’s means. Brilliant news.

Fast forward a week and Steve was on Sky Sports News presenting us with our new manager. George Burley. This was an appointment that PTTP had been expecting for a few days and the late mention of Phil Brown being considered didn’t scare us as much as it should. In a time where the words ‘football’ and ‘sense’ don’t often go together, George Burley’s appointment makes complete sense. The idealists among us wanted Sean O’Driscoll (Mourinho had already just taken a new job, typical!) but as CPFC2010 have stated both online and in the press conference, the club needs to run on a shrewd budget, so shelling out a hefty compenation fee for our first manager would have automatically dropped us into the red.

That’s not to take anything away from George Burley, his club record speaks for itself: a win ratio of 47%, including several play-off campaigns, a 5^th place Premier League finish and a UEFA cup spot can’t be argued with. Even more so, he has a good record of developing youth players, which is what we need for CPFC2010’s recipe for success to work. Taylor didn’t, Warnock did but Burley will even more. It could be just the tonic to see this club truly flourish. Despite all the new managerial clichés of “I’ve always respected this club”, “great fans” etc, George Burley seemed really keen to recognize and hammer home the point that Championship football is changing and gone are the days of splashing £3million on Premiership rejects. Youth is the key and luckily for us, we have some great kids with potential waiting to be unlocked and with George and Dougie (so so happy he’s still here) overseeing this, who knows- we might get some on-the-floor and dare I say it, ‘sexy’ football.

Hopefully, our managerial appointment will soon bring an end to the ongoing Darren Ambrose saga. First off £750k for a 20-goal midfielder is a joke. But it soon becomes a sick joke when that bid is coming from a club that claims to be the “richest club in London” …which is also helmed by our ex manager- who kicked up a stink when Wolves made a pisstake offer for Nathaniel Clyne. According to Warnock (for whom my respect is at an all time low), “Darren is disappointed that he’s not a QPR player”, according to David Jensen, “Darren wants to stay” and according to Steve Parish, “there’s no need for player sales,” so as confusing as it is, I’d like to think the ball is in our court, even if Darren is thinking of swapping stripes for hoops. Hopefully the manager that gave him his first major break can convince him to stay here and truly cement his place in Palace folklore. Fingers crossed.

It has certainly been a very positive week for Crystal Palace. For once, we can genuinely say “The Future’s Bright…” with no witty, perma-tan chairman based pun needed.

Simply- “The Future’s Bright”

PTTP

Sh!t Or Bust Sheffield Wednesday Sunday.

2010-05-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Such is the modern football generation, Sky feel the need to give everything a 'catchy' title: 'Survival Sunday' & 'Showdown Sunday' being two of the finest/most annoying examples.

Well, tomorrow's game isn't on Sky and even if it was, Richard Keys & co. wouldn't give a toss anyway. And why should they? Our all or nothing tete-a-tete with Sheffield Wednesday is insignificant when put next to Liverpool/Chelsea's glorious gimmicky, high-definitional, 3-dimensional Premier League hootananny.

I decided I wouldn't be able to stomach going to the game tomorrow, opting to keep within the comfort of my 4 walls with a steady supply of refrigerated beers and a big box of tissues (i'm expecting tears whatever the result.)

Now I'm seriously considering avoiding the BBC's coverage (not because I'm expecting it to be second rate TV like the Football League Show and not because there's no way they'll fail to mention Newcastle at least 12 times) but I honestly don't think I can watch. My stomach churns at the very thought.

There's bound to be snooker on isn't there?

Seriously though, watch or not, this could be the last time we see our beloved club on the tellybox. It could be the last time we see our beloved club FULL STOP!

You don't need me to go on about the importance of tomorrow's match yadda yadda, i'm sure Manish and Claridge will cover that during the coverage tomorrow. All I'll say is this:

20 years with CPFC.

Has certainly not been easy.

With ups, with downs,

Seagulls and clowns-

With Norwich City's and Ipswich Towns

Goals galore from Clinton and Wright,

And that Freedman bloke, he was alright.

From Wembley to Watford and Cardiff to Stockport,

With tension high, and emotions fraught.

For every Moses a Torghelle

And every Coppell a Francis

Then there was that Venables-

He certainly took the piss!

Together we've seen it all-

through the highs and through the lows,

the horror of Dowie's face,

the bend of Bruce's nose.

Gabor doing the splits

Cantona doing Kung Fu

Hopkin curling one in,

Rubins hitting row U.

With Goldberg and his plan

and Jordan with his hair,

With Corbett, Brand and Izzard-

and De Courcey with Nookie Bear

Byfield, Fox and Side-O,

the mispelled Chrystal Palace,

Lap Hing and The Tasty Jerk,

The jubblies on that Alice (sorry Pete)

The Arthur and the Holmesdale

The left side and the right

That time AJ played Brighton-

He scored all fuckin' night.

So to tomorrow

What's in store?

I'm certainly hoping

Soares doesn't score

If we're up come Monday

It's time for a big party

and that's all that i can find,

that rhymes with Riihilahti.

Let's have it.

Glad All Over... always

PTTP

"Who's on first" , "Butts on second"!

2010-04-11T23:49:00.000-07:00

Now, let me start by saying it's rare that I criticise team selections and formations as it's very easy to do so after a game. But early on Saturday, when the team was announced, I thought we would struggle- it then became worse as the minutes went by.

We've done so well over the past 3 games and that makes this genuinely gutting to say, as i truly believed we'd turned a corner. However, the fact that i'm still fuming on a Monday morning speaks volumes.

So, here goes, hold on:

The management team ballsed that up on Saturday- royally!

1. As has already been said, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." If Ertl, along with the other 10 players from the PNE game were fit, they should have started as per Monday. It's called momentum.

2. Danny Butterfield as much as I love him, is not a player that we should be getting over-excited about on a return to fitness. Danny has put in a handful of truly remarkable performances this season- but the vast majority of those have been when he's NOT playing at right back.

I'm sure Danny would freely admit his pace isn't his strong point, so why throw him straight in against a team that use the wings with proper, decent wingers?

No way should he have replaced Ertl on Saturday. No quicker, no better in the tackle and more prone to 'napping'.

If Natahaniel Clyne and Butts were all of a sudden fit enough to be considered, and the management team felt Ertl wasn't up to it- then Nathaniel Clyne should've been the one to be thrown in. At least he could've kept up with the 4 QPR players that were constantly flooding our right hand side. Never before have I seen such a one-sided biase to an oppositions attack***

3. QPR are a great passing (Championship) side. Two things you don't give to good passing sides are time and space- so why did we serve up plenty of both on a silver platter?

The best way to prevent a team playing their passing game is to keep the ball (like on Monday.) On Saturday however, we couldn't keep hold of it for more than 5 seconds- anything above that resulted in a long ball- straight down the throat of Kaspars Gorkss. He certainly didn't need any dinner on Saturday night.

If you can't keep it by playing attractive, then at least try and stop them by playing a little uglier. Getting in their faces? We couldn't get near their faces.

Second to absolutely everything, it was like they had 15 players on the pitch.

4. Ok, Calvin going off is nobodies fault. But bringing on ANOTHER (not 100% fit) right back in his place? (***Did Hart & co. think playing two right backs in the same position would be an effective solution?) We had several better options on the bench- and even at that point it was clear we were being over run in midfield. We needed more guile, skill, craf... actually scrap that- we just needed another body in there to at least try and get in the way. Even putting Terry 'is this thing on?' Byfield in there would've helped.

5. I've read in a couple of reports that 'Clyne came on, so Butterfield was pushed up to right midfield and Scannell went upfront.' Well I'm sorry, but Danny Butterfield was not playing right midfield and Sean didn't look particularly 'up front.'

I've looked through all the pre-set formation suggestions on FIFA and i can't find 1 that even slightly reflects ours at the weekend.

'4-4-2'- no

'4-5-1'-no

and there doesn't seem to be a '4-fuck-sake' on the list.

6. On 70 mins: Alan Lee on, Danny B off... a striker for a defender... a positive move and a good substitution. Two upfront = double the chances of scoring yeah?

Again, it's not their fault that Lee had to come off but we still needed TWO goals with 20 minutes remaining. Sh!t or bust time right?

So out of Lee Hills, Nick Carle & Johnny Ertl- who is the most likely to create or score a goal? (hint: it's not Johnny Ertl.) Why did a striker come on for a defender, only to be replaced by another defender?

Truly baffling.

Benefit of the doubt tells me that Warnock's 3 years of inside knowledge eclipses Paul Hart's 28 days- understandable. What scares me though, is that even if the 'inside knowledge' Top Trump score was even between them- I don't think it would have made an iota of difference.

Back to normal at Derby please.

http://tinyurl.com/cs5evt

PTTP

Warnock, ringworm, chickenpox- all get under the skin, all very infectious.

2010-04-09T05:04:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn’t heard, Neil Warnock returns to Selhurst Park tomorrow.

From the moment the QPR team bus rolls up to the moment that it leaves the ground, Neil Warnock will be the centerpiece of tomorrow’s family lunch. Agree or disagree, try as you might to not make it so, we just can’t fight it- there is no ignoring Neil Warnock… that’s why he’s Neil Warnock.

Whether it’s from the Blades, the Owls, the Eagles or the fruitbowl- the man loves attention. Some may suggest it’s for his ego to suckle on, but the smarter guys in the room will know that this is far from the truth.

When it comes to mind games, Neil could hold his own with Wenger and Fergie (he puts Benitez to utter shame!)

All his ranting and raving on and off the touchline is designed to take any pressured attention away from his players, and onto himself. And it works.

Neil Warnock builds teams based on confidence, work ethic and team spirit. It may take a little while to do but much like a fresh on the scene stepfather, Warnock busts a gut trying to win over his adopted charges. And when he does, it works.

A good performance will bring praise no matter the result. A bad performance will bring an equally passionate, less praise-based response. If Neil’s disappointed, he’ll be sure to let you hear it- but here’s the trick, he’ll only let you hear it directly from him, and never in the public domain. Should that frustration manifest itself as a bit of referee bashing, so be it. Why publicly humiliate your dressing room when you can give it to the (often-inept) men in black instead?

Neil Warnock doesn’t use a carrot and a stick… he’s somehow managed to combine the two into a big, orange, carrot-flavoured stick. Confusing? Sometimes. Frustrating? Often! Effective? Definitely…

For Neil Warnock, a player’s passion, attitude and work ethic comes first. If a player can show that they want it, then they’ll be given a chance to go out and get it. It’s only then that their abiity with a football comes into the equation.

Two polarizing examples: Clinton Morrison and Alan Lee.

Clinton’s one of our all time top scorers and a hero amongst many. However, he’s never been someone to burst his lungs chasing the ball and putting defenders under pressure. Always likely to grab you a goal, but his sleeves were very much rolled down.

So when it came to his contract expiring, was it any surprise that Warnock’s offer came with a very clear “not guaranteed a first team place” clause? Was it anymore surprising that Clinton didn’t sign it?

See also: Stern John, Ashley Paul Robinson, Nick Carle and pre-turnaround Victor Moses

On the other side, there’s Alan Lee. Signed by Warnock for £600k, he arrived out of shape and with a poor attitude. Deservedly sent out on loan, and unsurprisingly back with us when it ended. Yet this season saw him transform. Much fitter, committed to the cause and he now chases after the ball like it’s tugging on his… nose. That didn’t happen overnight and you can only attribute that to the Neil Warnock effect.

See also: Shefki Kuqi, Johnny Ertl and post-turnaround Victor Moses.

You either get on board, or you’re not invited to the party.

This is why I think we’ll overcome a faltering QPR side tomorrow. Not because their squad isn’t capable, not because they’ve got a bad manager, but the two elements haven’t met in the middle yet- it’s not Neil Warnock’s QPR. Let’s hope that consummation happens in the summer (£10million later) and not before 5pm tomorrow.

When he emerges tomorrow if you’re going to abuse him, do it after the final whistle. If you’re going to give him a warm reception, do it after the final whistle- everything before that needs to be focused solely on everybody who has stuck around for the fight in the red ‘n’ blue corner. Not for the mischievous little scamp in the naughty corner.

PTTP

(This blog wasn’t meant to be all about Neil Warnock, but in a weird way, I’ve proved myself right- there’s no avoiding him! That’s why he’s Neil Warnock.)

P-Diddy "will consider joining CPFC2010 consortium"

2010-04-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

...sorry

Mo' Money Mo' problems

2010-03-31T04:28:00.000-07:00

My enthusiasm for the England team is already at an all-time low. Comprised mainly of over privileged, under performing man-parts, my interest in how they get on in Seooth Ifrica is near zero. Ashley Cole, Aaron Lennon & David Beckham are all definitely/probably out and I’ve always worried that England would lose one more major player. I really hope this premonition isn’t to be confirmed today.
At approximately 9:30pm in Munich last night, Wayne Rooney went down, clutching his ankle and then signaled to the bench that he was in severe pain. This did not make good viewing- well maybe for the blue part of West London, but even the Chelsea-ist of Chelsea fans can’t have grinned that much?
If Beckham not going to the World Cup is like a problem with the car’s steering: Rooney not going is like taking away the wheels… and the engine. And then replacing that engine with Peter fahking Crouch.
If Rooney doesn’t make it, I’ll be forging a long lost Brazilian/Spanish/Argentine birth certificate.

Fortunately, Palace fans have plenty else to smile about this morning. It was revealed yesterday that P Diddly Ding Dong has moved aside for an even bigger musical juggernaut. David ‘Da Kid’ Jensen and the CPFC2010 consortium which he represents, are in early talks to rescue the club. Not enough to get really really excited about (yet), but positive at least.
The consortium is believed to consist of at least one Steve Parish and one Martin Long… and Jensen’s offer for “others to join” is bound to tug on Ron Noades’ colostomy bag, that’s if he’s not involved already.
The key to this offer is securing Selhurst Park, which is a potential major stumbling block. However, it is also essential for the club to move forward- under any new ownership.
The rumored asking price is just shy of £10million, which seems far too high- considering the holding firm are in administration. Uncle Ron’s ‘generous’ offer of buying the ground and leasing it back to the club just will not work. It’s as simple as that. If Noades is to return- he needs to be involved and onside, working with/for the club and it’s new owner (which I’d settle for.) However, he must not be solely involved for purely ‘Selhurst Park reasons’. It’s not logical, it’s not viable and it means more of the fan’s money will be bypassing the club and going straight into a third party’s pocket.

We wait and see.

Anyway, with ‘preferred buyer’ status granted to the consortium- that was to be the extent of yesterday’s good news right? This is Palace after all. We’d ruin it by losing to Watford surely?

No.

Not being able to make the game, I had one eye on the Champions League offering, one eye on my mobile phone… and the other eye getting ever closer to wetting my trousers as each of our goals came through. A truly fantastic result.
PTTP’s correspondant wanted to stress how great the support was from start to end- with the left side, the right side and those queueing outside all contributing. Let’s hope that fantastic spirit stays with the team- both home and away. It’s clearly important as Neil Danns’ Twitter confirms-

“Thanks for the support tonight the fans were amazing onwards and upwards the boys all appreciate it, come onnnnnnnn”

No moaning, no groaning, no booing. Just for the remainder of the season. Is that too much to ask?

We look forward to ‘Boro (why do they call themselves ‘Boro’ when it’s clearly spelt Middlesbrough? Simpletons) and to be honest, who knows what to expect from this lot. A true mixed bag of a season with the last 9 matches featuring only 2 wins and 4 draws. Even a point would be a great result! Certainly doesn’t sound unrealistic.
4 points by the end of next Monday… how does that sound people?

The next 7 days could be massive.

PTTP

QUIZ TIME. Stern John and Sean Scannell both scored last night. When was the last time we had 2 different strikers score in a match? Who were they? Who were we playing?

Answers below or on the Twitter, winner gets a lollipop!
(lollipop to be provided by the winner)

Warnock has the Hart of A Freed man.

2010-03-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

Much like ripping off a scabby old plaster, Warnock leaving didn’t hurt as much as I anticipated, and that was my reaction before we’d poetically turned over his all time favourtie team. No more Mick Jones’ blog though, that does hurt!
The QPR rumours had somehow been rumbling on and on for days and days with no real comment from any involved party, yet the next thing we knew, Warnock had swapped stripes for hoops.
The circumstances were murky; QPR announced it, Palace responded it wasn’t a done deal (which it clearly was,) and suddenly, the vast majority of Palace fans were looking to the sky, praying for the clouds to part and in turn, reveal the Archangel Coppell looking over SE25.

Well, in a move that was almost as left field as Shaun Derry’s position in the 2003 play-off final, we were presented with Paul Hart, Dougie Freedman and John Pemberton. At one point, just as I turned my tellybox onto the press conference, I thought we had somehow secured an un-spectacled Fabio Capello for the months between now and the World Cup. However, when I finally put on my glasses, it turned out to be Brendan “just an accountant” Guilfoyle. How much is the VAT on a Palace tie?

Now, I’ve always thought Paul Hart comes across really well whenever I’ve seen him on the TV. Modest, focused and he clearly has the guts for tough times (just look at his C.V). However, when he was unveiled as our new gaffer, I did seriously pose the question- is he the man to come in, grab the bull by the horns and shake the players up the table? My heart said no, and my head said the same. Yet, upon hearing what he had to say about the situation, that suspicion was made abundantly clear. Paul Hart won’t come in, grab the bull by the horns and shake the players up the table. What he WILL do is come in, reassure the players that they are more than capable of avoiding the drop and in a very calm, dignified manner, steady the boat. That’s all we need right now. Nothing more, definitely nothing less.

He was also savvy enough to know that 85% of Palace fans wouldn’t be over the moon with his appointment, and that they preferred a Coppell/Southgate/Kolinko type legend’s return.
Well, bringing Mr Dougie Freedman back in the supporting role (and Pembo) has gone a fair way to quench that thirst and in turn, created a very wise, sensible management team, showcasing both head AND heart appointments. And they got off to a bit of a flyer-

The new-ish faces in the dugout were the only real notable differences on Saturday.
The team was set-up pretty much the same-not that Hart & co. have loads of other options, yet they seemed fresh and invigorated with no signs of any FA Cup/too many fixtures hangover. Still no Neil Danns, so in went Calvin; 2 big’uns up front and that was it! We were off!
Calvin Andrew impressed from the start and with his and Lee’s persistence up front, we really looked game for a fight. Quite literally at times! You had Palace showing the guts and spirit of a “typical Warnock side” and you had Sheffield United showing the uglier, more mainstream view of a “typical Warnock side” It was like he hadn’t left either club.
There were a few moans in various match reports that Alan Lee should have seen red for an elbow. Well, in a truly Wenger-like statement- I didn’t see it. However, I did see Lee Williamson blatantly thrust an elbow into Claude’s face… I also saw him make at least 3 other yellow card “challenges”, yet only receive a booking on 68 minutes and was subbed shortly after (quit whilst your ahead perhaps?)
That being one of only 2 yellow cards that their whole team gathered. Which is a joke when you hear that we received 3! Neil Warnock isn’t here anymore, so I’ll assume his mantle for this week- the officiating was an absolute fahking shambles! It gets worse and worse each week-which seems ever more impossible as the weeks go on. That refereeing would’ve tipped him over the edge.

Luckily, the players grabbed a well-worked goal and then threw everything on the line to protect it. Nick Carle was demonstrating why he was brought to the club in the first place and I can see him particularly benefiting from Freedman’s guidance. A similar sized player with very similar feet. Let’s hope so.

Much like when Steve Bruce left, nobody really knows what brought about the Warnock/Hart switcheroo.

1. Brendan claimed Warnock had said to him “I don’t have the stomach for this anymore.” And a suitable compensation fee with QPR was negotiated.

2. Warnock said it was a contractual security/insecurity issue and he needed to protect his family.

3. Unsurprisingly, Simon Jordan has come out with his opinion on the whole thing. Surprisingly though, he has sided with the administrator rather than his old friend.

Now I’m no Vorderman - but adding the above 1, 2 and 3 together does not make 6. There’s a lot of grey between those lines and a consortium of Poirot, Marple, Creek & Holmes would do well to conjure the truth.
Warnock? No fight? Sounds unlikely. And let’s face it; he has gone to 'the biggest shambles of a club ‘09/10'… hardly a ‘cushy number’ is it?
Contract insecurity? Well, the players that Neil always managed to motivate are all in the same boat, so that excuse seems a tad rich (if true.)
Warnock’s and Guilfoyle’s versions were always going to conflict but it’s Jordan’s comments that really throw everything out.

“There is one reason and one reason only that Neil Warnock went to QPR. It is nothing to do with the administrator.”

His recent QPR interviews seem to be full of a man grinning, smiling and buoyant. No sign of the stern, frank and blunt statements of harsh realism that littered his last few weeks of Palace interviews. And who can blame him? A great burden has been taken from him. (A great big contract replaces it.)

Could it be all 3 individuals are speaking a certain degree of truth?

There’s no doubt he loved his time here, but administrators and dirty rumours of your best players being pimped out behind everyone’s back (Danns to Swansea apparently) is something no manager of his experience and caliber should be expected to deal with.
The guy loves football and he’s gone to a job where he’s got 2 of the manager’s favourite tools- money and time. Time meaning at least a month or two in QPR terms.
He’s been very complimentary towards us both during and after his Selhurst tenure; I can only reciprocate and wish him the best.

Whatever happened is irrelevant, and we will never know the truth- we are only the fans after all. But the song remains the same- we’re a club in administration with a small squad who are in a very real, very tight relegation battle which continues tonight against Bristol.

In the words of Theakston and co.-

“give it some Hart”

PTTP

P.S - yes Gary, we are sure the game is on- scout’s honour!

Villa Shmilla

2010-02-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

There hasn’t been a Power To The Palace article for a while and we can only apologise- the last two league games dulled any inspirational high that the Villa game injected and thus, no word flurry has come to pass until now- and even this has taken longer than it should. It seems like a month ago that we nearly stole the FA Cup headlines with another “we’re proud of you” performance. In reality, it’s only just been a week.
Two poor losses since Valentines Day, still no real takeover speculation and now QPR’s ‘throw enough balls at enough targets’ method of manger selection, has inevitably chosen Warnock as it’s next temp.

All in all, the sad reality is, I couldn't give a toss about the Villa game anymore... win, lose or draw (after 90 minutes)

Don’t get me wrong- the 1st 'leg' was a fantastic occasion all round- a great display from the players, management team and fans alike. It will go down in my memory as one of the best days at Selhurst for a fair while.
However, the moment it went to a replay, we were all saying things like: "oh well, we were unlucky, but at least it's more TV money!" Well, once again, the little fish are being lightly simmered, whilst the bigger ones are being fried- ITV1 are understandably showing Chelsea’s Champions League match, but can’t find room on their 3 other useless channels to show our replay... it’s not like we need the money or anything, so a live stream on the FA’s website will have to do- which I’m sure will run really smoothly…. It is the website of the FA after all.

Should we defy the odds, and beat a team that just smashed Burnley 5-2, what can we expect as subsequent reward in the 6th round?
An away game at either one of the best championship sides, or one of the current form teams who are on a bit of a roll, including a 3-1 win at our place.
It’s highly unlikely to be shown on television, but very likely to sap more energy out of an already, tired, small squad. Even worse, it could go to a replay and give us another mid-week fixture. Yeeeees, i know that may get televised and give us more gate receipts yadda yadda, but the fact is this: we are knackered and playing too many fixtures. Championship survival is priority #1, not fairytale cup stories. It hurts to say it, but it’s true.
What with snow, FA cup exploits and a demoralizing 10-point deduction, our fixture list has become the exact thing that a team in a relegation battle doesn’t need. And believe me, the loss to Coventry does mean we are in a relegation battle.
Swansea, Reading and Coventry all at home and 0 points out of 9 is not good enough. But what makes it frustrating is that there’s nobody to point the finger at! I wouldn’t dare start to criticize playing/management staff because they are busting a gut, twice weekly! Sadly, you can’t boo, jeer or sack circumstances- they just exist.

Warnock is clearly feeling the squeeze, and the players are clearly shagged, and the only takeover talk, is paper talk.

The week ahead is going to be massive.

PTTP

The return of Sheki, and a physio who was hefty!

2010-02-10T06:24:00.000-08:00

Well boyos… where to begin?

Let's start with the pre-Swansea match factors.

-A very lucky, hard-fought win at Scunny.
-A 5th round glamour tie this coming weekend.
-An already depleted squad.
-2 more absent defenders.
-Shekfi Kuqi.

Were we ever going to win this game?

On paper, it looked tough; from the stands, it looked much tougher.
With the heat from a pre-match ‘Tasty Jerk’ dinner still stinging the lips, we sat and began to slowly freeze. By the time the chilli burn had subsided, it was clear that Palace were unlikely to score- even if we played all night (god forbid, it was ferr-reeeizng).
The boys looked absolutely shattered, and who can blame them? The amount of effort that’s gone into our performances since administration has been almost super human and this was bound to have an effect at some point. Call it sod’s law then, that the next opponents were a team that like to play slick football on the deck and arguably, are the best footballing side in the division bar Newcastle.
Swansea looked fresh and confident, we looked fucked and distracted! Throw that in with the hell-bent battering ram that is Kuqi and one of the oddest refereeing performances I’ve ever witnessed- the 1-0 loss wasn’t that bad. Our second half effort was much much better and we had a couple of near chances. Calvin Andrew looked lively and I wouldn’t mind seeing him and Lee upfront against Villa. The fact remains though- Swansea deserved the points- and I want to make that clear so the following rant doesn’t fall into the ‘sour grapes’ category.

Warnock was quoted in the week as saying, “Swansea don’t score a lot of goals, but they don’t concede many either” And how right he was! With the amount of time they wasted- it was surprising there was time for ANYBODY to score a goal.
Their players going down and staying down whilst Palace were in posession, only to magically arise if they won the ball back! Did the referee know that he’s only obliged to stop play if it’s a head injury? Didn’t look that way, as on a few occasions, he was happy to stop play for seemingly innocuous/non-existant ‘injuries’! And in other instances, Swansea would happily play on, with their man down, but the moment we won the ball, the whistle would go- not for a foul, he wasn't stopping play after giving advantage- he was just blowing for the injury/treatment. Like I say, an odd refereeing performance.

Then there was Swansea’s revolutionary corner tactics. 21st Century football at its’ greatest!
A corner would be given- a Swansea player would then pigeon step in slow-motion over to the corner flag with the ball (“come on!”), only then to wait whilst a second player made his way over in similar fashion (“come oooon!”)… to then take a fair while to decide who was going to take the kick (“FUCKING COME OOOOON!”). And even after all that, it wasn’t even a mid-90’s, two-man Chelsea-classic short corner that we all expected from their intricate (slow) positioning of players, it was just a regular cross into the box!!!
No need for the slow motion, no need for the second man! It’s time wasting, it’s a yellow card offence and it happened 4 or 5 times. Like I say, a really odd refereeing performance.
There was also a couple of classic “if that happened outside the box, it would be a free kick” NON-penalty decisions, but relying on a spot-kicks being awarded, says everything we need to know about the match.

We can’t be too down about it, it just wasn’t our night and the players/staff weren’t to blame. Our performance was similar to going to work the morning after a midweek Xmas party- you’ve had a great time, but at some point, you’re going to crash and burn…

…but at least you didn’t snog the fat physio under the mistletoe the night before.
(Should she really be in charge of the players' physical condition)

PTTP.

Daniel Day Lewis DOESN'T dance with Wolves, Kevin Costner DOES... but Danny Butterfield waltzes around them!

2010-02-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Well… where to begin? I considered delaying the writing of this article by 24 hours, purely because I’m not too sure if everything I’ve seen over the past week or so has been real or not.
Roughly this time last week, administration greeted the team like a taxi-driver with a bad news name-card at Newcastle Airport, Moses was forbidden to play and a freak own goal was just the kick in the nuts (elbow in the breast for all you female readers) that we didn’t deserve. All aboard the doom bus- let the exodus begin!
Fast forward 6 days and we’ve “only” lost Moses, Danns and Clyne opted well and truly IN for ‘Operation Administration’, we’ve seen the team put in two outstanding performances, booked a much needed 5th Round tie and unleashed the goal machine that is Danny Butterfield! And by the looks of it, the team spirit has never been better. Stemming from Warnock, and immersing players and fans alike.
The 10-point deduction is but a mere scratch on this weeks patch-up paint job.

The Peterborough game suddenly became a great deal more significant. A game that we, as play-off hopefuls, expected to win suddenly turned into a relegation 6 pointer. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one whose gut was alternating between floppy nerve-churning somersaults and bonafide tension right up until 3pm Saturday.
Well, one thing’s for sure- the players certainly didn’t feel the same. They played with a calm, assured patience, which ultimately saw us beat the Posh comfortably. Butterfield up front deserved a goal or two (a warning of things to come) and Danns finished two classy efforts.
A great advert for all of our squad just after entering administration, but before the end of January- uh-oh. That doom bus was still waiting to depart after all. However…

In a move that was about as surprising as another John Terry scandal- Victor Moses left the club for the promised land of the Premier League with Wigan signing him up on a 3 and half-year deal, for an undisclosed fee. The amount doing the rounds on the various messageboards seems to be £2.5million, however, seeing as it’s announced as ‘undisclosed’ it may have been a fraction more than that, or even included a cheeky little sell on percentage.
As much as we need cash now, a part of me prefers the latter option. Wigan may not have been the lofty heights that we hoped Victor would leave us for, but based on their recent history of buying for little, selling for loads (Baines, Chimbonda, Palacios, Valencia,) even a 10% sell-on clause could see us earn another £1million - £1.5mill depending on his progress. If his brilliance continues to emerge in the way that we’ve witnessed over the past few months, expect the bigger fish in the Premier League and maybe even the Spanish giants to do what they should’ve done this January, but for what will be a significantly greater amount.
All the best to Vic- with the world at his feet, don’t be surprised if he does an overhead kick with it.

Two players that didn’t depart, much against the administrators' wishes, were Nathaniel Clyne and Neil Danns, who I shall now both refer to in full name- out of sheer, utter respect.
Both had opportunities to jump ship, not that I hold anything against VicMo or Jose Fonte for doing so, far from it! But after Neil Danns’ recent form and his fantastic brace at the weekend, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that thought he wouldn’t be here come Feb 1st. As it stands, he turned down the Saints and stayed put. Whose to say he would’ve done the same were it another Championship club, but that’s ultimately irrelevant! Neil Danns is a Crystal Palace player, and what’s even better; you can tell he wants to be a Crystal Palace player.

The same applies to Nathaniel ‘more refreshing than a KFC lemon wipe’ Clyne.
I remember seeing an interview with him after a televised Southampton match (08/09), which was both one of his and Warnock’s early matches. He’d had a blinder all game, set up a great Kuqi goal and shown an abundance of confidence. Yet when put between the interview camera and advertising backdrop, he came across as one of the quietest, withdrawn and humblest of people, let alone professional footballers, I’d ever seen. Head down, barely looking at the interviewer and softly spoken, you’d have been forgiven for thinking he was a guilty schoolboy being told off for something!
Natahniel Clyne has never given us any Bostock-esque “My dream is to be here” hot air so if he had gone on deadline day, yes we would have been sad, but in no way let down! But as Warnock pointed out that same night against Southampton, Nathaniel Clyne speaks very few words- he’s a man of actions. His latest actions culminating in a preference to beat Wolves rather than speak to them, and helping us earn the cash that we would’ve got for selling him anyway. Calculated risk 1- Administration 0 .

I’m going to try and talk about last night as briefly as possible. a] because it pretty much spoke for itself and b] I might cry (again!) As mentioned on the Twitter, I was confident of a win. But a comprehensive victory, via a Danny Butterfield hat-trick? I’d never have guessed that and still find it difficult to believe. Although on Sky Sports News today, they keep showing Paul Merson’s in-studio reaction to the second and third going in. If a straight-laced, sobre Mers is getting excited about it, then it must have happened right?!

One departure, two (great) victories, three goals for Butts, four points from safety and a 5th round tie. Just a standard week at Selhurst Park eh?

Now, onwards to Scunthorpe.

PTTP

P.S- shame on those that read this and didn't spot the intentional (ahem) error in the original title ;)

Administration... so fun we're doing it again!

2010-01-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

Administration pounced yesterday... deep down, we all knew it would happen.
Even selling Moses for the much-hoped £5million would barely have suggested to the wolf that he move away from the door, let alone keep him away from it.

The negatives of administration certainly don't need going over, in fact- negativity of any sort isn't needed right now.

What is needed is the togetherness that hauled us through similar circumstances 11 years ago. The same togetherness that willed in that goal at Stockport. The same togetherness that took us up to the Premier League in 03/04 and the collective belief that nearly kept us there.

With a shrug and a smile, on we go! It'd be typical Palace if this time tomorrow, we had another 3 unlikely points to help keep the fire burning.

Ladies and gentlemen, please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle, hold on tight, and smile for the camera- it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

PTTP

Da Do Ron Ron

2010-01-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

Good day! It’s certainly been a while.

Thanks to those who voted in the poll, a fairly interesting outcome. For the record, we agree with the majority.

Since we last updated (I refuse to say ‘blogged’), we’ve been to Plymouth and won a vital 3 points, come away from Wolves unlucky (or lucky from a financial point of view) to have a replay, Moses is still here and so are our financial woes.
I must say, I thought there’d be a lot more big bad changes to talk and moan about.

The team did fantastically well at Plymouth. Not a particularly great place to go at anytime. But before playing us they’d beaten Cardiff away, smashed Reading at home, and held Newcastle to a draw in the cup before going out in the replay. Taking that into account, throw in the awful pitch conditions and the 3 points were never going to be easy to achieve. The fact that it needed a(nother) Moses wonderstrike to overcome them, indicates Plymouth’s contribution to the match.

A few days later and the BBC treated us to the Carling Cup semis- both very watchable, both very different. Man City didn’t turn up for the first half, Man United didn’t turn up for the second. Neville, after 15 years suddenly became an interesting character by apparently ‘sucking off Ferguson’s boots’ and then fingering Tevez! What a slut!
Carlos Tevez is swiftly becoming my favourite Premier League player (ssssh, don’t tell Warnock.) After his acrimonious departure from the Manchester Reds (that’s the colour of the shirts, not the managers’ face), all the talk of was how Ferguson “didn’t think Tevez was worth the pre-agreed fee.”
Which is quite frankly an arrogant, bullshit-ridden, refusal to actually admit the truth. That truth being they simply couldn’t afford him. You only have to look at the signings Fergie did make to see that. £16million for a flash-in-the-pan Wigan winger, wages only for an ex-England international that would’ve been put down years ago if he were a racehorse (something Fergie should know full well) and a barely known, injured French U21.

T’was a simple case of not having enough cash to seal the deal that was already agreed- nothing to be ashamed of but evidently backed up by last week’s reports that had they not sold Cristina Ronaldo for £80m, they would have made a total annual loss of £40m!
There was absolutely no need to insult Tevez’s abilities, at the time of letting him go (Fergie) or just before the cup game (Neville) so who can blame him for giving it a bit of a Chas ‘n’ Dave-esque “yup yup rabbit yup yup yup rabbit rabbit bunny jabber yup rabbit” gesture?
Let’s hope for a little more at Wednesday’s 2nd leg.

On Saturday, Palace went to Wolves for the FA Cup, alas, I went to the IMAX to see ‘Avatar’- something I’d booked long before we progressed into the 4th round. From just after 3pm, my phone went on a mad vibrating spree with updates that I was too scared to take out of my pocket to read. The fear stemming from a potential scalding by the uber-nerds next to/behind/all around me, plus I also didn’t want to see the score whilst wearing 3D glasses. To see news that we may be winning in three dimensions could potentially blow my mind more than the 50ft, blue smurf/human/cat hybrids that seemed to be trying to poke me directly in the eyes for 3 hours.
And to see news that we were getting tonked in three dimensions would be more depressing than the sci-fi native death fest playing out before me. (It’s actually quite enjoyable on the whole, go see it at IMAX if you can- visually amazing, OK story.)

By all accounts, we were unlucky not to walk away with victory but we can, and should be, ever proud of our current form. That equalizer was something special too.
Hopefully, depending on squad size/availability, I reckon we can go that one step further in the replay. Yes it’s on the tellybox (ITV4- after ‘The Sweeney’, before ‘The Professionals’), but hopefully the cheap tickets should gather a great crowd and atmosphere.
It’s easy to stay at home in the warm, but let’s look at it this way:
If we have a mad flurry of tickets bought over the coming days, maybe that little guaranteed cash-injection will work in our favour when we go to HMRC later this week, cap in hand, trousers round ankles…. Arses clenched.
Let’s turn up and sing up! (to the replay, not the tax hearing.)

Wednesday sees us at St James’ Park. Difficult under any circumstances but their 1 win in 5 league games may give us a little confidence boost. We are sure to be knackered and it’s unlikely that Claude will play but whatever the result, whatever the score, it’s going to be tough and coming away with nothing, shouldn’t dishearten anyone.
To those supporters brave enough to travel up there, all the best and don’t feel pressured to go topless like the locals. (Unless you’re a good looking lady and close to the cameras)

And finally… what may become a regular feature that I’m going to call:

Noades Knows.

I commented on Ron Noades last time and I don’t want to tread old ground too much. However, he’s still rambling on so why can’t I?
This week, Ron graced us with this-

“If David Gold had bought Palace and asked me to come back as a director I would’ve done that.
“I went to David and tried to persuade him to buy Crystal Palace instead of West Ham, because he lives locally and is a friend of mine.”

Again, thanks a bunch Ron. That must’ve really taken it out of you.
More if’s and hypothetical saintly deeds from the old sack of shitwind.
Should you like to deal in IF’s Ron, try this… “IF you weren’t such a money grabbing old mercenary (or ‘good businessman’ as some of his supporters put it), you wouldn’t have sent us down the swanny with that Goldberg shaped buffoon of a chairman. Remember Simon Jordan saying he’d only sell to someone who has the clubs best interests at heart? How cute, how apt and dare I say how honourable.
IF only Ron had the same attitude.

And with that thought, I give you a pleasant little ditty that I’ve entitled ‘D-DO ONE RON!’

Altogether now, sing along- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqgtsai2aKY

When he sold the club, he sold it to a clown-
D-DO ONE RON RON, D-DO ONE RON!
And even though he sold it, he still kept the ground -
D-DO ONE RON RON, D-DO ONE RON RON!

Yeeeeeah, he sold to a clown
Yeeeeeah, he kept the ground
And, his wife is a whore

So DO ONE RON RON, D-DO ONE RON!

Please, feel free to add your own verses below. It may take off in the stands

See you at Selhurst.

PTTP

“I’m never gonna Danns again…”

2010-01-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

So… where to begin? Even though the match against Bristol City was abandoned whilst they were well on their way to the capital (shame), there still seems to be a fair amount to talk about. Even filthy Uncle Ron needs covering! (In both words and some sort of mildly irritating fluid.)

First of all, Gary Johnson’s narked off that the game was abandoned so late in the day… that day being the day before the game. The outrage! Well Gary, we were all disappointed. We all wanted to see the match to go ahead.

Let’ put a nice smear of perspective on the whole scenario:

• The Bristol City team coach departs on a 2-hour journey to SE25, confident that the game is on. They first become delayed due to a pitch inspection. They wait, but then continue. Then, tragically, the game gets called off and they have to go home.
• Meanwhile, the Togo national team’s coach departs on a 10(?) hour journey to Angola, confident that the ACON tournament is on. They enter the host’s nation and become delayed due to murderous bastards ripping into their coach with machine guns. Three dead, several injured and their national president demands they come home.

A real tragedy! Still want that inquiry Gary?

So, game off- Saturday ruined. A big hangover- and the tried and tested combo of Tasty Jerk /Palace match to help clear the cobwebs, wasn’t going to happen. Bad news. Oh well, onwards and upwards. Then the phone beeped- “Fonte-gone!”

Now, first and foremost, I thought Fonte was great! He was one of Peter Taylor’s plus points- along with nice manners, and a good hairline (for his age anyway).
However, as great as he was, the fact remains thus: we need money- pronto! pronto!
Whether we’re 3 points off the play-offs or relegation is irrelevant- our bare existence is at stake- league position is a mere number.

And to play devil’s advocate here- if… IF we’re going to get into the play-offs, Jose Fonte (with all due big respect) wasn’t going to have a great say in it. Speroni, Ambrose and Moses will. If the loss of Fonte prevents any of these three going, (or in Moses’ case, going to the first bidder’s paltry amount) then it is a sacrifice I would make again and again.
Any (logical) combination of Hill, Hills, Clyne, Butterfield, Davis, Ertl, Lawrence and even N’Diaye still makes a solid Championship defence. In my opinion, we don’t need to worry too much.

Slightly more concerning is that Neil Danns might be following Jose down the M3. He’s been a real dynamo this season. Finally fully fit, he has regularly demonstrated skill, guile and box-to-box prowess- a major factor in our current run of form. All that and he does a cracking cover of Kings Of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’ http://www.myspace.com/dannzy1 . Ok, forget that last point.
If he has to be exchanged for some much-needed sterling, I’d want just as much as we got for Jose, if not a touch more.

With more takeover rumors flying around, mainly coming from Warnock which is either a) very positive or b) a natty trick to keep any incoming bids respectable, Ebeneezer Noades came out and gave his two pennyworth (which is quite generous for him) on the whole scenario.

Now I know general opinion on Noades is fairly split amongst Palace fans, but even his firmest of supporters must have baulked at some of his comments.

Criticizing Jordan for “failing to reunite club and ground” is fair comment… however, when you’re the person responsible for club and ground being two separate entities in the first place, (especially with manner in which he orchestrated the deal,) then it’s simply taking the piss-soaked biscuit. Thanks Ron, thanks a bunch.

All in all, a very interesting week considering no balls was kicked and a big thanks must go to the ground staff, who busted their balls in vein. A credit to the club.

All eyes now on consecutive visits to Plymouth, Wolverhampton and Newcastle!
Sounds like the back end of an East-17 reunion tour… without Tony Mortimer

PTTP

Warnock To Wednesday? Snow Chance!

2010-01-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me start by wishing you all a very Happy 2000 and TEN!

Now to business:

We all know January brings out the worst in sports journalists (this blog doesn’t count, I’m not a professional!) and as we Palace fans fret over the future of our star player/team/squad/entire club, reports have emerged tenuously linking Neil Warnock with Sheffield Wednesday. Jesus H Corbett!

The report emerged in the gospel according to The Daily Mail- and the headline reads thus-

"Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock fuels shock Sheffield Wednesday link!"

Gracious me! Could this be? Could Neil have become so fed up with the ever-growing problems at Selhurst Park that he would not only desert us, but also piss off every Sheffield United fan he ever won over? Maybe he’s gone mad!
Now being a Palace fan, nothing surprises me- so I read on expecting some petrol-like quotes from our manager to ground this report in at least some topsoil of reality.
Before I knew it, the article was over- nothing inflammatory, no substance, and a complete waste of eyes.

Take a couple of quotes from after the Sheffield Wednesday cup game (which aren’t even printed in the Mail’s article!) such as “Wednesday is a big club”, “They’ve got it all ready here”, “They can get 30,000 fans in” etc and that gives 2nd rate journos the opportunity to then produce the above headline/bull-excrement.
Palace fans know it’s not going to happen, Wednesday fans know it’s not going to happen and even Blades fans would chuckle reading that.

Lucky for the journos that they can spin such non-quotes from his autobiography ‘Made In Sheffield’ (and take note- released in 2007):

“Would me taking over at Wednesday be a possibility? Of course it's a possibility, why not? 'A job's a job and if you need a job you need a job”

Now if you’re going to base an article on that quote, then surely the headline should read:

‘Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock says something perfectly sensible in his two year old book’

Yes, that’s what I thought, not worth writing, not worth reading, not worth printing- there’s too much truth in it for starters and this is the Daily Mail so it lacks that edge of Sachs-gate scandal.

So why do they bother?
We have perrrr-lenty of issues for them to talk about and embellish. We have a hot, hot, hot young English talent, drawing interest from all over the globe. A squad that continues to push towards the play-offs even though it’s been made out of lolly sticks and held together with pritt-stick! All notable achievements, given our clubs stature.
Or, should they insist on focusing on the negative- our financial woes are reflective of a much wider, bigger problem in English football. Two, London-based clubs, with recent Premier League experience AND an actual Premier League club, with recent FA Cup glory, £80million+ of player sales and two ‘big money’ takeovers- are all dangerously close to extinction!
Suddenly, the ‘problems’ covered heavily on the Sky Sports News hourly merry-go-round time bubble such as ‘Chelsea to be without Drogba for FIVE WHOLE games!!!’ and ‘Why won’t Robinho score loadsa goals away from home?’ don’t really seem that relevant or important anymore (not to me anyway).

Anyway, what is relevant is this weekends’ fixture against Bristol City. It’s currently snowing heavily which is great for those who want a day off tomorrow. However, if the game gets called off on Saturday, our revenue for this week is zero- making administration an even colder, slippery grave to fall into.
If it goes ahead, then Selhurst will be a bubblin’ hot cauldron of noise, passion and commitment- City are sure to bring a decent (in numbers, if not behaviour) crowd which would be much less if the game gets a midweek replay, and our attendances are gradually on the up anyway so hopefully, there’ll be a bit more cash in the coughers to keep us hanging on a little longer. Let’s hope so eh? And who knows, this time, we may get the correct amount of points in relation to the amount of goals we score. I know Christmas is over, but is that too much to ask?

See you all Saturday (hopefully). Wrap up, turn up, and sing up.

Power To The Palace

and as requested at the end of our last blog by 'mattoftheday'- ladies and gentlemen- Obi-1-Speroni

Should Old Acquaintance be forgot...

2009-12-31T05:25:00.000-08:00

So the festive period is almost over with. Families have returned from whence they came, not to be seen until the same time next year and we can all look forward to a quiet, skint January.

The Ipswich match was my first Boxing Day fixture for a fair while but this year, I was available and willing. The atmosphere was great and even though it clearly wasn’t sold out, you could tell there was definitely a fair chunk of extra bodies that day. A fair chunk that turned out be approx 2000 people! Credit to those who came, and to those responsible for the campaign- a positive step in the right direction.

The usual pre-match portion of chicken from ‘The Tasty Jerk’ and half-time Toffee Crisp in pocket, we were all ready for a great performance.
Well the first 20 minutes didn’t deliver that’s for sure. For the first 10 minutes, we were an absolute mess- Clint Hill, well aware that Santa had done the rounds already this year, seemed hell-bent on getting his name on the naughty list. You know something’s not right when Julian “der der der” Speroni doesn’t seem himself and sure enough, just as we started to look threatening, Jules (maybe weighed down by a second helping of turkey?) spilled not once, but twice- a present that Ipswich certainly didn’t mind getting two of, no gift-receipt necessary. 0-1 down, here we go again, merry bloody Christmas.

However, no heads dropped (on or off the pitch) and there was no air of discontent- in fact it was quite the opposite- the crowd got louder and the players started playing. Much credit here has to go to the Holmesdale Fanatics who sit in the…. Holmesdale! A lot has been made of their “purpose”, especially after the Middlesborough/Steward episode. I can’t express an opinion on their outside of the stadium activities because I simply haven’t a clue. But once inside the stands, for the whole 90 minutes, they supply us all with encouragement to sing up and support the team- someone has to take responsibility and they do. Flags, songs and banter- keep it up.

Anyway, Fonte boshed one in and Stead got sent off - rightfully in my opinion, (don’t care if Keane and Warnock both thought yellow.) It was absolutely hilarious to hear Roy Keane’s view that we were trying to influence the referee to get Stead sent off! The referee pulled out the red card instantly- there was no time for even a younger playing-days Roy Keane to get in his face, scream and push him around! I’m not aware of any Jedi’s in our squad (although Obi-1-Speroni has a ring to it!) so there were definitely no mind-tricks being played either- I assumed that the players in red ‘n’ blue didn’t like seeing a teammate nearly having his ankle destructified! Typical Roy Keane- blinded by his own rage, lack of class and an inability to distinguish common assault from a shoulder barge! And when he stands alone on the touchline, he really does look like a homeless with a decent coat- irrelevant, but true!

Anyhoos, scores level, a ten-man opposition and we started to turn the screws. The sending off could easily have ruined the game but (some) credit to Keane and his Tractor Boys; they kept playing, which allowed us to play- and win. I still think we would have edged it against 11 men, but the goals we scored in the second half were well worked and well deserved. Shaun Derry’s ball into Danns (who started the move outside the box with a header) was lovely to watch. I know he’s had a couple of ropey games this season (mainly when the whole team were too), but Shaun has had thrice as many exceptional games. A key player for us and I never thought I’d hear myself say that, or even type it!

Probably because it was Christmas, the club decided to treat us all with a live performance at half time. Jack Nosey(?) came out and did a song and some jokes, although it became harder and harder to tell which was which. Sorry Jack! (I’m not about to slate someone for getting up infront of thousands to promote their single.)

Overall, a good performance (the team, not Jack,) another million on Moses (did anyone else nearly shed a tear when he celebrated?), and a general warm feeling driving home- for yet more food!

Two days later, a point at Swansea. A dull game so I won’t say more than this. A point being fair considering a) their league position and b) Swansea receiving a ridiculous sending off- not a red, not even a foul! Four points out of a festive six- not too shabby at all.

So, into 2010 and like most years before it, January is up first. Players coming in? Doubt it. Players going out? Likely. Who though? Who knows…
I, much like an Egyptian slave master, am preparing myself for life without Moses. Where to and how much, I haven’t a clue- but should he be here on February 1st (even if its back on loan as part of a deal) I vow, here and now to send him a Valentine’s card on the 14th. You have my word.
There also seems to be more rumblings on the BBS and Holmesdale.net that some sort of takeover/investment is also gathering pace. Hope springs’ eternal - if Simon Jordan is still here on February 1st, I vow, here and now not to send him a Valentine’s card- you have my word.

One outgoing that’s already out and gone is Freddie Sears. He didn’t set Selhurst alight (and I don’t see him helping out Zola’s Hammers much- as much as I want that to happen for all concerned)- but he always put in a good shift and if that goal had stood, we may have seen a different outcome. He doesn’t even get a chance to lay the ghost to rest when Gary Johnson and his rabble darken our doorway in 9 days time! Typical!

Whoever is/isn’t here for the remainder of the season, one things for sure- the fans will be, let’s keep showing up, singing up and who knows, with a little bit of luck, we may just go up!

Other predictions for 2010

• Liverpool don’t win anything, don’t finish fourth, but they still maintain they are the best club in Merseyside/England/Europe/World.
• Newcastle United FC finally get shown on the BBC.
• Winehouse doesn’t release an album.
• Bruce Forsyth doesn’t come dancing, strictly or otherwise.
• Arise Sir Gary Barlow

Happy New Year everyone- does anyone know the words to Auld Lange Syne?

PTTP

Please Sir

2009-12-24T11:06:00.001-08:00

Picture the scene:

At the Beckenham training ground, Victor, cleaned up amid unaccustomed luxury, looks out of the window to see street sellers’ Warnock, Jordan and Finnigan. They begin to sing in style of the round-

FINNIGAN (sings):
Who will buy, our Victor Moses? Tottenham have bid a penny!
(repeat)

WARNOCK (sings):
Ripe, Shaun Derry, ripe!
(repeat)

JORDAN:
Me, oh my!
I don't want to lose it
So what am I to do
To keep the sky so blue?
There must be someone who will buy...

Now, those clever/cultured/sad amongst you have already noticed that:

a) the above is a (bloody good) parody of the ‘Who Will Buy…’ song, taken from the musical ‘Oliver.’

and

b) the more cleve-er/cultured-er/sad-er will notice that JORDAN’s lyrics are a direct lift, no witty editing required-

and this rather aptly sums up the clubs’ current plight. Jordan doesn’t want CPFC to go down the pan, but if nobody wants to buy it - what is he to do?
We’re in dire financial straits, yet currently showing glimmers of a team that’s got a great work ethic, strong team spirit and a few players that can change a game on demand. We don’t own our ground (I don’t think? It is hard to keep up sometimes) and our ever-increasing debts render it difficult for us to even pay wages.
It’s like trying to sell a clapped-out old Toyota Previa that’s about to pack up, but does have a Kenwood 6 CD changer, beaded seat covers (driver and passenger) and half a tin of Simpkins Fruit Drops in the glove-box.
All in all, the things that make our club “attractive” are merely a few shiny bits that can easily be stripped away from the chassis. Moses, Clyne, Speroni and potentially Ambrose and Scannell, are all bound to end up in the Premier League sooner or later; and if anybody comes in with a decent offer, even a half-decent offer, come January 1st, they’ll be gone before your new years’ hangover. (Some corners of the media are even finding time to report that others are even courting Shaun “renaissance man” Derry!)
And who can blame them? The first three especially are class players, too good for us, too good for the Championship, and quite inflammatorily, too good for two-thirds of the Premier League (if any of them end up at Wigan/Hull/Bolton etc, I’ll be disappointed whatever the price.) Even if our club were financially secure with no immediate worries, I would not begrudge any of them a move.
I don’t need to go into Speroni‘s on pitch worth - but his general demeanor, attitude and professionalism is a cut above. If he is (or ever has been) one iota unhappy in his time at Palace, we’ve never known about it. Premier League move or not- he deserves to at least board Maradona’s plane of chaos next summer. Fingers crossed for him.
Clyne, similarly in his short spell in the Red ‘n’ Blue limelight has demonstrated maturity way beyond his years in both his on and off pitch persona. Again, destined to go onto much bigger thing-s but something in my gut, amongst the highly recommended M&S connoisseur mince pies, red wine and cheese (Roquefort if you’re wondering), is an instinct that he will still be here come February time.
Then we come to Victor. Enough skill and trickery to part the red sea! The red-sea that was Barnsley’s defense didn’t have to read the Old Testament to discover that. By all accounts on the various Crystal Palace messageboards, there seems to be a feeling that Victor himself is very happy at Palace and his badge-caressing celebration against Watford would seem to support this. Whilst that should be the deciding factor in where his immediate future lies, we need money quick snap and Victor, especially with his recent weeks antics, is the easiest solution to that problem.
It’s that familiar tasting CPFC sod’s law: We have an amazingly talented youngster who has been nurtured and unleashed by the club he loves and wants to play for (sounds familiar right?) and is barely into his 3 year contract. Yet the financial fates conspire against us and leave us in a situation where people like Victor Moses, are luxuries we can’t afford to hold onto. Unless the wafer-thin rumors of a takeover come to fruition soon (please Santa, pleeeease), then we should prepare for a life/team without “VicMo” in any shade of red n blue (he’s not going to Barca just yet methinks.)

Onto the Christmas period- two important games, two tough games. The ‘sell-out Ipswich’ campaign seems to be gathering pace and this is exactly what Crystal Palace FC needs right now. It’s great to see that even in the current financial climate, at this expensive time of year- people still find the time and money to help the cause.
Bums on seats gives the club much needed cash and thinking a little longer-term, the bigger crowds makes the club look more attractive to any potential buyer (please Santa, pleeeease!)

Forget the frankincense, forget the myrrh- let’s hope we all get David Gold for Christmas eh?

Enjoy your turkey, try to enjoy the sprouts and enjoy the game.

Merry Christmas all

PTTP

Welcome

2009-12-21T04:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome fellow Eagles, to Power To The Palace- a brand new blog for 2010 - observed, compiled and digitally projected through your monitor and directly fed into your brain by two Crystal Palace season ticket holders - it’s a pleasure to meet you!!

Over the coming weeks, you will find topical articles regarding all things Red ‘n’ Blue; and if we can manage to widen our gaze, football in general and whatever else grabs us by the Speronis.

So please, sit back, relax and enjoy - after all, this is Palace we’re talking about.

PTTP

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