Bank Holiday weekend ruined with those nonentities from the southern borders of London winning the richest game in football and getting a season in the Premier League. With two years parachute money Steve Parish has netted £120m for his club, enough to build themselves a decent stadium if he can juggle the needs for better players and heftier contracts.
If I am honest, they deserved it. They saw a better Brighton side off in style by getting their tactics spot on in the reply and today they matched and eventually bettered a Watford side that struggled to create anything. Aaron Wilbraham won't be terrorising Premier League defences next season and neither will Troy Deeney. Kevin Phillips has surely played his last game for Palace and should go out on a high having scored from the spot to pay Palace back for his latest contract and having avenged three previous play-off losses. Great player that he's been, please let's hope he doesn't join us.
Without the mercurial Zaha, Palace are going to have to spend reasonably big just to improve what they will be left with and it's hard to see them outside the bottom six all season. I'm trying not to sound bitter here and trying to be pragmatic. You need to go up with a strong and developing side and be able to retain your best players. Without Zaha Palace would probably not have made the play-offs let alone win through.
A new stadium must be top of Parish's list as it's the only way forward for Palace long term. As I try to wring some comfort from today's events, at least we won't have to endure another afternoon in that dump. Trouble is we have Loftus Road to visit instead and that's probably worse.
If I am honest, they deserved it. They saw a better Brighton side off in style by getting their tactics spot on in the reply and today they matched and eventually bettered a Watford side that struggled to create anything. Aaron Wilbraham won't be terrorising Premier League defences next season and neither will Troy Deeney. Kevin Phillips has surely played his last game for Palace and should go out on a high having scored from the spot to pay Palace back for his latest contract and having avenged three previous play-off losses. Great player that he's been, please let's hope he doesn't join us.
Without the mercurial Zaha, Palace are going to have to spend reasonably big just to improve what they will be left with and it's hard to see them outside the bottom six all season. I'm trying not to sound bitter here and trying to be pragmatic. You need to go up with a strong and developing side and be able to retain your best players. Without Zaha Palace would probably not have made the play-offs let alone win through.
A new stadium must be top of Parish's list as it's the only way forward for Palace long term. As I try to wring some comfort from today's events, at least we won't have to endure another afternoon in that dump. Trouble is we have Loftus Road to visit instead and that's probably worse.
Dave, you don't need to have a hang-up about sounding bitter about Palarse. Remember that this is the club that tried to close us down. After the egregious Noades, a little blip with the basically decent Goldberg who suffered from some negotiating naivety with Venerables. Then the egomaniac Jordan. Is this a football club or a jumped-up version of Poundland with an underlying neastiness? I admit that my venom has been enhanced by spending an afternoon with a Palarse follower who, amongst many other gems, asked, "But does Charlton actually have an academy?"
ReplyDeleteClearly not a football person, like so many of the Nigels.
Their new ownership is a different kettle of fish. Steve Parish and Co are, as far as one can tell, genuine football people, but they have a gorilla, rather than a monkey, on their back in the shape of Selhurst Park. The temptation will be to upgrade instantly, the contractors will have a field day, the wages for the footballers will no longer be within reach and the lower leagues will soon be their home once more. Meanwhile, several agents will have moved up the millonaire league table.
Both the Palarse "fans" of my acquaintance texted, "Give it a year" at full time, Monday. Let's hope.