Reading 2-4 Palace

An exquisite brace from wonder kid Victor Moses sealed a 4-2 victory in a pulsating tie at the Madjeski Stadium.

Nathanial Clyne opened the scoring with his first senior goal, and what a goal to open your account with. He cut in from the right wing and unleashed a shot from 20 yards that beat the keeper at his near post. Reading hit back with a Sigurdsson header before Moses retook the lead for Palace with an arrowed strike from 30 yards and Darren Ambrose found his shooting boots again with a near carbon copy of Clyne's goal.

Reading came back again after the break converting a penalty conceded by a clumsy Jose Fonte challenge.

After some nervy moments Moses cut inside from the left dropped his shoulder beat two defenders and finished emphatically to seal the win and leave the Eagles just two points of the Play-offs.

It was a sensational performance and just the right tonic for Palace fans who were left deflated after last weeks financial news and the embarrassing defeat at the hands of Doncaster Rovers.

Reading v Palace

So the question is which Palace will turn up tonight to face Reading?

The side that thrashed Watford or the side that were thrashed by Doncaster Rovers? Only time will tell but personally I am have faith in the managers ability to turn things round and ensure that Saturday doesn't happen again.

It's expected Warnock will name an unchanged side but hopefully he won't be tempted to be overly cautious and exile Victor Moses out onto the wing again. This is what happened on Saturday and look at the result; we need to be brave and take the game to a Reading side who are decidedly brittle at home.

The Royals' danger man will surely be Gregorz Rasiak who has a nasty habit of scoring against us and is dangerous aerially. There's also some old faces in the opposition camp tonight with Jobi McAnuff likely to start on the right wing (cue boos from Palace) and legend and former captain Dean Austin in the dugout after being named as Brendan Rodgers's assistant in the summer.


On a side-note, congratulations to Clint Hill who is in line to make his 100th appearance for the club tonight.

Good luck to the boys tonight and let's hope we can get back on track.

Here's hoping!

A little Premiership praise from a City fan

After attending the Carling Cup 2nd round tie at Selhurst Park, Manchester City fan Christopher Wildgoose was left surprised by the quality of football that we offered.

So much so that he has given his views from what he saw that night:

Many people have criticised Palace for playing long ball, rather than beautiful football and, although some long ball was on display, it was great to see the effects of Victor Moses bursting down the wing and causing the Manchester City defence problems.

It was a game that Palace deserved to win, and had it not been for a few dodgy refereeing decisions they may well have gone on to cause the shock of the round.

Darren Ambrose was one of the best players on the pitch that night, and it was clear to see that he was going to be vital in the Eagles' promotion push this year. He came very close to scoring a sensational goal in the first-half and pulled the strings as Palace piled on the pressure and it looked ever more likely that a breakthrough was imminent.

If Palace play as well as they did that night then I have every confidence that they can go on to at least snatch a play-off place at the end of the season. The performance against Watford was fantastic as they stamped their authority over a team who is also capable of challenging for a top-six finish come May.

What I think Palace are lacking is the clinical striker. West Brom have one in Luke Moore and Shola Ameobi is rampant at St. James' Park. This is what separates the very best from the teams on the borderline of reaching their full potential.

I can not see Palace going into administration. The fan base is fantastic, and it was clear to see when I was sat with my City faithful just how much you got behind the team. With the support and the current form I have confidence in saying that Palace will be a Premier League team very soon.

Administration looms!

For those palace fans old enough to remember 1999, the word administration prompts a sickly feeling deep in their stomachs.

It was a helpless feeling knowing that the fate of the club we hold so dear to our hearts was perilously close to existing no more.

Alas ten years on and we find ourselves in the same situation as the club announces that yet again it cannot afford to pay its staff and looks doomed to financial ruin, administration and now more worryingly, a swift drop down the leagues.

Simon Jordan however cannot be blamed for this as much as many may wish to. He has done his best in a worsening financial climate until this point where he is close to the presaphis on the verge of bankruptcy having lost his entire fortune supporting Palace. He has personally guaranteed a large proportion of the debts rumoured to be as high as £30 million that has accrued over the years but he no longer has the liquid funds to support those payments.

As fans,although we are not yet in administration, we need to call on the spirit of 1999 and do as much as possible to help in our own little way. Whether it's renewing that season ticket that you weren't sure you were going to renew or simply buying a replica shirt like me, we need to stick together and stand up to be counted.

The manager has led the rallying call and has shown that he and the players will do their bit after the 3-0 victory against Watford: "But it's not like that - Simon's doing his best. Obviously the cash flow is a problem. But we've got another home game next Saturday, and you've got to accept in the modern day that these things happen.

"Rather than let it affect you, we've got to be positive. We're doing ever so well at the moment. We've got a small squad, we've got a lot of players out on loan to help with the financial aspect as well, and the fans have been brilliant.

"I would expect the chairman to support me if I were in a situation like that, and likewise I said to the players 'he's been great with us, so let's help him'."

"We haven't got prima donnas. They're all hard working lads and the team ethic is fabulous.

"I am in a positive mood because I want to help the chairman - he's been brilliant over the years and I know he's been disappointed that he's not been able to give me some of the millions he's give other managers, but it hasn't stopped me from working as hard as I can for the club and for him."

"He's a very astute businessman and a very good friend. I'm aware of the problems he's had with the [economic] climate. But he's still put many millions into Crystal Palace to keep it going, and I think we owe him a lot.

"The least we owe him is to roll up our sleeves and try to get the results that will help him over this period."

Those of us present at the Watford game can see how much fight the lads had so let's show how much we love this club and fill the ground on saturday because if we can't in this hour of need then we don't deserve to have a club.

I think i'd speak for many that we'd rather go out fighting, with 20,000 kicking and screaming than with 12,000 whinging fans bemoaning SJ's stewardship and whispering the club to sleep. We can't save the club alone; only a new investor could do that but we can show that we are a club worth saving.

Protest successful

The planned protest against aggressive stewarding in lower Holmesdale seems to have achieved some positive results in terms of club-supporter relations.

Word from protest organisers have reported that as a result of their action positive action has been taken by the club.

1) A number of bans picked up by supporters at the Boro game were overturned after a review of the CCTV.

2) Block V of the Arthur Waite has been reopened and the Arthur Waite massive were in great voice yesterday.

3)The Police co-ordinator from the Middlesbrough will not take charge of a game at Selhurst Park again.

4) Discussions have begun between the club and supporters and club for ways to improve take the club forward together.

5)A meeting between the club and Police has been arranged by the club in early December to discuss the events.

6)The head steward has been removed from his post in front of block B of the Lower Holmesdale.

So it looks like all those who took part have made great strides in making the club and Police listen to us the fans.

Lets hope this cooling of relations can continue into the future.

Here's hoping!

Palace 3-0 Watford- Sensational!

The title says it all really; what a game.

Warnock's pre-game promise of attacking play, goals and Victor Moses from the start all came to fruition with a cherry on top.

The gaffer switched to a 4-4-2 with a front two of Moses and Lee (something I've wanted for a while) for his 100th game as Eagle's boss. Moses and Lee had alot more than a modicum of understanding i thought they would need which resulted in a mouthwatering blend of physical power and technical ability, showcased perfectly by the opening goals.

Lee won everything in the air and victor was reading the flick-on's as if they had played together for years, and once he got the ball he was a menace for the Watford defence and was the difference between the sides.


Darren Ambrose sealed an emphatic victory with his sixth in six games; the first Eagle since the great Ian wright in 1988 to do so.

Watford for their part didn't impress me at all and didn't show why they were one of the form teams going into this weekend. Admittedly had Julian Speroni not once more re-enforced our belief that he is one of the best exponents of his trade in the division if not the country by saving Danny Graham's weak penalty.If Maradonna continues to ignore him they are missing a golden opportunity.

The atmosphere was extremely rocking and there was some good terrace banter for those of you who saw the group of guys wearing the blue bobble hats trying and failing to leave the game early.

Coventry v Palace- Preview

So after yet another meaningless international break that involved no Palace players we're finally back in action and hoping to continue our fine form. Tomorrows game will see us go up against two more former Palace men as we travel to the Ricoh Arena to face a Coventry side bereft of confidence.

Clinton Morrison will go down in Palace folk-law as a legend and not just for his 113 goals in 316 appearances in red and blue. His charisma was phenomenal, as was his passion for the club which he has insisted he wants to return to before his playing days are over. He was approachable and had a good rapport with the area and the fans and obviously you can't forget about his mums interviews on Talksport when he first broke through.

Coventry manager Chris Coleman will also get a great reception from the Palace faithful. He was an integral member of the Division One championship winning side of 1994 where he built up a great centre-back pairing with Gareth Southgate. Let's hope Coleman's side have the same fate as Southgate's former side Middlesbrough did just before the break.

The omens are good for a repeat performance, Coventry are bottom of the form table and are in a dismal run of results that has left them taking just two points out of a possible eighteen. Conversely We're on a hot streak at the moment as we look to extend our unbeaten run to five games, we haven't lost to coventry since 2004 and have won every game at the Ricoh Arena. All the signs point towards a Palace victory but I've watched us for too long to believe statistics especially considering the last time we returned to action after an international break and got beaten 4-0 by Scunthorpe.

Sean Scannel will miss the game after picking up a thigh injury for the Ireland U21's but that shouldn't have to much baring on the outcome of this one; he's been very poor this season and his number of appearances have reflected this. Paddy McCarthy remains out with a dislocated shoulder and will be for some time yet.

Other than that there are no new injury concerns and Darren Ambrose should make his 250th club career appearance as he goes in search of his fifth goal in five games.

Keiran Westwood should return for the sky blues which is a little worrying as his ability will further diminish our potential for goals. After all we still only have four names on the goal scorers list which needs to amended sooner rather later. I'm predicting a score draw but we can always hope for better. Here's hoping!

Crystal Palace 1-0 Middlesbrough

Crystal Palace finished off an amazing week with a 1-0 victory over promotion favourites Middlesbrough.

For Palace it was a similar story with in-form Darren Ambrose scoring at one end while Julian Speroni performs heroics at the other.

Neil Warnock made only one change from the side who started the 1-1 draw at Loftus Road with Freddie Sears coming into the starting eleven.

The game started evenly with chances at both ends. It was Ambrose who troubled the Middlesbrough goal first with a swerving 25-yard free-kick that narrowly missed the target. Neil Danns and Alan Lee also came close to putting Palace ahead.

Middlesbrough's best opportunity came through the highly rated winger Adam Johnson who was denied by Speroni who was branded 'the best keeper in the country' by Warnock in the week.

Palace eventually took the lead in the 64th minute as Ambrose finished cooly to bag his tenth of the season after a concise break including Alan Lee and Danns who combined to find Ambrose alone in the Boro area.

The Eagles were left once more hanging to the points with more than a hint of desperation but another couple of wonder-saves from Jules who denied first Wheater and then O'Neil to secure a crucial victory.

I said last week this week would tell us alot about our squad and you have to say taking five points from three games against top eight oppositon is fantastic when you consider our small, youthful squad.

However this week has also highlighted one glaring issue that will worry the Palace faithful in the coming weeks.

The past three games have shown how much of the burden Ambrose and Speroni take. An injury to one of them could leave us tumbling back down the table from whence wwe came. More alarming will be the January transfer window where any sizable offer will surely test Simon Jordans ambition. Some saw Warnocks comments regarding Speroni as 'touting' him to Premier League suitors with a view to selling the Argentine in the window.

Personally i would rather lose one of the procotious youngtsers over one of these two but with the state of the finances you have to think every player is up for sale.

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Palace

So a good result and a battling performance from the boy's tonight. A draw was probably a fair result as both sides although Rangers probably had the clearer of the chances.

The game eventually though was settled by a brace of penalties either side of half-time. A rash tackle by Danny Butterfield allowed Buzsaky to take the lead from the spot on 17 minutes. Palace pressed the hoops and Aleesane N'Diaye had a volley cleared off the line before Julian Speroni performed heroics on the stroke of half time, denying Wayne Routledge with a magnificent save.

Freddie Sears was introduced to the action for the second-half and it was a change that pay dividends as he was hauled down by former Eagle Fitz Hall.

The ref pointed to the penalty spot and Darren Ambrose duly sent Radek Cerny the wrong way to net his ninth of the season.

Another second half substitute Alan Lee could have put Palace ahead minutes later but couldn't get enough power behind his far post header to squeeze the ball past the Rangers stopper.

Speroni was at it again at the other end as he made a string of saves to deny QPR as the Palace goal was put under siege. Two wonder saves denied Alejandro Faurlin and Akos Buzsaky as the Eagles held on for a hard-fought point.

The manager was full of praise for the Argentinian after the game aswell as the overall performance, he said:"Julian Speroni is the best keeper in this division by a mile and I don't see anyone better in the Premier League.

"It's good that nobody rates him. But he's not leaving while I'm manager - unless I take him somewhere with me.

"I'm disappointed in a way we didn't win, but it was a good game and the players gave me everything."

Preview: Queens Park Rangers v Palace

The opposition team sheet will make nostalgic reading for Palace fans for tonight’s game, with no fewer than five former Eagles now plying their trade at Loftus Road.

Fitz Hall, Wayne Routledge, Mikele Leigertwood, Gary Borrowdale and Ben Watson could all feature tonight so expect us to lose to a late goal from one of that contingent.

Wayne Routledge’s reception should be a bit tasty after the petulant wingers acrimonious departure from SE25 in 2005. Wayne refused to sign a generous contract and pay back some of the loyalty that the club showed him in re-housing his family and paying for his place in the sought after Whitgift School.

Instead he chased riches at Tottenham and subsequently finds himself back in the championship after years in the footballing wilderness.

However he was always a smashing player and in my opinion was on track for an England place before his career stagnated and he will need to be marshalled very closely by Palace tonight.

Alan Lee will make the game despite sustaining a head injury in the draw at Preston on Saturday while Clint Hill is set to return at left back after his suspension leaving Nathanial Clyne back on the bench.

No other changes are expected from the side that started at Deepdale.

The QPR team is largely expected to be un-changed from the side that slipped to defeat on Friday against Leicester. Although skipper Gavin Mahon is battling for fitness and Ben Watson could return to the midfield after his somewhat harsh sending off two weeks ago.

The game could go one of both ways; if we press them from beginning to end then we could very well get an impressive result. On the other hand if we let them play there expansive quick passing game we could get torn apart from tonight. I’ve got my fingers crossed for the former.

Here’s hoping!

Lucky for some 13

Crystal Palace rose to 13th in the league today as they drew 1-1 with an in-form Preston side at Deepdale.

Yet another spectacular Darren Ambrose effort secured a good away point for the Eagles as he equalised in the 37th minute.

The midfielder, who is slowly gaining a cult status amongst fans, got on the end of an Alan Lee knock down to smash home from 18-yards and bag his eighth of the season.

The equaliser came just two minutes after going behind to an expert Ross Wallace free-kick that left Speroni with little chance.

The second half saw Palace have the better of the game in terms of chances but Preston stopper Andy Lonnergan was once again on top form to twice deny the standout player on the pitch Ambrose as well as Nathanial Clyne and Stern John.

We can be extremely proud of the performance and taking a point from Deepdale is always a good result especially considering the injuries we had going into the game and obviously not to mention the off-field difficulties.

Contrary to speculation it was Clyne who once again came in at left back leaving Lee Hills to settle for a place on the bench. However the young left back did get his chance to impress as Clyne limped off in the second-half, let’s hope it isn’t a serious problem.

Claude Davis did come in at centre-back though and contributed to a commanding defensive display from the Palace rear-guard. A good sign considering the opposition we have coming up next who have an uncanny knack of scoring four goals per game of late.

Another injury concern for Tuesday’s derby clash with QPR will be Alan Lee who was forced off the field with blood streaming from a head wound. Although it’s probably the gaffer who will have a headache of the selection variety as he tries to find a recognised forward to start with Stern John. Sears didn’t make today’s game, Moses was dragged off after 50 minutes and now Alan Lee is a doubt.

I’d like to see young Cadogan or Nathanial Pinney given an opportunity from the start on Tuesday. The current crop of youngsters have been off the boil recently with Cyne out of the team, Moses finding form and goals hard to come by in equal measures and Scannel and Hills left out in the cold. I think it would give the whole place an injection of excitement both in the terraces and in the camp especially going forward where we need it most.

Mick Jones said last week he thought they were ready to come in to the team in the coming weeks and this injury crisis and lack of goals is surely a perfect excuse to throw them in.

Here's hoping!

Seventh anniversary of THAT victory over the weed

This week sees the anniversary of a game that will live in Eagles fan’s memories for the rest of their lives, and which will go down as one of the finest moments in the clubs history.

It was a warm afternoon at Selhurst Park; on the face of it, like any other. But this was different; I could taste the anticipation on the long walk up Holmesdale Road with the thousands upon thousands of fans who would eventually cram into the ground.

The Police presence was greater than I had seen before and lined the route to the Stadium; there was the faint murmur of the Police chopper that was circling the area, scouting for trouble.

My mum I sat as we ate chips and she reminisced, as she told me her experiences of Palace-Brighton games she had attended with my uncles through the years since the curious rivalry begun back in the 70’s.

The two sides climbed the leagues together, from Division Three to the old First Division and in that time there were, F.A. Cup replays, career ending tackles, a game that included five penalties (three of which we missed), hooliganism, huge crowds and changes of manager between the two clubs.

This last point was particularly poignant seven years ago as while Allan Mullery had flopped after joining in 1982 from our now deadly rivals (which finally made sense of why the reasons he went to Rome to see the pope!) Crystal Palace legend, no, hero Steve Coppell was now in charge at Brighton giving the sense of this being a special occasion.

The Palace faithful weren’t let down either as we not only won the game, but a star was born.

Four corners in the opening four minutes hinted at Palace’s intentions as they dominated a beleaguered Brighton side who were looking to arrest a 12 game losing streak.

The fourth of those corners was converted by a young unproven forward we had received as part of the deal that took Clinton Morrison to Birmingham for £4.5 million. In all his previous appearances he hadn’t managed to impress the home fans, least of which my uncle who as I remember described him as “awful”.

Of course he no longer holds this view as after and this game was where “AJ’s” love affair with the Eagles crowd started. The diminutive striker was man of the match as Palace romped to a famous 5-0 victory as oddly the home sections of the 21,000 strong crowd chanted “Steve Coppell’s red and blue army”.

You couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for then manager Trevor Francis who as he masterminded probably his most important victory as Palace manager, was still reminded of his un-popularity among Palace fans. Once again my uncle had strong feelings on this matter but I won’t go into that.

As the game ended and ‘Glad all over’ blasted around Selhurst Park nearly everyone stayed where they were stunned, the Brighton fans that filled the Arthur Waite stand were forced to but oh well it added to the occasion and allowed the Holmesdale to rub salt into their wounded pride.

Ultimately the two sides have stood toe to toe since but this game for me was special. It was my first experience of the fixture and everything about the day has stayed with me since and I fell even deeper in love with Palace as a result.

As a match day experience it was only beaten by that magical Play-off matches of the following season in which that same striker who had ignited his Palace career the year before, fired Palace into the big time.

Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Palace put an end to Forests run of six consecutive victories today at Selhurst Park with a 1-1 draw.

In an entertaining end to end game, Palace opened the scoring as Darren Ambrose netted his seventh goal of the season with a trademark free-kick five minutes before the break. The goal came after the introduction of the lively Victor Moses changed the game after replacing the injured Freddie Sears mid-way throught the first half.

Despite goin in at the break a goal to the good, the Eagles couldnt hang on and Forest's potent strike-force hit back in the 47th minute. McGoldrick tapping in a low Lewis McGugan cross and leave the game perfectly poised.

Both sides had chances to snatch victory, the best of which was a glaring miss from Palace's mercurial youngster Victor Moses which will surely go down as miss of the season. He shot over from six-yards after connecting with a pin point Shaun derry cross.

It was a good result for the Eagles who have turned Selhurst Park into somewhat of a fortress in recent weeks after an unbeaten home run that now stands at four games. Another aspect of the game today that will surely please the Palace faithful as they trudge down Holmesdale Rd is the number of chances that we created.The boys created thirteen chances against a very good side who will surely be in contention for the Play-off spots come May.

On the other-hand this statistic is also one that will worry fans as they sup their post-match pints. Only converting one of seven shots ON taget isn't good enough and just goes show our lack of quality at the sharp end. Once again it was Ambrose who is carrying the goalscoring duty's for the team and that alusive fifth goalscorer has not yet materialised this season.

This must be a worry for Neil Warnock, especially with his hands tied behind his back in the transfer embargo and tight finances.

Overall considering our weaknesses it was both a good result and performance which is the important thing here and the point takes as a third of the way to safety and the magical fifty point mark.

Next up we travel to deepdale with a chance to set off on another unbeaten run.

Here's hoping!

We are Gold! Gold!

After months and months of hearing nothing from the orange one on the sale of the club, the Croydon Advertiser has sensationally revealed today that former Birmingham City chairman David Gold could very well be a surprise candidate to buy the Palace.

Gold, a one time enemy of Simon Jordan sold his shares in Birmingham City for £82.5 million recently and has been on the look out for a new club ever since. He was reportedly interested in buying a stake in the Hammers; his boy-hood club but was put off by the "massive debts".

Indeed Palace are not without their financial problems which have worsened since the recession took hold last year. Added to this is the age old ground issue which has been like a meal stone around the neck of Palace ever since the Goldberg takeover in 1998 and has been the biggest factor in restricting the growth of the club.

But David Gold can see a way around these issues, the source said: "Most teams in the Championship need a bit of work and Palace is no different.

"The fact that they don't own the ground isn't ideal but it is something David thinks could easily be resolved."

He may not be too far wrong with that assumption either with Selhurst Park currently under administrators PriceWaterHouse after the collapse of Paul Kelmsley's Rock Investments who had owned the ground previously. This could in theory reduce the asking price for the freehold although the administrators have come out this week stating that they expect alot of interest in the ground.

However the over-riding factor here is that Crystal Palace is in desperate need of financial investment and more importantly, stability. And while some long for a Middle-Eastern takeover a-la Notts County to take us to the top of the rich lists, I do not. All this would achieve is to rip the soul out of our club that is so rich with history. Selhurst would surely be ripped down and we'd move to one of those bowl stadiums that everyone has these days that all look the same (anyone who's been to Cardiff, Coventry and Southampton will know what I mean). I believe David Gold is exactly what we need, he would be a steady hand at the rudder investing wisely and taking his time in developing and taking this club that we all know has great potential, forward.

Gold also know's the area and lives just eight miles away in Caterham. The source in the Croydon Advertiser has claimed that this is a major factor for his interest: "He wants to stay involved in football and after years of travelling up and down the motorway he wants a club that is local.

"There is nowhere more local to him than Crystal Palace; he lives eight miles away from the ground."

Although it is currently paper talk and all the quotes are as yet un-substantiated, Palace fans around the world will be eager to see this deal go through as without it, I feel administration is the only possible outcome in the long-run.

Here's hoping!