Next up: Sheffield United

So the gaffer leads us up north to his old stomping ground once more to take on his apprentice Kevin Blackwell in the hope of continuing the current hoodoo he has over his beloved Blades.

The lads face a tough test today when we will meet a team not dissimilar to ours in its approach to the game.

We won't be able to bully the blades like we did Watford and Reading but what we can do is compete with them negate their approach to the game and give our more talented players the license to hurt them.

This worked beautifully against Reading but it very much relies on the form of Darren Ambrose and Victor Moses who were at their sparkling best on Tuesday night.

If picked today Moses, which he should be, will be playing on his 19th birthday so happy birthday to the lad and good luck for today.

United will be without Darius Henderson and Toni Kallio while surprise surprise Nick Montgomery is suspended. Neil has no simmilar concerns with the only absentee being Paddy McCarthy who will be sidelined for three months after undergoing shoulder surgery this week.

This game worries me, the signs are ominous; we won three of our last five games, we're unbeaten in eight and worst of all we are unbeaten against Sheffield United under Neil Warnock. Knowing Palace as i do, something has to change and i fearthat change could be today.

Heres hoping it doesnt!

Palace 0-3 Doncaster Rovers

So after having two full days to calm down I feel I am finally able to reflect on the game fairly and without any snap judgements. For instance I no longer have the urge to have every Palace player who played apart in Saturdays defeat put up against a wall and shot, which is probably good news for Simon Jordan as he has precious few assets as it is.

After going through the highlights again numerous times you can see we just didn’t get the rub of the green like we did last week against Watford and a keen Palace observer could see it wasn’t going to be from a very early stage. Last week we had two chances early on and scored them both, this week we had those same two chances but Neil Danns and the newly crowned player of the month Darren Ambrose inexplicably managed to miss both chances with the goal gaping on both occasions.

If we had gone 2-0 up we would have cruised to victory, as it was, a potent mix of lacksadaisical defending and ruthless finishing left us 1-0 down just before half-time. A big performance was needed after the break and just as we looked really fired up Donny hit us with a sucker punch on the break and the player’s collective heads dropped. The final twenty or so minutes must have been torture for those in the ground as James Hayter smashed home their third of the afternoon but the score line flattered them. Julian Speroni had nothing to do for the whole ninety minutes except pick the ball out of the net so as Mr Warnock say’s we will just have to “Take this one on the chin” and remember the performance last week and all the good things that have taken us to within striking distance of the play-offs.

Even opposing manager Sean O'Driscoll admitted that his side rode their luck on the way to victory: "I thought we were excellent. Palace are a difficult team to defend against and we took our chances well. In this division you need a little bit of luck and we took it."


Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was it destroyed in a day, so fans will have to keep some perspective (including me) when the lads have a stinker, take it on the chin and just accept that that is what Supporting Palace means. Even if we are less Rome more and more Pompeii at the moment with our finances.

I wouldn’t bet against a good result against Reading on Tuesday and a much improved performance, it’s a certainty Warnock won’t allow a repeat Saturday.

Here’s Hoping!

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.

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.

Some good news for tomorrow's game

I will be making my first trip to Selhurst in a while for Watford and was originally expecting a cagey game and to win a bucket full of money betting on a 1-1 draw.

Now though Neil Warnock announces that he is going for an attacking team tomorrow with Moses set for a recall to the starting line eleven.

"We are concentrating on ourselves and trying to get some more goals from other areas other than just relying on Darren."

"Victor has looked sharp in training in the past couple of weeks and I don't think he is far away from a starting role," said the Palace boss.

"Freddie badly needs a goal but it's becoming a matter of just how long you can give him. It might be time to give someone else an opportunity."

I believe a Moses-Lee front line could work very effectively in a 4-4-2 if the pair can strike up even a modicum of understanding. They provide a good blend of flair and Warnockness that i think we had with AJ and Shippers; a partnership that was so successful.

A more attacking stance is an intriguing proposition and should hopefully end our run of draws and produce a more entertaining game.

so I think I will be reverting to my usual betting system instead of putting 50p on a on a Palace defeat just to be safe.

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: Preston North End v Palace

The gaffer has come out this week, stating that this coming week is the toughest we have faced yet and I am going to have to agree with him.

The next eight days will tell us a lot about this team and will test the strength depth of the squad that to me, looks a bit thin.

We start the week with an away day at Preston North End. North End as ever, are going about their business quietly and effectively. They always seem to be around the Play-offs come the end of the season and they look like achieving the same this year.

Alan Irvine has a fully fit squad to pick from with captain Callum Davidson expected to return to the side after a lengthy lay-off.

From our perspective Freddie Sears is a major doubt with the recurring groin strain that saw him limp out of the 1-1 draw with Forest. Lee Hills looks set to start in his preferred left back birth after the ever committed Hill picked up his fifth booking of the campaign triggering the unsightly touchline scenes and war of words last week.

Claude Davis could return to the fold and Warnock has been hinting all week that Ryan Smith could be set to play a bigger role in first-team in the hope of securing a longer term deal.

There are also murmurings around the club that influential centre back Paddy McCarthy has suffered yet another recurrence of dislocated shoulder that kept him out of action for half of last term. We will not know the severity of the injury until the club release a statement but the sign’s certainly aren’t positive.

McCarthy will leave a huge hole in the Palace rear guard so the onus will be on Claude Davis to perform heroics as he steps into the fray against his former club despite doubts over his match fitness.

Despite the injury woes Deepdale has been a happy hunting ground for the Eagles in recent seasons with North End winning only one of the last five meetings between the two teams.

I have a good feeling about this game, and believe we can snatch a scoring draw, maybe were even start putting some of our chances after Warnock’s comments earlier this week about taking chances. This should be helped if Stern can get his second start of the season, I believe he’s a natural finisher and has promised us 15 goals this season.

And who knows if he can stay fit maybe Victor can get on the score sheet this season. He certainly came close last week and if he’s played up top with his new mentor Stern John then I’d put money on him scoring tomorrow.

Here's hoping!

Warnock right to hit out

The gaffer really came out fighting tonight didn't he!

Appalled at accusations of over-physicality Warnock raged: "I think that's a disgraceful statement. If I'd spent nearly £4.5m on players, I'd probably say a bit less than that.
"He should keep his mouth shut and as how come we carved them up so often and created so many chances.
"I thought the challenge on Paul Anderson was a yellow card, not a red card. It was a reckless challenge but it wasn't deliberate."

The Yorkshire-man was responding to Billy Davies's comments in his post-match interview who told BBC Sport: "When you look at the way Neil sets his sides up, it's a very difficult game for a young, maturing side.
"It was a big test - physically and mentally. They had to play a certain game. It certainly wasn't pretty".

Neil Warnock took exception to his comments and fumed at Forest manager Billy Davies; and quite rightly so.

This is the championship, you will come up against players like Clint Hill and no matter how many millions you have spent in the summer, if you can't deal with physicality then you can't complain.

You can understand the managers frustration as it seems every week opposition managers excuse poor results against us by trotting out the "Their played a typical Warnock style" line. We competed with Forest today, had the better of the stats and played some good football, and yet we don't get any credit for this as media outlets scramble to jump on the all to popular anti Warnock stance.

Take the Football League show for instance. There are disagreements between managers across the country every week but as soon as it's Warnock, they dedicate a section of the show to his post-match comments. Another key example of this media bias was revealed by Warnock this week in his Independent column: “Something else which did not get much coverage was the news that Cardiff had withdrawn the accusations made after last week's game. Funny that, because the allegations themselves got a lot of coverage.”

On the other hand though, I suppose having this growing reputation should ensure that teams continue to dread their visits to South London, and that we continue the impressive home form we've enjoyed of late.

The reason for the malaise at Selhurst Park in recent years.

Crystal Palace face an uphill battle on Saturday as high flying Nottingham Forest visit Selhurst Park on the back of six straight victories.

Conversely the Eagles suffered their first defeat in four on Tuesday night at the Walkers. Despite making all the running in the first half as the same old problem seemed to be haunting this squad, goals. Palace have the dubious record of producing the lowest number of individual goal scorers in the league. Is their more though to worry the Selhurst faithful, with our top scorer being midfielder, Darren Ambrose?

This is a problem that has haunted us since the departure of Clinton Morrison in the summer of 2008. It can surely be said that the current crop of strikers are among the worst and least exciting I’ve seen at the club in all the time I’ve followed Palace. When you've seen the likes of Ian Wright, Mark Bright, Chris Armstrong, Dougie Freedman, Clinton Morrison and Andrew Johnson in their pomp, seeing Alan Lee ploughing a lone furrow up-front doesn't really get the juices flowing.

Indeed this isn't helped I don't think, by Warnock's persistence of with the 4-3-3 formation as this all to often reverts to a 4-5-1, leaving Victor Moses, our most naturally gifted player and a natural striker playing as a winger with either Sean Scannell or young loanie Freddie Sears. This has lead to a lack of width and delivery from wide areas which in turn negates the need to play the much maligned Alan Lee.

There is hope on the horizon mind you. In his brief cameos, summer signing Stern has impressed many and looks to be a very sharp forward who knows what areas to be in to score goals. But once again he would be more suited to 4-4-2 playing upfront with a partner, possibly Victor Moses, who with his pace and trickery would occupy defenders and leave space for the veteran forward.

Another option could be the latest group of exciting youngsters who could be set to make their impact in the coming months. The most promising of which include Nathanial Pinney and Keiran Cadogan who have struck up a great understanding for the reserve side. Palace assistant boss Mick Jones today revealed: "Cadogan and Pinney are scoring goals every time they play and are forming a terrific partnership. They are certainly another two for the future. I am sure they’ll come into the first team again this season. Kids who score goals suddenly become confident - and they can take that onto Selhurst Park."

Hopefully the pair can continue their form into the first team and cure the great Selhurst striker drought. Or should that have been put, they better continue their form and fulfil their great promise? As the academy is the only hope we Palace fans can cling to have while the transfer embargo remains well and truly in place as we struggle to pay for the mighty Alan Lee.

Will Warnock fly the Eagles nest?

Neil Warnock has refused to rule out a move to manage big spending Notts County following the sacking of Ian McParland.

The news will come as a blow to the majority of Palace fans who will surely fear the consequences of his departure. Warnock has been a stable influence and worked wonders in the face of difficult circumstances with the mooted sale of the club, financial restraints and the transfer embargos.

Presently, Eagles legend Peter Taylor; the man Warnock replaced at the Selhurst Park helm is the firm favourite for the County job but the Yorkshireman's affinity with the League 2 club will surely keep him in the frame.

The Palace boss made his name as manager of County between 1989 and 1993 where he achieved successive promotions to take the club to the top flight. And Warnock would probably relish the chance to repeat that feat with his career in its twighlight years.

Not to mention that the oldest club in the world has become an incredibly attractive proposition for any manager following the recent takeover by the Middle-Eastern consortium Munto Finance.

The 60 year-old may welcome the chance to rid himself of the financial constraints he currently works under and have one last tilt at building on his already impressive record of achieving promotions at every level of the Football League.

He got tongues wagging whilst working as a Sky Sports pundit during Notts County’s 2-2 draw with Torquay United; incidentally another of Warnock’s former clubs. He said: "You can never say never about anything in this business."

Indeed, after last months crushing defeat by Scunthorpe, Warnock himself admitted that he was close to walking out after what he described as his lowest moment in football.

He said: "I seriously considered it at the time. I'd never seen anything like it, it was absolutely horrendous and I really didn't see how we could fight back. I thought leaving might be the best option, but the idea only lasted 24 hours."

Luckily For the Palace faithful, they can seek solice in the fact that Warnock was also quick to point out that he is "Happy where he is for now" and has, on numerous occasions praised the fans for the welcome he and his family have received since his arrival in South London two years ago this week.

The former Blades boss is also a personal friend of Palace chairman Simon Jordan of whom he enjoys a healthy working relationship. A relationship that he insists was a deciding factor in staying to fight on after the Scunthorpe game.

"The thing with me and the chairman is that we like to prove people wrong," he said. "Things are tough right now but we keep each other going."

Palace have since recovered some impressive form and fans will hope that the speculation doesn't hinder recent progress.

Nick Gentry