r/soccer • u/[deleted] • Jul 29 '13
Star post Premier League 2013/14 Team Preview [02/20]: Crystal Palace Football Club
The Barclays Premier League 2013/14 is thankfully approaching us very soon. There are now 19 days until we kick off. I am posting a preview of one team per day from the league. Starting with the new guns and finishing with the current champions. I hope you enjoy these. As before, any discussion and predictions are more than welcome in the comments section.
Premier League 2013/14 Team Preview [02/20]:
Crystal Palace Football Club
About
Team crest (gorgeous) | Home strip | Away strip (credit /u/adamrawrz)
Founded: Contentiously circa 1861
(Palace reached the semi-finals of the very first FA Cup in 1871)
Nickname: Cheekily, The Glaziers, then The Eagles inspired by Benfica
(The club's colours of red and blue were also an inspiration, this time from Barcelona, quite a pedigree)
Notable honours: Very memorable FA Cup finalists in 1990
Manager: Ian Holloway
Club Mascot: Alice the Eagle and Pete the Eagle, hmmm
Home: Selhurst Park A ground with character shall we say, since 1925. Charlton and Wimbledon have shared the ground previously. Selhurst Park also holds the record of having the lowest attendance for a single Premier League game: 3,039 during Wimbledon v. Everton, 26 January 1993. The first match played there? Crystal Palace played Sheffield Wednesday and lost 0–1! Map
Capacity: 26,309
Official website: http://www.cpfc.co.uk/
Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/crystalpalace (correct me if I'm wrong here)
The area
Palace are a team made for this section. What you are about to read is not fantasy or fairytale. First, we need to go to France and the French Industrial Exposition of 1844, a huge success. That convinced a competitive England, particularly Prince Albert (a lover of the arts) to build… a palace. Yes, a palace. Inside, would house industrial exhibitions from all corners of the world, outside, the ostentatious glass structure, overseen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, would symbolise England's towering ambition and status. Seriously, look at this shit. The location? London's Hyde park.
Now why am I bothering to veer so off-course? Because the groundsmen of this fantastic palace had a football team you see. They called it Crystal Palace F.C. So, fans of the bigger teams, when you look down at these 'minnows' beware; for they once played in the shadow of a palace. The team subsequently moved eventually to a new site in South Norwood. The palace burnt down in 1936, the football team had long left due to the First World War and took up in their new and current home in 1925. Selhurst Park is in South Norwood, London, a place with many famous residents past: Arthur Conan Doyle, D. H. Lawrence and most importantly Pickles the dog. Without Pickles we would have no World Cup. I exaggerate here as an Englishman, but if you Google one thing today make it Pickles please.
Recent history
Right at the beginning Palace failed to get elected to The Football League. They ended up plying their trade in the newly formed Football League Third Division however in 1920. They reached the First Division in 1968. Malcolm Allison was a huge figure for Crystal Palace in the 1970s, revising the crest, strip and laying style. Allison was flamboyant /r/soccer, he wore a fedora. In stepped Terry Venables and gave Palace a taste of success in the 80s. All this is a preamble to the glory days of Crystal Palace in the early 90s and the team a young Steve Coppell constructed. He bought Ian Wright guys. Yes, Arsenal legend Ian Wright. Yes, the player who always gets bought up in 'rags to riches' threads, well thank Coppell and Palace.
Now we focus in on Sunday April 8, 1990, an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool (think Manchester United dominance) against Palace (think plucky underdogs just beaten 9-0 by the reds in the league). A crazy match finished 3-3 and went into extra time. Palace got the goal, the scorer? One Alan Pardew. Palace eventually lost in the final to the red devils on a replay but they were heady days. Dave Bassett is a notable figure after this period and oversaw a yo-yo-like era (between Championship and Premier League). I'd rather not mention Simon Jordan who rescued the club from financial trouble only to leave them in financial trouble but there it is. In January 2010 Crystal Palace entered into administration and were rescued (sound familiar?) by CPFC 2010.
Let's talk last season. Current boss Ian Holloway took charge in November 2012. Palace, residing in the division beneath the Premier League, won Holloway's first game in charge 5-0 against Ipswich and topped the table. Threading together a fine unbeaten run, the Eagles then faltered toward the finish line and entered the 'dreaded' play-offs. A 1-0 win over Watford on the 27th May finally secured Palace's entry to the 2013/2014 Premier League.
In a nutshell: Things were better in the 90s for the glass boys, or were they?
Team legends: Ian Wright, Steve Coppell, Geoff Thomas
This season
- If you offer Holloway Premier League survival right now he'd rip your hand off. Actually he'd probably make a poor analogy about 'birds' and getting a 'cab 'ome' (he is a funny character). Palace are widely predicted to go straight back down, as the chant goes. Yet, let's look for positives. Even after the departure of bright spark Wilfried Zaha draining Palace of star attraction, Holloway has stuck to what he knows. Stephen Dobbie and Kevin Phillips are good yet rather old pros. Dwight Gayle is a 4.5 million gamble on a lower division player who has bagged a few, yet was playing non-league just a year ago. With a weak looking side and Holloway himself complaining of lacking progress in this off-season there is a worrying vibe around Selhurst Park. One ray of light may be José Campaña. A Spanish playmaker and captain of the Spanish U20s. I'm not sure even I believe that last sentence is real. But he is real, he is at Palace and he could be a thriller. That is, if he isn't charging back toward his own goal too much.
Key players
José Campaña
- Position: Attacking midfielder
- Age: 20
- Value: £2,200,000
Kevin Phillips
- Position: Striker
- Age: 40 (yes)
- Value: £225,000
Jerome Thomas
- Position: Left wing
- Age: 30
- Value: £1,800,000
The manager
- You could write a book about Holloway, historians probably will. He speaks his mind and is afraid of no one. Some may see him as a clown but they laughed at Einstein too. I'll give you my favourite Holloway clip. He is dancing to celebrate Palace's promotion. Damn, if they have this much fun it will be an awesome season for the Eagles.
Full squad list | 2013/2014 upcoming fixtures
In conclusion: predictions required!
Over to you all. I would really appreciate your contributions here. If you'd like to predict where Crystal Palace will finish the season, how they will fare against the opposition or discuss their line up etc. go for it in the comments. It will make for good reading next year when the season finishes! People have been bolding their predictions in the comments, if you want to follow that trend then please do. Also I'm sure I have messed up plenty, please correct me. You have my apology, I am doing these as a bit of fun to learn about each team as I go.
All Previews: Hull, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City, Sunderland, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Southampton, Stoke, Fulham, Norwich, West Ham, Swansea City, West Brom, Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City , Man Utd
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u/chadwini Jul 29 '13
I like the series, though it seems like instead of picking their key players you've picked out the most well known players. Difficult to say how Campana will do, same to Phillips, both due to their age.
In terms of their actual key players Mile Jedinak is huge for them. Glenn Murray (champ top scorer) will be out of pretty much the whole season, so how Dwight Gayle plays will be crucial to their season. If he can put the ball in the back of the net consistently they have a great chance of staying up.
Two young players to watch are Yannick Bolasie and Jonny Williams. Bolasie is a tricky winger who is so unconventional he's really difficult to defend against. Jonny Williams is a promising attacking mid who Palace think could be one of their best prospects in a while.
I think they have a chance of staying up but its going to be so tough. I think they'll have a very Blackpool like season. No one will really know how to play against them as they won't know any of their players, so expect some surprises in the first half of the season, with their form tailing off quite badly towards the end of the season. I have no doubt Speroni will be one of the busiest keepers in the league this season.
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Jul 29 '13
Point taken. I got a bit over excited on Phillips and Campana. I'll tweak it for future ones.
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u/wateringbrum Jul 29 '13
I really feel it'l be between Palace and Hull to finish bottom of the table. Neither club have made particularly ambitious signings... but the window is far from over. An early season thrashing may inspire Palace to make some Premier League quality signings.
Can anybody make a point as to why they think Palace will stay up? I hate to sound negative but I think they're going right back down without question. They've been linked to Carlton Cole, which would be a flat signing.
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u/Kratisto78 Jul 29 '13
I seemed to miss the first one. One recomendation is to link the previous previews. Other wise good work!
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Jul 29 '13
Though I don't see it happening, I really hope Palace are able to stay up. Great history, Ian Holloway, and that gorgeous crest.
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u/TheMonsieur Jul 29 '13
Love the fact that Julian Speroni is finally getting a real chance in the Premier League after spending so long at the club.
Also, I'm hoping Glenn Murray can continue is fine run of form into the top flight. He has a long history behind him, having played a season for the Wilmington Hammerheads in North Carolina in the U.S. third tier in 2004.
Overall, it's hard not to see Palace in the relegation fight. At a complete guess, I'd say they'll finish 19th.
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Jul 29 '13
True prediction: relegation battle but I think they'll just scrape it by a few games. I'm gonna say 15th-17th.
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u/Zlatanista Jul 29 '13
Great little summary. Can't see them staying up. Also wouldn't call Kevin Phillips a key player - doubt he'll start many games ahead of Murray and Gayle. Jedinak looks a decent player, and him and Pikachu could have a nice little midfield partnership together in the Prem.