Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town 
Tuesday 22nd August 2017 - 19:45
Selhurst Park
Pre Match Thoughts - Mike
Somebody pinch me please. It's been 43 years since we last won our Opening Four League games of any season but we achieved that Saturday past with victory over Brentford, it was a valiant effort from the boys in Blue who took to the field with Four Fullbacks, Four Strikers and missing our influential Captain and yet despite all this adversity they came up with the goods yet again to maintain our 100% record. I must confess when news broke of Luke Chambers injury I feared the worst, our last recognised Centre back joining the massed ranks of walking wounded did little to have me believing we could keep the winning run alive, my fears were only compounded when I saw we were going with a 4-4-2 formation containing Jonas Knudsen & Jordan Spence as our CB pairing, but how wrong could I be. It wasn't a classic by any means, it also did not see Town in the ascendancy for much of the game, but what it was was a performance of guts and determination, of sheer hard graft and a will to win when backs were to the wall, players stood up and came to the fore and got the job done. It augers well for the long haul ahead that these guys suddenly seem to have this new found belief in themselves, clearly the new signings have come in and made a big difference, our front pairing of Joey Garner & Martyn Waghorn are the names on everyone's lips and rightly so as they are banging in the goals but lets not overlook the part played by the likes of Iorfa, Spence and Downes, suddenly we seem to have accrued a winning formula. One of the things that stands out to me is the fantastic team spirit that flows through the squad right now, it is clear to see and every time we score a goal every player celebrates like it really does mean something, that has not always been the case, this bunch look to have a different mentality and will only improve the longer the season goes on.
While not wanting to go back into the doldrums of last season one cannot help but be a little bit amused by the reaction to some fans, I am privileged to be able to attend all games Home and Away and you do get to see the same old faces at many of the games, you kinda know the ones who love to get behind the boys no matter what and the ones who go and look for any reason to be down on the team, manager, owner etc etc, the same ones who boo loud when we are losing or get beaten and roll out the counter productive songs, strangely enough I saw some of these Saturday, singing Super Mick McCarthy blah blah blah, and whilst that is good and exactly what we want I could not help but get up close and personal to remind them we need this continued support when the first defeat or two comes around, while the dirty look flashed in my direction was hardly a surprise I think the point was made and a chord was struck, it is so easy to rejoice in the current place we find ourselves but when things are not going well is when the boys need us most, they are more entertaining now and are winning games, we can't win them all but we can do our job every week, lets not lose the feelgood factor that has suddenly returned to the club.
We take a break from league action for Round two of the Carabao Cup and a trip to Crystal Palace, clearly this is a massive test for us and if we do achieve Six on the bounce it will be all the more remarkable as I am certain we will go with a weakened side, much to the annoyance of saint Jude, but for me we have to, we have no choice, we just cannot afford to lose anyone else, the League has to come first, especially against a team who will be very short odds to beat us, they have lost their opening Two league games and will be desperate to taste victory. I can see the likes of Gerken, Celina, Rowe, Nydam, McDonnell all getting a start and a few of the regulars supplementing them so it can still be a decent looking team, better news is that we could even see Emyr Huws get a run out after his injury lay off, as much as I would love us to progress I will be travelling in the knowledge that it will probably be no more than a good day out and a new ground for me, but as with Brentford Saturday what do I know ? We may just pull off yet another surprise to keep this remarkable start to the season going. Incidently I opened by saying it was Forty Three years since we last won our opening Four League games of the season, that season we went on the finish Fourth and a certain Norwich City finished rock bottom, just saying. COYB'S!
The Opposition – Crystal Palace
In 1895, the Football Association had found a new permanent home for the FA Cup Final at the site of the famous Crystal Palace Exhibition building. Some years later the owners of the attraction, who were reliant on tourist activity for their income, sought fresh attractions for the venue, and decided to form their own football team to play at the Palace stadium. There had been an amateur Crystal Palace team as early as 1861, but they had disappeared from historical records around 1876. The owners of the venue wanted a professional club to play there and tap into the vast crowd potential of the area.
Crystal Palace Football Club, originally nicknamed "The Glaziers", was formed on 10 September 1905. The club applied to enter the Football League alongside another newly formed London club Chelsea. Unfortunately for Palace, it was Chelsea that were accepted and Palace found itself in the Southern League Second Division for the 1905–06 season.
Palace remained in the Southern League up until 1914, their one highlight the 1907 shock First Round victory over Newcastle United in the FA Cup.
The outbreak of the First World War led to the Admiralty requisitioning the Crystal Palace and the club was forced to move to the home of West Norwood F.C. at Herne Hill Velodrome. Three years later the club moved again to the Nest due to the folding of Croydon Common F.C. The club joined the Football League Third Division in the 1920–21 season, finishing as champions and gaining promotion to the Second Division.
Palace moved to the purpose-built stadium Selhurst Park in 1924, the ground the club plays at today.
The opening fixture at Selhurst Park was against Sheffield Wednesday, Palace losing in front of a crowd of 25,000. Finishing in twenty-first position, the club was relegated to the Third Division South.
Before the Second World War Palace made good efforts at promotion, never finishing outside the top half of the table and finishing second on three occasions.
After the war, the club were less successful in the league, their highest position being seventh, and conversely on three occasions the club had to apply for re-election. The club remained in Division Three South until 1957–58. A league reorganisation would see clubs in the bottom half of the table merge with those in the bottom half of Division Three North to form a new Fourth Division. Palace finished fourteenth – just below the cut – and found itself in the basement of English football.
Their stay proved brief. New chairman Arthur Wait appointed Arthur Rowe as manager, and the 1960–61 season saw Palace gain promotion. Although Rowe then stepped down for health reasons towards the end of 1962, the promotion proved a turning point in the club's history. d*ck Graham and then Bert Head guided the club to successive promotions in 1963–64 and 1968–69, taking the club through the Second Division and into the heights of the First Division.
Palace stayed in the top flight from 1969 until 1973, but then experienced great disappointment. Under the management of Malcolm Allison the club was relegated in consecutive seasons, finding itself back in Division Three for the 1974–75 season. It was under Allison that the club became nicknamed "The Eagles" and they enjoyed a run to the semi-final of the 1975-76 FA Cup, beating Leeds and Chelsea along the way.
Allison was sacked at the end of the 1975–76 campaign, and it was under Terry Venables' management that Palace were promoted in 1976–77 and again in 1978–79, the latter saw the club crowned as Division Two champions. That team from 1979 was dubbed " The team of the Eighties" and were briefly top of the whole Football League in the early part of the 1979–80 season, before financial difficulties suffered by the club caused the break up of that talented side, and this ultimately led to the club being unable to maintain their position in the top tier. They were relegated from the First Division in 1980–81, coinciding with Ron Noades takeover of the club.
On 4 June 1984, former Manchester United player Steve Coppell who had recently retired from the game due to injury was appointed as manager, and it was under his stewardship and rebuilding that the club achieved promotion via the play-offs back to the First Division in 1988–89.
The club followed this up by reaching the 1990 FA Cup Final, drawing 3–3 with Manchester United in the first match but losing the replay 1–0.
The club built on the success of the previous season in 1990–91 by achieving its highest league finish of third place in the top tier. Palace were denied a European place at the end of that season due to the partial UEFA ban on English clubs caused by the Heysel Stadium disaster.
The following season the club found itself relegated with a total of 49 points, which is still a Premier League record for a relegated club.
Steve Coppell resigned and Alan Smith, his assistant at the club, took over. His first season saw the club win the First Division title and gain promotion back to the Premier League.
Alan Smith guided the club to the semi finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup, but league form was a concern and Palace once again found itself relegated, finishing fourth from bottom as the Premier League reduced from 22 to 20 clubs.
The following season saw Coppell take charge as first-team manager when Dave Bassett departed for Nottingham Forest in early 1997. The club was successful in the play-offs at the second time of asking when they defeated Sheffield United in the final at Wembley.
This stay in the Premier League was no more successful than the previous two, and in true yo-yo club fashion the club was relegated back to the First Division for the 1998–99 season.
Palace then went into administration in 1999, when owner Mark Goldberg was unable to sustain his financial backing of the club. The club emerged from administration under the ownership of Simon Jordan.
Steve Bruce was appointed manager for the 2001–02 season. A good start to the season gave Palace hope for a promotion challenge, but Bruce attempted to walk out on the club after just four months at the helm to take charge of Birmingham City. After a short spell on 'gardening leave', Bruce was eventually allowed to join Birmingham, succeeded by Trevor Francis, who had ironically been his predecessor at the Midlands club.
Under Francis, Palace finished mid-table for two successive seasons, and Francis leftto be replaced by long-serving coach Steve Kember. Kember guided Palace to victories in their opening three games of the 2003–04 First Division campaign, which put Palace at the top of the table, but he was sacked in November after a terrible loss of form saw the team slip towards the relegation zone. Iain Dowie was appointed manager and guided the club to the play-offs, securing promotion with a 1–0 victory over West Ham. Again Palace could not maintain their footing in the top tier and were relegated on the last day of the season after drawing at local rivals Charlton Athletic.
Following that relegation, Simon Jordan was unable to put the club on a sound financial footing in the next few years, and in January 2010 the club was once again placed in administration, this time by a creditor.
During the close season CPFC 2010, a consortium consisting of several wealthy fans successfully negotiated the purchase of the club.
The consortium swiftly installed George Burley as the Eagles' new manager. However a poor start to the season saw the club hovering around the bottom of the table by December and Burley was sacked and his assistant Dougie Freedman named caretaker manager.
After another year and a half as manager, Freedman departed to manage Bolton Wanderers on 23 October 2012.
In November 2012, Ian Holloway became the club's manager. He guided Palace back to the Premier League after an 8-year absence by defeating Watford 1–0 in the Championship Play-Off Final at the new Wembley.
On 23 October 2013, Holloway left his post as manager on mutual consent terms. On 23 November 2013, former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis was confirmed as the new manager of Crystal Palace. On 19 April 2014, Crystal Palace ensured they were mathematically safe from relegation from the Premier League for the first time in five attempts.
Pulis resigned on 14 August 2014, just two days before the start of the 2014–15 season and was replaced by Neil Warnock who returned to the club for a second spell as manager. However, Warnock was sacked by the club at Christmas after a poor run of results. On 2 January 2015, former Palace player Alan Pardew was confirmed as the new manager, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with the club.
On 22 December 2016, Pardew was sacked by the club for its poor run of results in the start of the 2016–17 campaign. On 23 December 2016, Sam Allardyce was appointed as the new manager of the club under a two and a half year contract with immediate effect.
Palace secured their survival in emphatic style, though, with a 4-0 victory over Hull City on 14 May 2017, their last home game of the season. Allardyce resigned unexpectedly at the end of the season, citing a wish to spend time away from the game.
On 26 June 2017, Palace appointed their first ever foreign manager on a permanent basis when Frank de Boer signed a three-year contract with the club.
The Manager – Frank de Boer
Past Match Video - Trev
Let’s hope palace defend like this again!
Media Watch – K L Blue
U15's
https://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/32122
Cole Skuse on the strikers
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... -1-5155955
North Stander's View, Do you agree?
http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town ... -1-5156258
Form Guide
Crystal Palace Last 5 Matches
Liverpool FC 1-0 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace 0-3 Huddersfield
Crystal Palace 1-1 Schalke 04
FC Metz 1-1 Crystal Palace
West Bromwich 0-2 Crystal Palace
Ipswich Last 5 Matches
Ipswich Town 2-0 Brentford FC
Millwall FC 3-4 Ipswich Town
Barnsley 1-2 Ipswich Town
Luton Town 0-2 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town 1-0 Birmingham City
Match Referee – Andy Davies
CRYSTAL PALACE 2 IPSWICH TOWN 1
Was it, "You! Aye you ya bawbag! Just remember this sh*t when we get beat! AYE! Am talkin tae you!!" 
Keep up the excellent work chaps. 
