The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a famous novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Stay with me …
First published in 1886, the work is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. The book had a lasting impact on common language, with the phrase ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ referring to a person who is vastly different in character from one situation to the next.
The phrase could easily be used to describe the 2015/16 season for Crystal Palace. A character in the first half of the season that was beating all comers and having the audacity to challenge the top five while a complete opposite in the second half, only winning once in the league since the turn of the year.
One saving grace, which Alan Pardew will no doubt be thankful for, is the FA Cup run that has seen the Eagles reach their first FA Cup final for twenty-six years.
While there was unbridled joy at Wembley after beating Watford in the semi-final, Palace are still not mathematically safe from the drop and while it would take an extraordinary series of events the chance, however small, remains. The memory of the 1994/95 season still haunts us after being relegated from the top division even though Palace achieved forty-five points and finished fourth from bottom out of twenty-two teams. That was a season when an unexpected team won the title. Sound familiar?
It has been quite an odd feeling this second half of the season. Perhaps there was an element of over-achieving in that first half which provided us fans with an increased level of expectation. There were some truly terrific performances, none more so than the win away at Chelsea regardless of their demise this season.
You can blame Pardew, the players, injuries or form for the terrible run, just take your pick, but we can be thankful that our early season form was so good that it has stood us in good stead. However, there is no denying that it is relegation form and you have to think that Pardew cannot experience anything of the like again in the future if he is to retain his position at the club.
The month of April has been relatively kind with a brief resurgence seeing one league loss in five before the victory at Wembley. That should be enough to see us across the line even after the disappointing loss at Newcastle.
There is a view that the successful cup run has kept Pardew in his job and papered over the cracks. What is odd that Palace have beaten four Premier League teams on the road to Wembley but have simply not been able to convert that form into the league. This has caused plenty of head scratching as to why that could be. Perhaps the early season form meant that the club could afford a real focus on the cup. It is hard to imagine that has been the case but I am sure if we all knew why the league form has dropped off then Pardew would do to.
This is far from a negative article. The club is in its healthiest position is has been since I have known it. The future is bright for the South London club, that I am convinced. While there are those fans questioning the the position of Pardew, for me he has done enough to warrant a summer and at least the first ten games of next season, maybe more.
At the end of the day, football is football. No game is easy and runs of form come and go. There are comparisions with clubs that Pardew has managed before, god only knows we have that rammed down our throats by Newcastle United fans since Pardew joined us.
I want our former player to be given time to succeed. Nothing rarely comes of changing the management team on a regular basis. We have witnessed quick fixes in the past and perhaps we have been lucky with one or two of those.
The questions over form will continue but in the club have only gone and got themselves to an FA Cup final!
There is no doubt that the Palace faithful will create something similar to that experienced at the semi-final. This is a moment to be enjoyed. I was lucky enough to experience the 1990 run to the final including the two games at Wembley. Being so close to winning the trophy left many including myself in complete despair but one moment last weekend really made me think how huge it is for a club like Palace to reach the final once again. After the final whistle blew, my father turned to me and said ‘I never thought I’d see Palace in the cup final again in my lifetime’. That just says everything to me.
While there will be thousands of United fans travelling to Wembley for yet another cup final, and there will be many more for them no doubt, it will be a very special day for Palace and us fans. We do not experience the like often like some of the top sides in the Premier League. It will be only the second time in over 110 years the club has been in existence. We will be making the most of it, that much is for sure.
This week sees the anniversary of THAT game at Hillsborough. Six years ago, a group of maverick players at a club in an awful mess had to avoid defeat. They managed a hard fought draw against a Sheffield Wednesday side that went down into League One as a result.
While we have been on a quite incredible journey this past ten years or so, whatever happens in the future, we must never ever lose our identity by forgetting where we came from.
