One period of administration is bad enough. A second in the space of ten years is unthinkable. But this is exactly what my club faced.
It was March 1999 when the first period of administration fell upon us. The ill-fated Goldberg tenure at the club came to an expensive end. An inexperienced owner that completely mismanaged the club with the flood of expensive signings and bringing in former manager Terry Venables. The club was losing money hand over fist and it simple was not sustainable. Something just had to give and it did. Goldberg had put the club on the brink and could no longer afford the players so a fire sale begun but administration would not be avoided.
With the distinct possibility of relegation adding insult to injury Steve Coppell returned to the club and with a young squad performed miracles to keep Palace up. Soon to follow was new owner Simon Jordan who saved the club from folding and invested his hard earned fortunes into the club from SE25. But the club went a similar way and ten years later Jordan left the club in administration after losing millions. He had his critics it seems that he ran the club more with his heart than his head. No person would purposely throw away a lot of their own personal fortune but that is what he did. Bring back Ron Noades, all was forgiven.
This second period of administration was arguably worse than the first. The club were in a lot more damning position with no real interest of a taker. The first time was simply an inexperienced owner chasing the dream and the club ended up being caught up in a whirlwind. The thought of our alleged saviour Jordan leading us to the very same cliff was extremely hard to take.
The news arrived in January 2010 but we had known it was heading that way for a while before that. The news just got worse and worse as time went on. A couple of interested parties but nothing concrete. And it was clear that it effected the team as a result. A win in our home game against West Brom in the penultimate game of the season would have secured our Championship status. But no, it was not to be that easy. A trip to Hillsborough on the final Sunday. It was all to play for. The losing team would be relegated to League One. We needed just a point but Sheffield Wednesday needed the win. Every Palace player was a hero that day and played out a nervous 2-2 draw. But that was not the only fight we were to face even though the season was done and dusted.
The future of the club was at stake and the comments from the administrator Brendan Guilfoyle were bleak to say the least. It was an extremely nervy time and no-one was even contemplating football. This was much more than that. The future of our club, if indeed there was to even be one. It all came down to one day. A meeting in the City to determine whether Crystal Palace would continue to exist. Nerves were frayed and nails chewed down. An anonymous consortium was the only hope. Fans marched to the City to campaign that the decision was the right one and stood firm outside the offices that were holding the meeting. They were loud to say the least and I like to think that while our support has always been good this day was a turning point which has grown into what we see and experience now.
Every Palace fan was sick with nerves. Everyone connected with the club eagerly waited for the outcome. Questions were being asked of fans about the club they loved. What would they do? Suggestions of supporting another club were obscene. Unthinkable. But the news broke. The meeting had ended. The consortium CPFC2010 had agreed, in principle, to take on the club. The combined sigh of relief from SE25 and beyond was evident. Tears were shed as the club were a breath away from no longer existing.
This time it was not just the one saviour, it was four that made up the consortium all of which local businessmen and Palace fans at heart. They took control of the club and have made it their own and what we see now. A sensible approach to both the now and the future. They have a connection with the fans that no other owners appear to have. They are very open to what they are doing and what they want to do. Never have we had such faith in such people. It has been hard to trust in the past as our history will suggest. But now it is time to allow that as CPFC2010 have nailed their colours to the mast and the Palace flag is flying higher than ever. Who can have for-seen what was to come. From a relegation play-off game in 2010 and near extinction to a play of final and a season in the Premier League in around three years. Dreams really do come true.
We have a lot to thank a lot of people for. Players management and staff are the obvious ones. But those that make up CPFC2010 have taken a gamble that has paid off big time. It is them that we fans are thankful for and long may their rein at Selhurst continue. Some say that there is rarely time for sentiment in the game but I disagree. One club, one love. We have become one.
