Well check us out, second in the league and without a care in the world. What on earth is going on?
Should Tuesday not have seen some kind of blind panic? A questionable last minute signing of a player well past his prime? No you say? What a time to be alive.
For the first time in a long time we have enjoyed a fairly blissful summer transfer window. We have invested well and not really broken the bank in doing so. It seems we have finally got a good transfer structure in place. This is a massive positive for moving the club forward.
My only minor, and I mean minor, grumble was that we did not invest in another top quality centre back. At present Scott Dann and Damian Delaney or ‘DoubleD‘ as I like to call them, are doing a sterling job at the back. If injury should befall one of them, we could well be in a spot of bother.
In all honesty, I thought we would be looking to replace Delaney over the summer. I was not convinced with him at times last season. This season he seems to have entered a new level of beast mode and is playing a blinder. Credit where credit is due. Long may the ‘DoubleD‘ partnership flourish.
So on the whole a top banana transfer window. Oh, wait. There was one bad thing. One horrible thing. One could say heartbreaking.
We need to talk about that man Glenn Murray.
The only thing casting a shadow over a seamless window was the departure of fans favorite Murray. He was one of my favorite Palace players. A natural finisher, a massive presence up front. Without his goals we would not be in the position we currently find ourselves. That is a cast iron fact. His goals fired us up the league.
I felt sick to the stomach when he suffered the knee injury against Brighton in the play-offs. It was gutting that a player that gave so much to get us there, missed out on a Wembley final and most of our first season back in the top flight.
It was equally as heartbreaking seeing him thrown out to Reading on loan last season, just when you thought he might get a crack in the team. When he came back, many (including myself), questioned if he could cut the mustard regularly in the top flight. Not only did he cut the mustard, he threw the jar and created havoc for opposition teams in the second half of the season.
Even with all the questions being raised about his future, I knew that in my heart of hearts Murray needed to move away from Palace. A regular spot would not have been guaranteed this season and age is sadly not on his side.
The move suits all parties. He leaves Palace with ‘legendary‘ status and a place in all of our hearts. I wish him well at Bournemouth and I hope his goals can help them stay in the Premier League. Above all else, I really really hope he does not score against us when he comes back. That would be just rubbish.
So are we on the up? It looks that way. It is weird though is it not? Weird in a good way I guess. It is not very Palace. We beat Chelsea in their own manor last week and when we play Manchester City next weekend it will be a top of the table clash. Imagine that!
I suppose we should not get too carried away, it is still really early in the season and we are bound to do something silly. Oh go on then, let us get carried away. Just a little bit … WE’RE GOING TO WIN THE LEAGUE!
C’MON YOU PALACE!
