Palace finally stopped the rot this past week by beating Norwich City in what was a huge game and followed that up on Wednesday evening by picking up another point which has virtually guaranteed safety for another season.
The game against the Canaries was arguably our biggest game of the season to date and despite the game being cagey with chances few and far between, Jason Puncheon’s expertly taken goal was the difference.
As for the Everton game, that is one where we probably should have won, given they had ten men for the majority of the second half. As we saw against Liverpool, it was in fact the visitors that caused more problems when they went a man down. It was only in the last twenty minutes that we began to force the issue.
In the Premier League you have to take advantage of moments like that and for Palace this season far too often they have failed to capitalise on such moments like the one Everton presented the other night.
It has been a long time since Palace fans have celebrated a league win, to be precise it was fourteen long games without a win in the top flight. The win over Norwich has significantly changed the tune at the club and also among supporters which is always a good thing.
This season has not really gone to plan in the league. At the start many were tipping Palace for a European place or at least we were tipping ourselves to give the likes of Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur a right good go. However, as we have seen this season, it has not been the norm. I was one of many who thought we had a good chance of finishing inside the top eight or higher.
When I looked at our squad at the beginning of the year, it was one that when all fit, could cause teams problems. We have caused teams problems on occasions this year, but we have not done it enough.
Then when the injuries started to hit over the Christmas period, we all saw that the squad depth we thought we had at the start of the season was simply not there. Cue that dreadful run of games.
You cannot legislate for injuries, you just never know when they are going to come in a season. One thing is for certain, you will get injuries throughout the course of a season but it has been a season like no other in that respect. We seem to pick up one every week.
Everyone will have their say on what went wrong during the win-less run but it is imperative that the board and Alan Pardew sit down over the summer to discuss where we need to improve.
We are not a million miles away from challenging for European places. We need two or three top quality signings to push the team on and with the new investment that could be possible this summer.
When I look at our current situation, it frustrates me as we have a lot more quality than the teams below us, and even the teams above us. In an ideal world we should be around mid-table looking to push the teams in seventh and eighth for their spot. That is football I guess.
This summer is a really important. If Palace get it right we could take the club onto the next level, Get it wrong we could be looking at a similar season to this one. Or worse.
For the now, we look forward to the rest of season with more confidence that we can find the wins that can push us higher up the table. If we manage to lift the FA Cup in May, that would legislate for a very successful season in my eyes.
As with any club, there is room for improvement and that is exactly what Palace have to do. Improve.
