Palace fans, rejoice!
We have picked up our first three points of the year!
You have no idea how relieved I am to write those words after months of telling you not to panic, to be reassured and not to worry, we finally did it. I was getting a little worried that we might throw in the towel and give up after making all those promises to you that we would get a win ‘very soon’.
It is a difficult thing to say, but it is still telling that we got that win against a poor, relegation threatened Norwich City side, and the fact they were beaten by Sunderland 3-0 when we only managed one is not great. However, a win is a win, and it has given me a huge lift. We have a tough run in, and those three points could be the difference between relegation and survival.
We are not quite as safe as I would like however, with Sunderland and Newcastle United both picking up convincing wins, it has reduced the gap to eight points, and whilst you might think that could be enough, stranger things have happened, especially to Palace. I know what our luck is like. We start seeing the silver lining before it clouds over and rains for years on end.
As we approach the end of the season, I begin to reflect on our star performers, and then the players who have been a little bit of a disappointment. Or the flops to be more direct. I wish to share this with you and also gain your opinion on who you think the stars are, and who you think is not pulling their weight.
I start with our goalkeeping situation, as I was really excited by Alex McCarthy’s first few performances for Palace. He seemed to command his area very well and have good confidence handling the ball. Then one mistake cost him his place, and a very solid Wayne Hennessey took his chance with aplomb. Despite some shaky performances this year, Wayne has fended off his competition (a difficult task when up against fan favourite Julian Speroni), and I think has done a thoroughly decent job. I still miss Speroni and he will always be a hero to me, but Wayne has stepped up to the plate and done the business. He goes into the stars.
In defence, I think we can throw Scott Dann and Damien Delaney into the stars. Two players who work hard for ninety minutes, do not really take the plaudits or get any attention, but just do a great job. Delaney is starting to show his age, but despite what I thought would be an inability to hold a starting place this year, he has shown he has still got it.
I am torn with Joel Ward, he always does a good job, but despite some key goals, he has not shined as much as he did in previous years. Still, he is great, I love him so he can go with the stars, those goals were crucial after all, right?
What of Pape Souare? I have never seen a defender not defend as much as Souare. Some of his performances have been fantastically exciting as he takes the ball up the wing, with three other bemused defenders trying to seal the gaps he left. I do not care that he does not defend, I love his confidence and trickery. He is definitely a Palace player, and for that, he is in the stars.
In midfield we have a mixed bag of rugged toughness in Mile Jedinak, James McCarthur and Yohan Cabaye. Pace and trickery in Wilfried Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon. All of these guys epitomise the ethos of Palace, Jedinak especially. They may not be the best player on the pitch compared to the opposition, but the work ethic and dedication more than makes up for it.
Puncheon can get crucial goals, Yannick and Wilf are as unpredictable as the British weather, Cabaye can amaze and disappoint in equal measure, whilst McCarthur just sits in and puts in a shift every time. All these guys deserve a place in the stars for me.
Finally, our strikers. A bit of a sore point this season with a meager goal total and not much else to show for their performances. It is telling, that one of our top scorers is a centre back. You have to think these guys are the ones filling flops bench. Well you are wrong.
Our strikers, mainly Dwight Gayle and Connor Wickham as well as Frazier Campbell (glossing over Emmanuel Adebayor as he has been a genuine disappointment), have always tried, they have come up with some important goals, and they will run for everything they can, even if they probably are not going to succeed. For me it does not matter that the goals they have not scored have probably cost us a few places in the league. If you genuinely try to do your best, that is what matters. They are in the stars.
And here is the thing. It does not matter really, how our season pans out. The majority of these guys I have mentioned above always try their best, they are all stars. Sure, the results have not all been great, but it would be wrong to criticise the effort and commitment of the squad. You can sense there is a real togetherness among them, and as long as we play as a team, and we show commitment to the club, and the fans, then quite frankly, that is good enough for me.
Whatever happens Palace fans, remember, it could always be worse!
