We’re all looking three ways at once. In front of our eyes, another World Cup story is evolving, and who knows if England can bring football home? Ever? Or just maybe, could be ….. next week?
Back with our feet on the ground, we’re all looking forward to the new season, and very especially, after the last 15 months in the life of Crystal Palace fans, it’s comforting to look back at the same time.
Looking back
One year ago, this column’s monthly article published on July 13th, 2025, and our crystal balls for once delivered the future with 100% accuracy: “UEFA award Crystal Palace the opportunity to win the European Conference League”.
That was our headline. It felt like an impossible dream at the time, even when viewed through red and blue giggle goggles. Even when the bookies already somehow saw us as favourites.
Twelve months ago, all eyes were firmly fixed on Europe, and Palace fans were feeling incensed about a gut punch delivered by Nottingham Forest. Nice fans, shame about the owner.
But here’s a question – was there a single crystal ball anywhere that foretold this year’s summer gut punch would again be delivered by the same club?
Not much changes after all! A year ago, it seemed obvious that by far the most successful manager in our history was already planning ahead and determined to move on from Selhurst this summer, no matter what – but that his move would be up.
AC Milan? Or an even bigger club? Never in our most disturbing dreams could any Palace fan envisage Oliver Glasner, our smiling hero, would return to walk that walk back to a Selhurst dugout in charge of a club that’s won nothing for over 35 years. This feels even worse than Bruce and Dowie.
A bad taste
Not that club again. Not him again. Not our Ollie, really? Sitting on the knee of the one Greek who comes bearing anything but gifts?
Still, facts are facts. The Glasner journey is over, and boy, did he put a full stop to that story by joining Nottingham Forest? We all have our own views about our most recent manager, but I cannot fail to mention to his credit that only seven coaches have won two European trophies since 2010 and that list has some legendary names, including Ancelotti, Emery, Guardiola, Mourinho, Simeone and Zidane. Now Glasner.
He’s a coach of the highest quality plus he has the highest prickle value in the Premier League. As any reader of this column knows, we expressed concerns at various times, but Glasner is a winner, he made Palace winners, and this can never be forgotten.
Now we’re all thinking about 3pm on October 10th. No doubt TV will change that date, or time, or both. This one will be too tasty for any armchair footy fan to miss. But when it happens, remember;
Even if loathing feels lovely, hatred isn’t healthy.
Now, if we can just see past the sickening prospect of Glasner and his excellent coaches in their metal underpants striding to our halfway line, can we focus on looking back and looking forward?
A trophy cabinet bursting with three honours that every club in England would be proud to win. All in little more than a year. Now we finally get our chance to win the Europa League. And we all know at least that club that won’t be there.
Wins and Losses
Between seasons is a time to count our wins, count our losses, and contemplate the prospects for the season ahead.
Another wander around Europe beckons. We all loved the journey that ended in Leipzig, lifting our first European trophy on the final night of the Austrian’s Crystal Palace career.
Since July a year ago, however, it’s only realistic to acknowledge that we’ve lost a lot, not just that man now sitting on the knee of that owner.
We lost Eze, Guehi, two key departers from the back office, and it looks like we might well lose Lacroix and Mateta. Many of us would probably be happy if Jefferson Lerma stays after all. Meanwhile, clickbait is trying its hardest to persuade us Adam Wharton is on his way.
The only thing we can hope with seven weeks to go in this window is that none of these Palace faces will be washing up next on the banks of the River Trent. Now, that would be uncomfortable.
Bye Billionaires?
As we catalogue the losses, today we also find the majority of the shares in the club Crystal Palace Football Club, European champions, up for sale. So it looks like we’ve lost three billionaires too. That sounds careless, so we must all hope that Steve planned the mass departure …. although one nagging question does keep popping up.
Are they pressing the exit button because they see what’s coming next? What could that be? The main stand is a glaring, glowing pimple in that story.
Viewed through the richest eyes in the Palace fanbase, it may be true to say the billionaires all had a good run at Palace that might not continue.
The two who’ve been here ten years no doubt enjoyed the business benefits of the contacts that come from helicopter hobnobbing with the Premier League big wigs and their hangers on.
Plus, the American duo whose money was just enough to give us Benteke, Townsend and Tomkins now see their shareholdings independently valued together at £450 million. Nine-fold increase in ten years. Nice ride through South London.
And then there’s Woody, who by selling now, would enjoy a tall lift in a short time in the value of his shares.
My firm bet is that you’ll never see any of the three ever again sign up for a voting structure that removes the power they thought their money had bought.
Steve Still in Control?
For there sits Steve with his unique ownership structure where others own the shares but he keeps control. It’s where you have to love the short controller, juggling balls 24/7 in the interests of Crystal Palace and its supporters.
When trying to imagine the challenges he faces and what keeps him up at night, this must be said. The balls he juggles these days are bigger, there are more of them, and they’ve never been so valuable.
It’s more than most of us can do to manage the family budget, so goodness knows how Steve copes with his load. But how can we know? The Palace Chairman rarely shares his feelings.
Silent Steve can be annoying, he knows that. But at least we all know where his heart is. Cut him, and he’s guaranteed to bleed red and blue.
Not only has Steve built us a little trophy cabinet – and filled it to bursting – but he’s hired a new head coach, and he does keep bringing us all goodies to enjoy.
The latest, of course, is persuading Daichi Kamada to stay another season. The first few months of the midfielder’s Selhurst career were a tad sketchy, but he’s in a purple patch of his own right now. A star at Selhurst, and a living goal-grabbing legend in his own land, 6,000 miles away.
Clearly Kamada had been a disciple of our last head coach, following him from Frankfurt to London. But a switch to Nottingham turned out to be a step too far for this clever operator. Well played.
Keeping Kamada feels like a big win. And what about the potential stars in Canvot and Pino?Both feel like they have an exciting ride ahead. The Frenchman has enjoyed a full rest this summer. Sadly, the luck of the latter hasn’t yet improved, and the Spaniard’s World Cup injury will no doubt leave him disappointed and hopefully even more eager to succeed at Selhurst.
Transfer News
Steve also likes a nice jump in transfer values, and the World Cup has not let him or us down. The whole planet has now seen Muñoz and Sarr for the terrific players we know them to be. The goalscoring full back and the goalscoring lone striker, a position we’ve hardly ever seen him play in Palace colours. Two more wins we could not have seen coming a month ago, but we all hope neither one will now leave us. These two ooze the skills and attitudes we all love to see.
Compared to this time last year, Transfermarkt tells us some transfer values have skyrocketed – notably Wharton, Lacroix, Richards and Henderson – although some have plummeted, not least long-term injury victims Doucoure and Nketiah. If these two come back fit, the squad will feel like it has two new signings. And still we have Strand Larsen and Johnson both longing to deliver the goods after expensive transfers.
Transfer values take us on to new and expiring contracts. Players with one year left as we embark on the new season include Mitchell, Richards, Mateta, Devenny, Hughes, Lerma, Rak-Sakyi, Ozoh and of course Kamada. Plenty for Steve to ponder on there.
New Face in the Dugout
At the centre of it all, we also have a new head coach to look forward to. There’s no doubt Pierre Sage, the latest arrival on the hot seat in the Stevie Coppell Memorial Bathroom, has his hands full too.
It will be interesting to see how the new coach operates. It feels good that he will use the same 3-4-2-1 system, albeit his own version. It will also be fascinating to see how he uses the squad he has when the transfer window shuts.
As we all know, Glasner operated with a very tight group. But, with a minimum 48-game season ahead including lots of Thursday/Sunday match weeks thrown in, use of the squad will be important. Even with the new season only six weeks away, several slots remain to be filled.
Rebuilding the Squad
The first of those has just arrived – Óscar Mingueza, at Steve’s favourite price – a free transfer from Celta Vigo. A defender who can switch happily between right back and centre back, he might be especially valuable if Lacroix or Munoz or both leave.
Scanning clickbait for transfer activity has so far proved largely pointless, as no money incomings or outgoings have yet become reality.
It will also be interesting to see how the returning loan army are treated, especially Danny Imray, David Ozoh, Romain Esse, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Matheus Franca.
The Europa League will be a real step up, a huge challenge for us all facing clubs like Benfica, Anderlecht, Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad, Marseille, AC Milan, Hoffenheim, and of course, Bournemouth and Sunderland. Not forgetting our friends at AZ Alkmaar and Dinamo Kyiv.
Thank you Steve
At the centre of it all is Steve Parish, keeping more spinning plates going than ever before. No doubt he is glowing following a season that produced the third best financial result in the Premier League behind only Liverpool and Bournemouth.
And Steve will be taking particular pride in our 15th consecutive Premier league season – only seven clubs have not been relegated since we got there. The big six and Crystal Palace.
Hoping you enjoy your birthday, Steve; 61 on the 18th.
Please remember
This is nothing more than one man’s view. After the World Cup red card controversy, and the inaugural FIFA peace prize, the men who run world football are probably now welcoming nominations for the 2026 version.
As it’s evidently not necessary to make peace in the same year as you win the prize, my nominations would include Vinnie Jones, Denis Wise, Joey Barton, Kevin Muscat, Sergio Ramos and Billy Bremner.
