A welcome return to writing for Jason Crame who picks up the sense of disapointment over the weekend and gives us his views …
Expectation. If you look up the definition of the word in any dictionary you will find any if not all of the following;
The act of expecting. Eager anticipation. The state of being expected. Something expected. Prospects, especially of success or gain
Every sports fan has expectations. More so in the build up to a brand new season after a long summer without their chosen sport. Success creates more expectation and that is the exactly what has happened at Selhurst Park since the play off final in May.
An expected slow start to the Premier League campaign is no different to any previous we have encountered. You have to remember that we were three weeks behind the other nineteen Premier league clubs in terms of preparation. However, this does not stop the expectations of fans and the thoughts of where the club could possibly go, the dreams are endless.
It’s good to have dreams but they can be dangerous. Detrimental perhaps and to a club like Palace that has close ties to it’s community. It is one of only a handful of clubs that actively interact with their fans, not many owners take the time to do that, they can be counted on one hand. Making themselves available through social media and football forums does not mean that they can be abused at will. It is for the latter reason why many clubs do not have such a hands on approach with their fans.
No club has a divine right to win game. You have to earn a result. You get your fair share of luck to achieve a win here and there but the majority of points in the top tier of English football will have to be achieved with blood, sweat, tears and touch of quality here and there.
Take a look at the start to last season in the Championship. The majority of fans would still agree that there was little in the way of expectation before the season started. Perhaps a glimmer of hope of finishing in the top half but the bookies had us as one of the favourites to be relegated. And that is the form we began with. We lost the first three games but after six we made a recovery of sorts to get to seven points.
Our last Premier League campaign in the 2004/2005 season we drew the opener with Norwich City and lost our next five games to leave us on one point after six games. That season we finished 18th in the table and were relegated with 33 points (7 wins, 12 draws, 19 losses).
I want to try and understand what fans expect of the club this season. I fully expect us to be relegated and with that we should not be too upset. The gap has only increased in more recent years and it is hard to compete. Even the likes of Southampton and Norwich City has spent a lot in the transfer market this summer. We were never in the position to do what Manchester City did on their return to the top flight with all the clout they had and still have behind them.
The approach this season is clear. Survive, but not at all costs. If we are to be relegated then be sensible with it as there is a distinct chance that it will happen, or at least that is my expectation. Why go chasing the dream and end up paying for it a couple of years down the line?
We have sensible owners now and while some of the signings are for here and now, when you look at others in more detail, they have the future in mind.
There is a feeling that with the amount of new faces in the squad it has diluted the team ethic and togetherness somewhat. After seeing Palace feature on the Fantasy Football Club on Sky Sports last week I beg to differ. The banter is strong even between Bannan (such a broad Scot) and Pep who could hardly put two words of English together. The Premier League has to be a different approach. It is tough place to be and there is little room for error. The new faces need to settle in and quickly. It is a learning curve but we have a manager who has been here before. He took Blackpool back down but he admits that he has learnt from that. But we see a different Holloway this season. A manager seen as an entertainer by the media and perhaps a clown by other managers. He desparately wants to be seen as a ‘proper’ manager by others and that much is evident.
So back to the word ‘expectation’. It is perhaps a cruel word but the use of it has to be realistic and within the boundaries of whatever terms you are using it in. I fear that a lot of fans this season are not being very realistic with it’s use. But that is their prerogative. I have already mentioned what my expectations were at the beginning of the season. And not much will change that as the season progresses.
At the end of the day, this is Palace and a return to the Premier League and a comfortable mid table finish just wouldn’t be us now would it …
With thanks to www.holmesdale.net for the statistics used in this article.
