Another weekend and another loss which is now becoming quite alarming to say the least as we are currently in free-fall with games running out.
A couple of weeks ago I was not too worried about the threat of relegation, but now with our current predicament the possibility of playing in the Championship next season could become reality.
In saying that, we still have a little bit of a cushion over Norwich City, but it will by no means be enough come the end of the season.
Our next two games are against West Ham United and our East Anglian friends, and if we do not win against the Hammers then the game against Alex Neil’s side becomes the biggest of the season. Bigger than our impending FA Cup semi final against Watford.
Last weekend we lost to title-chasing Leicester City by the one goal which was a shame. I did not catch the match in full as I was away in Ireland, but it seems from the reaction that we were not at the races in the first half, which yet again cost us.
All too often we have been slightly off the boil in the first period of matches, and when we improve in the second half we have either left ourselves too much to do or the other team we are facing know how to defend. This was the case against Claudio Ranieri’s men.
I do not want to go into the match last weekend as I do not have enough information to properly judge our performance. What I want to do is to see what constitutes as a successful season this year.
Since Christmas our league form has been atrocious, we have not won in the league. The only saving grace has been our journey in the FA Cup which takes another step at the end of April.
We do not want our club to be remembered as the one that won the FA Cup and then got relegated from the Premier League. It would be a hard pill to swallow given the quality of our team.
Let us be honest here, out of the clubs that are facing relegation (it pains me to talk about relegation when Palace are involved) we certainly have the better squad. The only one that rivals us is Newcastle United but given their quality they never seem to be able to get a side to function properly. Maybe that is because of the deep rooted problems at St James Park.
We are certainly better than Villa, although they did beat us at Villa Park! It looks like they will be down sooner rather than later. So that leaves Sunderland and Norwich City who are decent sides, but probably do not quite possess the creative flair as we do with Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha.
However, we could have all the creative flair in the world and if they are not producing what can you do? Just look at the Chelsea squad this season and what a roller-coaster they have been on.
If it did come down to a straight shoot-out between ourselves and the three other clubs I would back Palace to draw on some inspiration to get us out of the hole we are currently find ourselves in. On the flip side of the coin, we could potentially win the FA Cup this season, and then the players would go down in history. Then, if we go down, it will certainly take the gloss of anything we might achieve by doing so.
I do not want our club to be labelled like Wigan Athletic were, a side which heroically beat Manchester City to win the cup and then a couple of days later succumb to defeat in the Premier League by getting relegated to the Championship.
Just take a look where they are now. Who is to say Palace will not end up like the Latics?
It is imperative we stay in the Premier League this year. We have just recently got new investment and with the television money that will be coming in the summer we could really create a squad that will be able to withstand the rigors of English domestic football.
At the start of the season we thought we had terrific squad depth but now we are seeing that we had a tinted view on proceedings. When everyone is fit, our first team squad is very capable but when injuries hit, like they have done this season, we have struggled.
Far from wanting to too downbeat, but I felt it necessary to take an in-depth look at our current situation. I do not believe that we will be relegated but I know other fans might not like this. I firmly believe that we are too good to go down and there are worse teams than us. We just need to put together a little run.
Well, try to enjoy Easter and forget the trials and tribulations we go through as Palace fans, and in the wise words of Bob Marley –
‘Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing gonna to be all right’
