Crystal Palace Football Club.
Four words that strike up such emotion and passion among a select group of people in South East London, others dotted across various parts of the UK and indeed, the rest of the world.
Four words that, for some time now, are the definition of unpredictability, whether that be the players on the pitch, the manager on the sidelines or our position in the league table.
An icon of instability, the epitome of frustration, Crystal Palace Football Club, four words you have to love, because otherwise you want to break down in complete rage, tearing your hair out at why our club seemingly operates with such ineptitude.
It is true, that as a Palace fan of numerous years, I should by now be used to these foibles in what is an otherwise excellent footballing side. However, nothing comes close to the disappointment of losing to mid-table mediocrity West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the season, after the excitement and anticipation of pre-season. It happens every year, and unfortunately, the pain seemingly gets worse each time.
I would not mind so much if we had put in a good performance, however, it was seemingly as shoddy as usual. Wilfried Zaha missing a golden opportunity, pretty much our only clear opportunity, and a typical smash and grab Tony Pulis performance has condemned us to a first defeat of the season. One of many, you might imagine. Naturally, we will be told not to dwell on it by Alan Pardew, so I will not. I have much better things to talk about.
All the talk in the build-up to this season has been based around Leicester City and their attempts to retain the title. That as well as their biggest fan presenting Match Of The Day in his underpants.
We got a taster of their title defence, and the pants, and for Leicester that taste was deeply unpleasant. A little like reheated brussel sprouts on Boxing Day, as they lost to recently promoted, manager-less, injury stricken Hull City. That was the first shock of the season, with Hull putting in a really top performance, and condemning the champions to their first defeat of what could be a difficult season for them. More interestingly for Mr Lineker, it also meant discussing that loss in his undergarments, hardly the most pleasant experience of his illustrious career.
Other big talking points this year have been the scale and sheer value of the incoming and inter club transfers in the Premier League. The new television deal has given clubs vast sums of money to splash out on top quality players with top dollar salaries. It is concerning though, that financing in the lower leagues has not increased at the same rate, meaning relegation, which is not out of the question for Palace, could financially cripple any club that cannot offload high earners.
This would be a serious problem for Palace who, in Yohan Cabaye, Steve Mandanda and potentially Christian Benteke, would have a quarter of a million pounds a week just in salary. Adding other players into the mix that adds up to nearly half a million pounds a week in wages. Five years ago all our first team players earned in total less than the reported weekly salary offered to Benteke.
Some could call that progress. I call it concerning, not least as the Premier League is accelerating far faster than all major world football leagues, including Major League Soccer and the Chinese Super League which have both experienced incredible growth in recent years.
Moving back to Palace, and it was disappointing to see that Sullay KaiKai once again left out of the entire match day squad for the game against West Brom. It begs the question, what has the lad got to do to earn a place in the starting lineup? His performances in pre-season have been excellent, so lord knows why he is relegated to the stands for matches that actually matter. I just hope he does not go out on loan again, we need players like him, with ambition, in our squad.
Looking forward, our next fixture against Spurs is going to be a crucial game. Not least because we need the points, but also to comprehend what sort of season we are likely to have. If we are to be in a relegation battle, I want to know sooner rather than later, however, it would be nice to have a season of stability, one of consistent performances, and a positive collection of well earned results.
However, my experience as a Palace fan tells me this season will be as topsy-turvy as the last. It will no doubt be a test of my mental and emotional strength. No matter what happens though, I am Palace through and through, and will love my team forever, no matter what happens.
So once again, let us enjoy the season. It is going to be tough so be loud, be proud, and most important of all, be Palace!
