Why? Because of the horrendous way in which the side fell to pieces in the minutes that lead to half-time. Because I found myself being so angry that I nearly lost my voice screaming my disgust. I left because I completely lost touch with the characteristics that I was proud of as a fan.
I love Palace. I love attending the game, meeting with mates. I love Glad All Over. I love the chants. I love every little bit of the experience but for one thing. I don't like seeing us lose. I haven't enjoyed watching Palace at home for some time. I nearly didn't renew my season ticket this season because of how dreary our home form was. How very new-breed plastic of me!
The promise of Alan Pardew 'working' Palace's home form changed my mind. I felt that the team deserved another chance. But nothing changed. Millions have been spent and performances have deteriorated. The characters that gave us pride have either been sold or are getting abused on the pitch for gestures they didn't make.
Selhurst Park has become a toxic place. It doesn't feel as welcoming as it used to. It doesn't feel as homely, or as positive as it used to. You attend expecting defeat -- how is that something you can look forward to? How can you expect loyalty from something you struggle to actually enjoy?
You might feel angry that fans left at half-time -- perhaps because you felt bad that you didn't make a similar decision yourself? Did you enjoy the 45 minutes of Palace faltering? The sound of Sunderland fans cheering every failed Palace attack? The booing of players at full-time? The disappointment of seeing supporters abuse players as they came off the pitch?
I left because I didn't want to boo the team, or bemoan every misplaced pass, or put the side under pressure for not chasing or not harrying or not shooting. I left because I wanted to make the rest of my weekend a success rather than one tinged with bitterness and disgust at those two minutes of insanity. I felt as sickened by my own behaviour as a fan as I did at what I witnessed when I walked out.
You can call me less of a fan because of it but I feel no shame. I did what I felt was right at the time. I don't regret my decision.
Sam Allardyce says he understands Palace fans' frustrations after the horrid capitulation against Sunderland on Saturday.
But now is the time for him - and the players - to show that.
Palace completely folded in the first half and went in at the break 4-0 down. A performance bad enough to bring rare boos from the home crowd, chants of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" and led to now fan invading the pitch to confront Damien Delaney.
Eagles fans have stood by their team after more than a year of poor form, especially at home, but frustrations have finally boiled over and while entering the pitch is obviously a criminal offence and never encouraged, Allaradyce says he does get it.
“A fan jumps on the pitch and Damien was the first one off,” he said. “I think it’s just whoever was first there, the fan would have run at.
“It’s an emotional game and fans get very emotional when they see us turn out the sort of performance we did. We don’t want them to react like that but in many ways you can understand it.
“Fans will show their disapproval when they’ve paid their money – not that way. The booing I expected and rightly so. But they shouldn’t be jumping over onto the pitch and confronting a player.”
One word sums up the entire club at the moment and Allardyce spelled it out after Saturday’s game: “Fear. Fear, Fear, Fear.” There is fear on the pitch, there’s fear in the stands and almost certainly fear in the boardroom. Fear of relegation. Fear that the last four year’s hard work will be undone. Fear that this is our chance and we are blowing it.
But if Allardyce gets it, now is the time for him to do something about it. He’s had time to bed in, he’s bought his players in, and spent the most of any Premier League side in January to do so. The board have clearly given him backing, way more than they ever did to Tony Pulis, but time is running out.
Patrick van Aanholt and Jeffrey Schlupp have already shown glimpses of quality while new centre-back Mamadou Sakho and defensive midfielder Luka Milosvejovic are yet to feature.
Sam said: “Luka is Serbian international midfielder, two good feet, good passer. He’ll bring a bit of stability into midfield which we need. Teams get through our midfield far too easy far too often at times. We saw that again today."
And on Sakho’s arrival he didn’t waste time in hammering his current defenders. “One of the most disappointing things today – the second goal was a stunner, but the third and fourth when we told the centre-halfs not to let Jermain Defoe run behind them, and what did they do? Let Jermain Defoe run in behind them.”
The next three games (Stoke A, Boro H, West Brom A) are huge and will probably define the season so Allardyce’s new boys need to hit the ground running and there needs to be a response to the Sunderland disaster immediately.
Sam agress. He said: "Living with the pressure of games like this, which I talked about after the Bournemouth game, would be clear for me to see. I saw the Swansea one and when that one happened I’d only just got here, we’d played only two days before, Swansea had had an extra day’s rest. We should have salvaged a point out of that then gifted it to them at the end."
He continued, pressing home his point that it’s now or never: "What I saw today re-enhanced what I saw against Swansea. Players not being able to do what they do well, what they showed how well they could do it at Bournemouth. Unfortunately the 11 didn’t show any of that type of form in today’s game.
“We’ve got to work really hard behind the scenes and make the players feel more comfortable when they go out to play here next time round.”
He cost £28m in the summer but are Palace getting value for money from their record signing?
Everything is a bit bleurgh at the moment at Palace. Nothing seems to be clicking. A new manager is here with a legacy of keeping teams up and even he doesn’t seem to have had much of an impact after six games.
The first win wasn’t glorious, it was a case of a struggling team coming from behind against a League One side after going a goal down with boos from the home fans. But there was one positive; Christian Benteke scored twice and entered double figures for Palace.
It’s proven to be nothing of the sort, and despite a decent return so far - nearly one goal every other game - there have been much bigger problems exposed in recent months. Namely a goalkeeper who doesn’t know what it’s doing, a defence who has no confidence and a threadbare midfield. But still Benteke is taking flack off fans, and it must be said, members of the FYP podcast.
And with some justification. Two missed penalties this season have both been terrible efforts and in most games his lethargic swagger looks to supporters on the touchline like a lack of passion, certainly when the team are up against it and finding goals and games hard to come by.
It feels at times like the club are not getting value for money for a £28m striker and many games have largely passed the Belgian international by. But earlier in the season he was on a hot streak as Palace won at Sunderland, Middlesbrough and later when they grabbed a much needed win at home to Southampton. So is he doing well or not?
Ten goals in 22 games certainly doesn’t seem bad and is in fact the same he managed for Liverpool in 42 games during what was a much highlighted nightmare spell. If he continues in current form he could end the season on 20+ goals and Palace haven’t had a striker reach that amount since the days of Andy Johnson a decade ago.
But are Palace getting the most out of their record signing? A look at his 49 goals for Aston Villa suggests the notion of Benteke being this big target man is a bit wide of the mark. He always played alongside someone else up front for the Villans and only 16 out of that 49 were with his head. His strength seems to be that poachers’ instinct in the box; much like Dwight Gayle previously at Selhurst Park.
However with Sam Allardyce’s appointment at Palace, Benteke is likely to expect more balls up to his head than his feet in the coming months. Plenty have suggested he is a perfect Allardyce player but like the slightly misguided notion that Big Sam teams always play long ball there is a weird given that Benteke is a big guy so prefers it in the air against burly centre-backs.
This was never the case, certainly not at Villa, as blogger James Clarke tells us in the video above. And his current Palace team isn’t unfamiliar with playing a shorter game, something Alan Pardew spent months trying to implement, at times with great success.
But the current side is massively lacking confidence and trying to get a team to play like that when they are mostly afraid of giving the ball away could be disastrous. You can almost feel the uncertainly in the air at Selhurst at the moment as the teams come out.
So what’s the solution? Certainly Palace need to get more out of Benteke but it still should be acknowledged he is far from a flop. Even for £28m, 10 goals in 22 games is a decent return, and it should of course be 12 goals given those two horror penalties. He’s clearly a clever player and much like Glenn Murray thinks a step or two ahead of the play to anticipate where the ball will end up.
But Murray also seemed to have more about him. He was a wiser older head and used that experience of having played throughout the lower leagues to his advantage in the top flight; often winning free-kicks against defenders by knowing when to take the foul, when to add a sly elbow into the ribs to get an advantage. Benteke gives away a lot of free-kicks (the fourth highest in the Premier League this season) and almost looks naive in doing so at times. Imagine having a wily old head like Murray at the club still to teach hand down some advice in this department…
Benteke is far from a failure and time will tell whether the decision to splash out £28m on his was a good decision. His signing was certainly one of a handful of marquee signings Pardew made when perhaps the squad needed more experienced workers in various departments but that’s a legacy that’s left in the squad with a number of names like that (one of whom might be heading back to Newcastle already...).
Benteke is certainly the sort of striker Palace haven’t had for years (possibly ever) and has the talent to fire the Eagles away from the drop, as he did for Villa on numerous occasions. But currently it doesn’t feel like the management are getting the best out of him. Whether it be adding a strike partner (which could, of course, already be happening had Connor Wickham not got injured) is the way or a change in training schedule isn’t clear, but it’s obvious he is an unfinished project that has the potential to be one of the club’s greatest.
His achievements so far should certainly be acknowledged but shouldn’t stop there. The whole club can do a lot better than it currently is and that starts with the man up top. Let’s hope 2017 brings more goals his way and more of whatever 2016 didn’t have to Palace.
2016. The year of the good, the bad and the downright ugly. We've seen Wembley wins, Wembley defeats, winless streaks, sackings, appointments, signings and sales. We've had plenty of highs, plenty of lows and plenty of sighs. To sum all of this season up, we asked Jim Daly, Carl Mortimer and Chris Windsor to answer some questions about the last year.
What was Your highlight of 2016 and why?
Jim Daly (JD): Getting to the FA Cup final. It was a massive achievement for a club of Palace's size and only the second time we'd ever managed it. For fans of my generation, who had to grow up on stories of 1990, wishing they were born 10 years earlier so they could have witnessed it (despite losing) and assuming they'd never get to see the Eagles walk out at Wembley for the final themselves it was a huge moment.
Carl Mortimer (CM):Puncheon's goal in the cup final. I have never gone so nuts in my life, quite literally 'limbs all over the place' the place just exploded. We owned Wembley that day, the displays, the noise, it was just amazing and, that goal was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life.
Chris Windsor (CW):Highlight of 2016 for me was the Connor Wickham header in the FA Cup Semi-Final where the ball took what seemed an eternity to lodge itself in the bottom corner, but resulted in pandemonium in the Palace end at the famous Wembley Stadium. Even Papa Windsor was inclined to hug me, a feat rarer than an Andros Townsend free kick hitting the target!
2. Your lowlight of 2016 and why?
JD: The FA Cup final.
CM: Jesse fucking Lingard. Losing the final was gut wrenching, as we practically threw it away. If someone had just taken Rooney out on half way we would've won, United were poor but somehow like they do, they managed to grab some luck. And to rub salt in they moved on five minutes after winning it, we would still be celebrating that win to this day, of that I am certain.
CW: Aside from the obvious, the most disappointing moment of 2016 was Swansea away, and the utter dejection felt at throwing away what would have been a brilliant comeback and a much-needed victory through lacklustre defending and dreaded set plays.
3. Your best player of 2016 and why?
JD: For scoring in the FA Cup final, for scoring that goal against Norwich and letting the emotion overcome him like it does for all of us in the stands every week it has to be Jason Puncheon. He may not be a match winner every week (although he certainly has the talent to do so) but he dug us out of plenty of holes during what's been a horrible run in 2016 and still ends the year one of the top chance creators in the Premier League. Plus he embodies South London And Proud and that will make him a Palace legend forever.
CM: Wilfried Zaha. He was really the only one of a few players who shone and he won player of the year for that reason. At times he did everything he could to drag us out of that run. He loves this club and I never want him to leave Crystal Palace FC ever again.
CW:Wilf for me has been the player of the year by a fair distance. Defensively his game has improved tremendously and he continues to dazzle and excite going forward, adding more goals and assists to his game.
4. Your most disappointing player of 2016 and why?
JD: Andros Townsend. Remember last summer when we spent £10m on Yohan Cabaye and it seemed like such a huge moment for the club? A record transfer, a world class midfielder, finally a game changer for little ol' Palace? So much was expected of him and he has certainly delivered, albeit while finding it hard to maintain that form at times. Fast forward 12 months and £13m on a winger doesn't really seem to get you anything. He's been a huge flop and for that sort of money we expected a lot more.
CM: Emmanuel Adebayor. I honestly didn't know what I was supposed to expect but, I expected more than what he gave. I shouldn't have been surprised really, especially after seeing snapchats of him in stupid outfits measuring Midgets. Glad it's over.
CW: From being touted as an England International to keeping one clean sheet all season, it’s been a rather disappointing year for Scott Dann, who has failed to take on the leadership roles as well as his predecessor. An unquestionable talent, all Palace fans hope 2017 will be a much better year for Dann.
5. Your most surprising result of 2016 and why?
JD: Winning the FA Cup tie at Tottenham. Considering how well they had been playing last season and the terrible run we didn't realise we had just started, and considering how one-sided the game was I'm still a bit shocked we managed to win it. Especially with the winner coming via Martin Kelly. It was at that moment, though, I knew we'd make the final.
CM: The 1-0 loss at Villa. I did not see that result coming (or maybe I should've, being the Palace way) it was something that should never have happened. If we win that game I think it's a completely different season for us but, it was the catalyst of how it went.
CW: Amid a streak of defeats, defensive mishaps and the calls for the recently departed manager to go, Southampton at home this season provided a rare glimmer of how this team can perform against a team pushing for European places in a result that few could have predicted.
6. Best opponent we faced in 2016 and why?
JD: Chelsea. They smashed us on the opening day of the year in the first game we'd really been dominated in last season and it set the tone for the following 12 months. They also did a job on us last week and it seems, like Liverpool, that our curse over them in the last few seasons is well and truly over.
CM: Chelsea at Selhurst. They tore us apart in that 0-3, we just couldn't get near them and it could've been a cricket score to be honest and they were definitely out for revenge after our win at Stamford bridge earlier in the season.
CW: The recent match versus Chelsea showed a team that demonstrated why they are favourites for the title. Defensively resolute, well organised and clinical at critical moments, they were arguably the most complete team Palace faced this year.
7. Best goal scored in 2016 and why?
JD: Much as it pains me to relive the pain of that day, it has to be Punch's volley at Wembley. For the crispness of the strike, the sheer elation it brought us all for two sweet minutes, for the expletives he thrust in Pardew's direction, for everything about that moment. It was a hugely important goal in our club's history, but it was also a hell of a strike. It's just a shame *someone* ruined it with that stupid dance.
[Watch this clip to relive it, if you have the heart.]
CM: It's Puncheon, it's beautiful. His goal in the final was glorious but this goal was vital, it effectively made us safe and Puncheon's tears showed that along with Wilf, he clearly loves Crystal Palace. This is his home. I'll admit, he didn't have a great 2016 until the back end but, without him we do look lost at times.
CW: It’s hard to look past last season’s Goal of the Season from Jason Puncheon as the goal of 2016. An impressive strike with his left foot, the goal was not only crucial in a relegation “six-pointer” but once again demonstrated Puncheon’s importance and love of the club.
8. Your Crystal Palace player to watch out for in 2017?
JD: Whatever left-back we buy.
CM: Christian Benteke. The best striker we've had at Palace since AJ I think and he's already scoring goals. it's a major step up from the Calvin Andrew's & the Frazier Campbell's of this world and, Can't wait to see him continue to score goals In the red and blue in 2017.
CW: Andros Townsend has failed to provide the impact many fans hoped he would when he joined this summer. Perhaps a change of management and inevitable change in style will galvanise Townsend into producing performances that have earned him thirteen caps for his country.
9. Your expectations for 2017?
JD: I hope we stay up and recover something from this god awful year. I expect Palace to continue doing what the do and drag my emotions through the mud as per.
CM: I want to see the kids getting a chance. Luke Dreher and Sullay Kaikai are good enough for our bench at the moment and we should have them on it, we supposedly pride ourselves on our academy but, so far since promotion, we've yet to show it.
CW: I expect (hope) Palace to revert back to basics, become more defensively resolute and to improve on the appalling home form. With the transfer window on the horizon, reinforcements in the full back area, a strong defensive midfielder and competition for the wing would be high up on my shopping list.
10. Sum up 2016 in five words.
JD: That dance. Why? God Why?
CM: Should have won the cup
CW: It’s the hope that kills.
1)Highlight of 2016 for me was the Connor Wickham header in the FA Cup Semi-Final where the ball took what seemed an eternity to lodge itself in the bottom corner, but resulted in pandemonium in the Palace end at the famous Wembley Stadium. Even Papa Windsor was inclined to hug me, a feat rarer than an Andros Townsend free kick hitting the target!
2)Aside from the obvious, the most disappointing moment of 2016 was Swansea away, and the utter dejection felt at throwing away what would have been a brilliant comeback and a much-needed victory through lacklustre defending and dreaded set plays.
3)Wilf for me has been the player of the year by a fair distance. Defensively his game has improved tremendously and he continues to dazzle and excite going forward, adding more goals and assists to his game.
4)From being touted as an England International to keeping one clean sheet all season, it’s been a rather disappointing year for Scott Dann, who has failed to take on the leadership roles as well as his predecessor. An unquestionable talent, all Palace fans hope 2017 will be a much better year for Dann.
5) Amid a streak of defeats, defensive mishaps and the calls for the recently departed manager to go, Southampton at home this season provided a rare glimmer of how this team can perform against a team pushing for European places in a result that few could have predicted.
6)The recent match versus Chelsea showed a team that demonstrated why they are favourites for the title. Defensively resolute, well organised and clinical at critical moments, they were arguably the most complete team Palace faced this year.
7)It’s hard to look past last season’s Goal of the Season from Jason Puncheon as the goal of 2016. An impressive strike with his left foot, the goal was not only crucial in a relegation “six-pointer” but once again demonstrated Puncheon’s importance and love of the club.
8)Andros Townsend has failed to provide the impact many fans hoped he would when he joined this summer. Perhaps a change of management and inevitable change in style will galvanise Townsend into producing performances that have earned him thirteen caps for his country.
9)I expect (hope) Palace to revert back to basics, become more defensively resolute and to improve on the appalling home form. With the transfer window on the horizon, reinforcements in the full back area, a strong defensive midfielder and competition for the wing would be high up on my shopping list.
Build them up to knock them down. That’s often been the cliche attached to the British press when it comes to their treatment of celebrities. But there seems to be an even crueler approach to young footballers at the moment, specifically Wilfried Zaha.
The Crystal Palace winger seems to be an easy target for ex-pros. In September Alan Shearer claimed Zaha was not doing enough while his MOTD colleague Mark Lawrenson has repeatedly stuck the boot in to the young talent. It prompted Palace chairman Steve Parish to tweet Shearer to inform him Zaha had scored almost as many goals as he had at the same age.
Even Watford mascot Harry the Hornet got involved, performing a mock dive in front of the Palace winger after the Boxing Day draw at Vicarage Road after Zaha had been booked for an apparent tumble by referee Mark Clattenburg. Replays showed Miguel Britos actually made contact with the winger but the damage had been done. A yellow card confirmed the narrative that has been building steam for ages; that Zaha is a diver. And while Harry Hornet’s actions were childish, but it confirmed what most neutrals think; Zaha is a cheat and overrated.
Redknapp’s article went one step further and claimed Zaha “has got to do a lot more” to be considered a top player. A quick google, Harry, suggests he’s actually doing better than ok. He has six assists this season in the Premier League and four goals and if the absence of Premier League football for the past two weeks is just too long ago to remember, he’s been doing the business for his new international team too.
He got an assist on his Ivory Coast debut against Sweden on Sunday and scored on his second appearance for Les Elephants, against Uganda on Wednesday. A day before Harry “wrote" his column. It’s either laziness or Trump level trolling of a player who objectively is one of the Premier League’s most effective attackers this season.
And he’s been the Eagles' best player by some way for the last year or so. He single-handedly dragged them to the FA Cup final and in 2016/17 has notched six assists and four goals, shutting down talk of a lack of end product. He has completed the second most take-ons and is the second most fouled player (both behind Hazard) which goes some way to explain how much attention other teams give him.
It would be churlish to say the negative coverage of Zaha doesn’t have further reaching implications. Referees are already going into games assuming he will dive, when Palace fans know the reality is he gets targeted by defenders and kicked a hell of a lot.
And why was he not picked for England more recently? His only appearance came in 2013 when he was the best player in the Championship and he is playing even better now…a division above. Countless other players have been called up in the last 12 months who haven’t been playing anywhere near the level Wilf has, so it’s hard to blame him for giving up on waiting for Gareth Southgate’s call and choosing to play for his birth country Ivory Coast.
These are the same pundits who chastise Zaha at any given opportunity but then moan about why there is a lack of quality English talent coming through. There is, you just don't let them develop without hammering them each week. The same could be applied to Raheem Sterling.
Wilf still has plenty of time to develop and become a world class winger but think how good he could have become already with a bit of a fairer approach from referees, the press and the FA?
How about this for a debut, Wilfred Zaha gets an assist 5 minutes into his debut for Ivory Coast pic.twitter.com/upkI36hsfi
Zaha is aware of his critics and, to be fair to a young man who has shown before he is emotional, is responding it in a considered and measured way. “Anytime anyone, on Match of the Day or wherever, mentions me they say, ‘He is a one-trick pony, he will go past players but will he score?’,” he said last month.
“Everyone talks about my stats, so I am just trying to give them a reason not to talk. I just do what I need to do on the pitch and see who laughs last.”
Pundits are there to both criticise and praise and that’s understood. But it would be more refreshing if they were as quick with their compliments as they are with their condemnation, especially for a young English academy player who is very clearly playing the best football of his life so far.
So maybe it's time for a bit of fairness when it comes to Zaha? Criticise him when he doesn't deliver, sure, or when he reacts petulantly or dives. But when he is doing everything right he deserves praies, not just from Palace fans but from the wider footballing community.
Do you think Wilf has been harshly treated? Comment below...
Keith Millen didn't get long did he? The perennial Palace assistant was installed as caretaker boss for the fourth time on Thursday and told to prepare his team for the Boxing Day trip to Watford.
