There have been numerous times when I have questioned the sanity of following my football club. Like the vast majority of supporters, the mixture of good and bad has leaned towards the latter. But one thing that has been an almost continuous source of joy with very few disappointments along the way has been ourContinue reading “Kits fit for a king – a personal history of Palace’s fine line”
Category Archives: Crystal Palace
The referee’s a ****** – How abuse has reached a disturbing level
Referees are considered by many football fans to be fair game for having abuse hurled at them from a dizzy height. They are the Aunt Sallys of football – an easy target when things are going wrong for your team and you need to vent your frustration. A variety of chants cascade from the standsContinue reading “The referee’s a ****** – How abuse has reached a disturbing level”
Footballers’ flaws in flouting the laws
If there is one thing that really gets my goat it is when people describe professional footballers as pampered prima donnas. This stereotype ignores the fact that all these players are operating at the very height of their profession, and a highly competitive profession at that. They have reached that point through hard work andContinue reading “Footballers’ flaws in flouting the laws”
Kenny Sansom’s fight against his demons and dementia
Kenny Sansom was one of my first football heroes. He made his debut as a 16-year-old and was described by club historian Reverend Nigel Sands as “the first tangible product of the youth policy instituted by Malcolm Allison…and was unquestionably Palace’s best ever left-back.” He was an integral member of that enticing, exciting “Team ofContinue reading “Kenny Sansom’s fight against his demons and dementia”
The madness of Lombardo, Goldberg and Palace: An interview with Dom Fifield
In November 1997 an aspiring journalist arrived at Selhurst Park on a work internship. No sooner had Dominic Fifield started than things changed. “Originally I was only meant to be there for a month as the editor went on a four-week trip to Australia, but I was kept on as his assistant after he returned.”AndContinue reading “The madness of Lombardo, Goldberg and Palace: An interview with Dom Fifield”
Pulis, Pragmatism and Points deductions
When Tony Pulis arrives at your club in November it usually means you are in a bit of trouble and in need of the footballing equivalent of Red Adair to come to the rescue. Sheffield Wednesday are the latest club to enlist the services of a manager who has famously never been relegated. Considering WednesdayContinue reading “Pulis, Pragmatism and Points deductions”
A Return to Plough Lane: Andy Brassell on a 29-Year Wait
On many occasions Andy Brassell would have been extremely busy trying to keep the BT Sport audience abreast of the goals as they rained in across Europe. Liverpool’s 5-0 demolition of Atalanta was put into the shade by Borussia Monchengladbach’s shellacking of Shaktar Donetsk, and on it went. 36 goals in just eight Champions LeagueContinue reading “A Return to Plough Lane: Andy Brassell on a 29-Year Wait”
Handball law is damaging: “It’s destroying my enjoyment of the game of football,” Roy Hodgson
When Leicester were awarded their third penalty of the match against Manchester City on Sunday it was the 20th spot kick in the 25th Premier League game this season. If that ratio continues, there will be 304 penalties this season and, considering that the most in a Premier League season to date stands at 106,Continue reading “Handball law is damaging: “It’s destroying my enjoyment of the game of football,” Roy Hodgson”
Football’s Endgame: How clubs now face a grim fight for survival this winter
In my first blog post in late August I wrote about how eerie and soulless football was without fans after being among forty-odd people watching QPR play Sheffield Wednesday: “The likelihood is that this will be the way matches are going to be played out for the foreseeable future. Josh Scott, QPR’s Operations Manager, toldContinue reading “Football’s Endgame: How clubs now face a grim fight for survival this winter”
“Oh When the Saints Go Marching In” …
Kevin Day, writer, broadcaster, comedian and Palace for Life Trustee talks to Richard Foster about going to watch Palace away at Southampton in September 1989. Kevin Day harbours a simmering resentment of how Southampton ruined his dreams as a 15-year-old. “During the glorious FA Cup run of 1976,” Day says. “I had been to bothContinue reading ““Oh When the Saints Go Marching In” …”
The Football Mine 