As a Palace supporter I find it difficult to contain the thrill of going to Wembley this weekend for the club’s fifth appearance in an FA Cup semi-final. While for the fans of our opponents Chelsea and the other semi-finalists, Liverpool and Manchester City, this is much more routine. It is all part and parcelContinue reading “Palace’s FA Cup semi-final : a chance to celebrate”
Category Archives: Patrick Vieira
O captain, my captain: does it matter who wears the armband?
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth around Old Trafford on Tuesday night after the home side were knocked out of the Champions League by Atlético Madrid. The contrasting fortunes of the two clubs was encapsulated in a few minutes towards the end of the second half. With ten minutes remaining Atlético’s captain JorgeContinue reading “O captain, my captain: does it matter who wears the armband?”
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Friend and his friends)
There are few things more tiresome than supporters complaining about refereeing decisions and the injustices suffered by their own club. Consequently I hesitated in joining the clamour surrounding Kevin Friend and his VAR wingman Craig Pawson for a series of contentious decisions during Palace’s game with Liverpool on Sunday. However, emboldened by the almost unanimousContinue reading “We Need to Talk About Kevin (Friend and his friends)”
Arsenal’s century of Premier League red cards:- Winterburn to Gabriel
Gabriel’s second yellow card in the space of a few minutes against Manchester City on New Years’ Day handed the champions the initiative in a match in which they had struggled to assert their customary superiority. The successive yellow cards were reminiscent of Arsenal’s first red card in the Premier League when Nigel Winterburn receivedContinue reading “Arsenal’s century of Premier League red cards:- Winterburn to Gabriel”
One Arsène Wenger
When you go to an event entitled “An Evening with Arsène Wenger and David Dein” you have to anticipate a glorified Arsenal love-in. And that was what transpired on Monday evening. As a Palace fan I felt a little awkward, having the distinct impression that I was undertaking an operation behind enemy lines. So whenContinue reading “One Arsène Wenger”
Queens Park Book Festival with Pat Nevin and Ricky Hill
At last weekend’s Queens Park Book Festival I had the pleasure of hosting a football panel with Pat Nevin and Ricky Hill, who both had books published earlier this year. A common theme that unites the two former internationals is that, for different reasons, both were considered as outsiders within the football world, for exampleContinue reading “Queens Park Book Festival with Pat Nevin and Ricky Hill”
The Football Mine 