Crystal Palace

Nickname - The Eagles
Founded - 1905
Ground - Selhurst Park
(Capacity: 26,309)
Co-chairmen - Steve Parish
Martin Long
Manager - Dougie Freedman
League - Championship
-----------------------------

Sir Alex Fergusons decision to effectively throw the Carling Cup Q/F against Palace by putting a shadow side out at Old Trafford maybe the first signs his judgment is going. I’m sure he did it because the first leg is straight after United face four premier league games back-to-back over Christmas and then the FA cup third round and so no recovery time for the players that he would like to grace a semi-final with, desperate to hang on to Manchester City’s tail before United start choking on those fumes, but, in hindsight it was the wrong call. Manchester City are going to win the league by a country mile and the retrospective draw in the FA Cup now see the two going up against each other at the Etihad Stadium straight after that semi-final Crystal Palace will now grace. Being bombed out against Basle in the Champions League, rather ironically, means facing Manchester City once again to keep any chance of winning a trophy. I really do think its game over for United.

That aside and back to Crystal Palace, who played really well and putting on an extra striker at 1-1 at Old Trafford with twenty minutes to go was brave, for once a team not playing for penalties. More teams would get something from Old Trafford if they weren’t intimated by United home reputation that’s built mostly on visiting tams putting out feeble sides. Ambrose goal was a stonker and they deserved the win, that two-legged semi against Cardiff a great chance to make a money spinning final since that memorable FA Cup final in 1990, United, of course their eventual conquerors. Its Palace first semi-final for ten years and the bad old days of Jordan seem to be over. Their only cup win to day was whipping Everton 4-1 in the much maligned Zenith Data Trophy in 1990-91. To be fair Simon Jordan saved the club in 2005 by not demanding the 20 million the club still owes him that he spent to keep them in the premier league that short season, a contradictory man in every sense.

Palace are very much in the second tear of London clubs as most are in the south of the city and don’t have the pull of even Charlton. Their all-time eleven isn’t too bad though and certainly better than Orients and Brentford although still hard to attract quality. Rather sweetly, the club was formed by the guys and girls who help build the original Crystal palace all glass structure in tribute. West Ham moving to the Olympic stadium will only hurt their catchment area more if they don’t get to the premiership soon, especially as Palace are near South Norwood interchange that takes you to pretty much all of London’s grounds.

Playing staff wise and it’s a familiar story, lots of British talent bottlenecking in the championship, blocked from playing in the premiership by foreign owners and the foreign players they employ, many inferior, all about the tax dodging and kickbacks to fleece the top of the British game. Of course if the Championship became the Premiership they would do the same thing. Hopefully the taxman will really clamp down on the money flowing out of the game and country and so give clubs like Palace a better chance to make the Premiership. They have plans for a new ground because 26,000 isnt going to cut it in the top league.

---All-Time fans eleven---

Nigel Martyn (1989–96)
Kenny Sansom (1975–80)
Chris Coleman (1991–95)
Jim Cannon (1972–88)
Paul Hinshelwood (1974–83)
John Salako (1986–95)
Geoff Thomas (1987–93)
Andy Gray (1984–87,1989–92)
Attilio Lombardo (1997–99)
Andrew Johnson (2002–06)

Of the current lot their league position suggests their players are doing ok, Darren Ambrose the current top scorer with a pathetic three goals, manager and Palace legend Dougie Freeman surely looking to buy next month.

--------The Squad-------

1 GK Julián Speroni
2 DF Nathaniel Clyne
3 DF David Wright
4 DF Jonathan Parr
5 DF Paddy McCarthy (Captain)
6 DF Anthony Gardner
7 MF Darren Ambrose
8 MF Kagisho Dikgacoi
9 FW Steffen Iversen
10 MF Owen Garvan
11 FW Sean Scannell
12 MF Alex Marrow
14 MF Kieron Cadogan
15 MF Mile Jedinak
16 FW Wilfried Zaha
17 FW Glenn Murray
18 DF Lee Hills
19 FW Jermaine Easter
20 MF Jonathan Williams
21 DF Dean Moxey
22 DF Alex Wynter
25 FW Antonio Pedroza
26 DF Matthew Parsons
27 FW Ibra Sekajja
28 MF Stuart O'Keefe
31 FW Calvin Andrew
32 DF Charlie Holness
33 DF Jake Caprice
34 GK Lewis Price
35 FW Chris Martin (on loan from Norwich City)
37 DF Dekel Keinan (on loan from Cardiff City)
38 DF Peter Ramage (on loan from Queens Park Rangers)
39 DF Quade Taylor

----Honors---

Old Division Two / Division One Champions 1978–79, 1993–94
Runners-up 1968–69

Play-off Winners 1988–89, 1996–97, 2003–04

Football League Third Division South Champions 1920–21
Runners-up 1928–29, 1930–31, 1938–39

Old Division Three Runners-up 1963–64

Third Promotion Place 1976–77

Old Division Four Runners-up 1960–61

FA Cup Runners-up 1990

Carling Cup Semi-Finalists 2011-12

Full Members Cup Winners 1991= = = = = = =Club Records = = = = = = = = =

Player records

Most Appearances - Jim Cannon, 660, 1973–1988

Most Goals - Peter Simpson, 153, 1930–1936

Most Hat-Tricks - Peter Simpson (19)

Most Capped Player - Aki Riihilahti, 35 (69), Finland

Highest League Scorer in Season - Peter Simpson (46)

Quickest Hat-Trick (Cup) Danny Butterfield, 6 minutes, 48 seconds v Wolverhampton Wanderers, at Selhurst Park

First player to appear in a World Cup match Gregg Berhalter, 2002, United States= = = = = Club Highs = = = = = =

Highest League finish -- 3rd in the Old First Division (now Premier League) (1990–91 season)

Highest League position -- 1st in the Old First Division, 29 September 1979 – 6 October 1979

Record League victory -- 9–0 v Barrow, Fourth Division, 10 October 1959

Record League defeat -- 0–9 v Liverpool, First Division, 12 September 1989

Record FA Cup victory -- 7–0 v Luton, FA Cup Third Round replay, 16 January 1929

Record FA Cup defeat -- 0–9 v Burnley, FA Cup Second Round replay, 10 February 1909

Record League Cup victory -- 8–0 v Southend United, League Cup Second Round, 25 September 1990

Record League Cup defeat-- 0–5 v Liverpool, League Cup Semi-Final Second Leg, 24 January 2001

Record attendance-- 51,801 v Burnley, Second Division, 11 May 1979

Record transfer fee received-- £8,600,000 from Everton for Andrew Johnson, May 2006

Record transfer fee paid-- £2,750,000 to Strasbourg for Valerien Ismael, January 1998

-----Links-----
http://www.cpfc.co.uk/page/Welcome