For us Palace faithful, this close bond and exhilarating season with highs and lows coming to an end, will surely have an even greater devastating effect that we must not let surface. There are only 19 days until the fixtures are released, and then a further 71 days before our first game – and in-between that we will get to see how Pardew spends his transfer budget. So until then for medicinal purposes, we need to keep re-living the amazing journey, reflect on the last season and build up to what may lay ahead for the third season in the Premier League.
So….the best ever Premier League finish for Crystal Palace, a top 10 position and an impressive 48 points. What have we learnt that can guarantee us an even higher finish next season?
Firstly and most obviously; The Right Manager Matters! The transformation of the team, atmosphere and success of the club has seen a huge turn around under Alan Pardew. When Tony Pulis’ shock departure happened it was clear that he was there simply to do a job. It highlighted his lack of dedication and passion to the club, which was only ever going to bring a short lived spell of success that could not have been maintained on a permanent basis. Then there was the low point of Warnock – we all knew he was not the right man for the job and it now begs the question where we could have finished if Steve Parish had got the right candidate in the first place? However, no use crying over spilt milk – we got the right man for the job in the end with Sir Pardew. It is more than clear that he loves the club and that he gels with everyone involved. Being an ex-Palace player, he holds the passion and memories of Selhurst which has translated into his fine management skills and magical eye for what works within the team. He knows what he wants and I have no doubt that he will make the right choices in selling and buying for next season’s campaign.
Secondly we have learnt that Jason Puncheon should play in a central midfield position at all times! This works impeccably, and his form has continued to grow strength to strength under his new position and Pardew’s direction. In this position, Puncheon can dominate games and create more chances for Murray, Bolasie and Zaha. His new found confidence has also meant goals, with Puncheon scoring 3 out of 4 direct free kicks getting him noticed more and more as a valuable team player. Pardew worked with Puncheon previously at Southampton and has watched his progression, and has even spoken openly of Puncheon as Palace’s top performing player since the start of his reign in January; “He’s very influential and important and has been the best player”. Jason also realises his worth at Palace and has just signed a contract extension which will hopefully see him at the club until 2019. I say watch this space!
Thirdly – We CANNOT let Bolasie go! Yannick Bolasie is another player that has excelled and grew under Pardew’s management. With his price tag rising dramatically every week – we could now be looking at a £40-60 million bidding war for our talented winger. Although it may be difficult to decline ‘an offer we can’t refuse’ it would be wrong for not only the continued growth of Bolasie’s career but for the continued success of the club. Bolasie is keen to learn more and Pardew wants to work closely with him to ensure he continues to score more goals to make him a polished product that can triple his worth. There is now a confidence that Palace can be a bigger club amongst the big names in the top half of the Premier League, and if Bolasie stays he can be a part of that journey. Look at Wilfred Zaha – if he had stayed at Palace, rather than spending too much time on the bench at Man Utd, by now he would be the top goal scorer! He wouldn’t have had to build back up to his comfort zone at Selhurst and waste time gelling back into the team. Zaha is outstanding and I cannot fault his skill – but it has taken him a while to find his feet again. I believe Bolasie and Wilf complement each other as we have two wingers that work well together on opposite sides, and bring excitement and pace – it would be such a shame to lose half of this duo when we have only starting seeing their great possibilities.
Fourth lesson – We could still do with a striker! Yes Glenn Murray has been outstanding again this season, but we need a striker who can start every game and guarantee goals. Injury and match bans haven’t helped Glenn Murray’s consistent game play and without a clear bench substitute for Murray, this is concerning in some games where we just don’t look like scoring as a team as something strong is missing up front. Dwight Gayle hasn’t made the bench in recent weeks and his game time diminished towards the end of the season. After Julian Speroni’s testimonial match on Tuesday night, where we had a rare treat of seeing Gayle’s quality on the pitch – and seeing him score 2 goals against Dundee, Pardew confirmed that he still has a strong future with the club and remains firmly in his plans for next season. However offers of first team football may be too tempting for Dwight with rumours that the likes of Bournemouth and Wolves are scouting him. The Eagles fans all love ‘Gaylee’ and won’t easily forget his goals, most memorably against Liverpool the season before last! However in Pardew we trust, and there must be a reason he is not making the side? Perhaps his £4.5m price tag could help towards securing a more consistent striker next season?
Lastly – and a lesson I hope all Premier League Clubs have learnt by watching Palace, is that atmosphere and loyal, loud fans make a difference! We have been renowned for our noise created at games both home and away, with managers such as Mouriniho applauding the “fantastic, fantastic, fantastic fans!” It can be seen from our impressive away record how fans can make a difference to the game and to the confidence of the players – inspiring them to play to the best of their ability. Crystal Palace and the club have always been keen on allowing fans to express themselves – this is clear with the fanatics with their flags, drums and loud chants. They and the rest of the fans have given a presence that intimidates other clubs and can be argued why all teams want to win at Selhurst! If we can remain loud and proud next season and build back up the Selhurst fortress – improving our home form we could easily finish in an even higher position – possibly even giving our ‘fantastic’ fans the privilege they deserve to travel to Europe!
