Alan Whittle
Player Valuation: £70m
"Told you we should have gone over the other side of the park"
"Three Nil....and you ****** it up!" When you support the South London's finest, you learn to make things last, and you learn quickly. May, sweet as it was, seems a long time ago. When things are going well with us, they never last, and when they are going badly, they only get worse. Goodbye Tony.....errr...oh, hello again Neil.
Some perspective required I suppose; Good owners? (Tick) Not in administration again? (Tick) In the Premier League? (Tick) Not in the bottom three? (Tick).
So, might as well get on with it. We all remember May and a good number remember that semi- final. It isn't usually like that though. A regulation clump without them breaking sweat is the norm. Twice they have handed out opening day beatings in seasons when we ended up relegated. TWICE! Bitter? Me?
My first experience of them was a wet and windy January day at Selhurst in 1971. Shankly's big tactical stroke of genius that day was to play their latest wonder boy, Big Jack Whitham at centre forward but wearing number 3. Result? A not to be confused Bert Head managed team triumphed 1-0 thanks to a late Gerry Queen goal.
"Queen scores at Palace"...oh how we laughed.
Out thinking Shankly didn't save Bert. In came Big Mal a couple of seasons later to mastermind consecutive relegations. So as a third division side (and one who had knocked out Br*****n after 27 replays in the first round) imagine our unbridled joy when we heard we off to Anfield and not Aldershot in the 3rd round of the cup in January 1977. Inside and outside the ground we were like a wagon train in one of those tv westerns, attacked by wave after wave of apache. HA! drew 0-0.
The replay was notable for a goal still talked about by those that were there, today. Some say Paul (Doris) Hinshelwood was on the Platform at East Croydon station as his foot made contact with the ball, he was so far out. This of course, is a complete exaggeration. He was definitely outside The Clifton pub in Holmesdale Road. The shot could reasonably described as an exocet missile bringing down a MiG fighter, demolishing as it did, a corner of the Arthur Wait stand and blowing the roof off the Chippy in Whiteladies Road. I saw it with my own eyes mate! That put us one up and moments of glorious bedlam on the old Holmesdale terrace. Like so much, it did not last, we were beaten 3-2, a late consolation for us being scored by an ageing George Graham who deflected one in off the moped he used to get around the park.
And so to Sunday.....we need the points, we're not playing well. Too many inconsistent performances and last years team spirit all but vanished. Bolasie is starting to question the manager when he is told every Friday "It's Everton again tomorrow lad, do your usual."
Trust you whack the Spammers on Saturday and spare a thought for our boys on Sunday. EAGLES!
