I’m sure somewhere Gareth Southgate was smiling to himself as Palace turned over his old side 1-0 at Selhurst Park.
The win came courtesy of, you guessed it, a Darren Ambrose goal. The midfielder coolly collecting Neil Danns’ flickon and sliding it into the corner.
Julian Speroni kept the Eagles in the game with a string of decent saves.
Palace now have a two week break thanks to an international weekend, but the win will have filled the Red an Blue camp with confidence.
Just one question though: What do we do if Darren Ambrose gets injured?
Poor Freddie Sears is a man suffering. Suffering from poor form, suffering from injury and suffering from one of the worst refereeing decisions in recent years.
In pre-season the 20-year-old striker, on a season-long loan from West Ham, was knocking in the goals for fun, but since the drama of Ashton Gate-gate the young forward has not scored.
The incident has been much covered butwhen he nipped in behind the Bristol City defence and slotted home many assumed he’d opened his account for the Eagles. Steview Wonder on the sideline, however, deemed the ball to have gone wide.
The non-goal, and the subsequent media frenzy, seems to have had an effect on Sears, who has looked out of confidence since. No-one at Palace denies his natural ability, his frightening pace coupled with eye for goal, but the saga has obviously weighed high on his mind.
It reminds me of a certain Mikael Forssell, who arrived on loan from Chelsea in 2000 with a glittering reputation following two blistering goals on his Blues debut. But he struggled to find the net for Palace and each game that passed without a goal only mounted on the pressure.
When it did come, in the opening minutes of a home game with Stockport, there was mass relief all around Selhurst. (Forssell added a second shortly after and the Eagles went 3-0 up only to draw 3-3, but that’s almost a given). After that and the following season Forssell scored for fun and secured a move to Premiership side Birmingham City.
Let’s hope Sears first goal has a similar effect. We know he has it in him.
Darren Ambrose’s second-half penalty made it three 1-1 draws in a row with the same scorer – a new Palace record.
Ambrose, a free summer signing from Charlton Athletic, has been on hot form in the opening quarter of the season and leads the scoring charts for Palace with eight goals.
Ambrose slammed home a penalty after Freddie Sears had been felled in the box by ex-Palace defender Fitz Hall. Akor Buszacky had opened the scoring for the home side in the first-half, also from the penslty spot.
The draw leaves Palace hovering around mid-table (surprise, surprise) but within touching distance of the play-offs. A sort of mirage if you will.
Simon Jordan says Palace fans should shoulder some of blame for financial difficulty.
Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has begun a questionable offensive against stay-away Crystal Palace fans, citing those who can’t afford Palace’s expensive ticket prices as one of the reasons for the club’s economic demise.
Jordan cites Charlton Athletic and Norwich City as clubs that Palace should be emulating as far as attendances are concerned.
He told the Croydon Advertiser: ““People need to look at the reality. Charlton, Norwich, Leeds, Leicester and Southampton have all been relegated in recent seasons with enormous attendances – if we’d had as many fans coming as Norwich did last season we’d probably get an extra £5million or £6m a season.”
Palace’s esteemed chairman however completely fails to address his own club’s misgivings, specifically the way in which the club has alienated the majority of matchday supporters who either cannot afford season tickets or just want the freedom of choice of turning up to a game when they feel like it.
While there are advanced ticketing offers available to supporters, many fans prefer to make snap-decisions about what to do at the weekend; planning a week in advance does not cater to such fans.
Additionally, Palace’s more vocal fans have been hit by aggressive stewarding. The Holmesdale Fanatics claim they are often given a hard time by stewards, while a group of supporters who frequently position themselves at the back of the Arthur Wait Stand have also complained about being prevented from doing so in recent months.
A quick look at two of the clubs cited by Jordan reveals Palace’s ticketing policy to be inhospitably expensive in comparison.
Norwich City charge adult members £27 for their A+ graded games. Non-members are charged £29. Their lowest grade games (Grade D – Super Savers) are priced at £10 for adult members. Non-members are charged an additional £2.
At Charlton, prices range from £17-25 for adults no matter what the opposition is.
Palace’s most expensive ticket costs £39 for a seat in the main stand.
Jordan claims that Palace fans need to pull closer to the club if they want to see the Eagles succeed.
He said, “If Palace fans really think we’re a big club and want to be successful then surely they should come and attend games.
“We all want the club to succeed but it will only succeed if everyone is together.”
Here’s a suggestion, Simon. Make your matchday prices more accessible. Encourage fans who want to sing and improve the atmosphere at the matches to do so. Make the fans feel part of the club, rather than treating them with contempt.
Make going to Selhurst Park an enjoyable, affordable experience for everyone.
Darren Ambrose notched his eighth goal of the season to grab a valuable away point at Deepdale.
The summer signing from Charlton Athletic volleyed home from 20 yards out shortly after Ross Wallace had given the home side the lead.
Palace have made a habit of churning out impressive away displays recently (baring the 2-0 capitulation at Leicester) and the draw keeps the Eagles safely in mid-table.
Palace chairman Simon Jordan says he is ready to bury the hatchet and sell the club to former Birmingham owner David Gold.
The duo have had a frosty relationship since Steve Bruce left Selhurst Park to join the midlands outfit, but now Jordan, who is keen to sell Palace, is ready to talk.
Jordan said: “All that stuff was tongue in cheek and is in the past now.
“The fact is, David Gold is a very successful businessman. He has done very well at Birmingham and made a lot of money, so fair play to him.
“At the moment it’s hypothetical. There’s been no enquiry and no offer, despite the stories in the media, which have all come from his camp.
“My job is to ensure Crystal Palace continue to have a football club, which is very costly and difficult when we’re getting 12,000 through the gate.”
Meanwhile the South London Press are reporting that Gold is also interested in Charlton and West Ham, but it is widely acknowledged that Palace are his first choice on account of his location.
Palace fans witnessed a rare event at Selhurst this afternoon – a goal from a free-kick.
It’s been ages since the Eagles have had a decet set piece taker but Darren Ambrose put his name forward with a beauiful effort in the first-half.
David McGoldrick leveled for the away side just after the break in a game that was as even as it was boring.
Victor Moses missed a “Lakis-esqu” chance just before the break , in a game that also saw Clint Hill escape a red card for ‘elbowing’ an opponant.
Multi-millionaire David Gold could be the man to buy Crystal Palace from want-away owner Simon Jordan.
Gold recently sold Birmingham City to Carson Yeung but has expressed a desire to remain in football.
He told the Croydon Adverstier: “After 16 years as chairman at Birmingham City I am now out of the game and I’m missing it already. I don’t know what to do with my Saturday afternoons.
“Football is in my blood and I’m too young to call it a day.”
The Caterham-based businessman, who made his millions with lingerie company Ann Summers and porno magazine Gold Star, could make a move for Palace, which has been on the market since Simon Jordan decided to sell up.
The only stumbling block could be the freehold of Selhurst Park, which would’t be included in the sale, but a source close to Gold seemed confident that wouldn’t put the businessman off.
The source said: “David sees Crystal Palace as an exciting proposition,” said the source. “He wants to stay involved in football and after years of travelling up and down the motorway he wants a club that is local. There is nowhere more local to him than Crystal Palace, he lives eight miles away from the ground.”
“Most teams in the Championship need a bit of work and Palace is no different.
“The fact that they don’t own the ground isn’t ideal but it is something David thinks could easily be resolved.”
For Palace fans, with the future of the club unresolved for over a year, this could be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Palace were brought back down to earth after a five game unbeaten run with a poor 2-0 defeat at the Walkers Bowl tonight.
Keeper Julian Speroni did his best the Eagles in the game with a string of saves including blocking Matty Fryatt’s 60th minute penalty.
But Paul Gallagher was on hand to tap in the rebound.
Palace manager Neill Warnock was fuming after the game that Gallagher was inside the box when the kick was take, saying: “It was a Sunday league tackle for the penalty but the lad who scored the goal was three yards inside the box when it was taken.
“Rules are rules. We’ve heard all week about a beach ball and then they allow a goal like that. He brushed past the referee on his way into the area so he can’t say he hasn’t seen it.”
Gallagher picked up on a misplaces Danny Butterfield backpass with 10 minutes left and lobbed Speronie from 25-yards to wrap up the three points for the home side.
The racism claim against Crystal Palace by Cardiff City forward Jay Bothroydhas been dropped by the Welsh side.
A statemet relseased from the club read: “Following the publicity that surrounded comments allegedly directed towards Michael Chopra….Cardiff City wish to draw a line under this issue.”
The Football Association may well look into the situation further but it looks like a line has been drawn in the sand.
But for Palace mud often sticks, and the claim could have a negative effect on the image of the club, already not in a popular position with fans of other clubs…mainly for having Neil Warnock in charge.
