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Crystal Palace F.C.

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For the earlier football club of the same name, see Crystal Palace F.C. (founded 1861)

Crystal Palace Football Club is an English professional football team based in the London Borough of Croydon. They currently play in the Coca-Cola Football League Championship, the second level of English football. The club was formed in 1905 by workers at the Crystal Palace, and celebrated its centenary in 2005. Originally known as "The Glaziers" - a reference to their original home in the shadow of Joseph Paxton's enormous glass exhibition hall, the "Eagles" are owned by chairman Simon Jordan.

Club History

1905 Formation

Crystal Palace Football Club was formed on 10 September 1905 by workers at the Crystal Palace, and played its home games on the cup final ground at the The Crystal Palace. The colours chosen were the claret and blue of Aston Villa, a result of the important role in the club's formation played by Edmundo Goodman, an Aston Villa employee who was recommended to the fledgling club by the Villa chairman. Edmund Goodman organised the business side of the club and managed the team from 1907 to 1925. A former amateur player with Villa, Goodman had lost his leg after taking a kick on the knee which he said himself "took bad ways".

Crystal Palace Today

2007-2008

The 2007-08 season started with an impressive win at Southampton, Palace winning by 4-1 with an opening day hat-trick from James Scowcroft, and a single goal from Clinton Morrison, however this proved a false dawn as turned out to be Palace's only win in five league games.

After the 1-1 draw with Coventry City in September, Taylor said he was fearful of losing his job, due to Palace's poor start to the season. He said "I am not confident (of keeping my job) but I just don't know because I have not spoken to Simon (Jordan). If I'm honest, it's not nice when you read that he has been having regular contact with Neil Warnock (who had been speculated to be in line to take over at Palace). I hope I am given time because I enjoy the job. The position we are in is not good enough, but I don't think we are that far away from being a good side."

Sadly for Taylor, performances, and perhaps more crucially results did not pick up, and he was dismissed following a 1-1 draw with former club Hull City in early October.

Neil Warnock - "A Dream Ticket" (2007-)

Unsurprisingly Neil Warnock was then appointed Palace manager less than a week later.

In a press conference at Selhurst Park Neil said "This will be my last job. And I can offer a lot. The chairman Simon Jordan and I are ambitious people who want to achieve. The players have to want to give everything otherwise you will just get steamrollered. We have got to have desire, first and foremost, to be able to win anything. That is what I will be looking for". Palace chairman Simon Jordan described Warnock's appointment as "a dream ticket".

Following Warnock's appointment, and his announcement he would bring in Keith Curle and Mick Jones as coaches; Kit Symons stepped down from his post as First Team coach, and left the club on shortly after Warnock took charge.

Neil's career at Selhurst Park did not start particularly impressively, and football pundit Chris Kamara revealed Warnock had told him that his first six weeks at Palace had been his "hardest job in football so far". However, following a 2-0 defeat at home to Watford at the end of October, the side remarkably improved and remained unbeaten until, coincidentally, a 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Watford, with the run earning Warnock The Championship's "Manager of the Month" award for December. The team went unbeaten in 15 league matches, and have amazed many by climbing into the play-off after looking like candidates for relegation just two months before.

Palace's amazing run finally came to an end on Monday 29 January against Leicester with a 1-0 defeat. Warnock blamed the defeat on the "poor condition" of the pitch and said that the team needed to "get back to basics". The team seemed to fail to do this only picking up 1 point from the next 3 matches. The team could only muster a 1-1 draw at home to Southampton on 2 February but then lost the next two matches. The first being away to South London neighbours Charlton on 8 February which they lost 2-0 and then at home to Ipswich on 12 February which was lost 1-0.

After the Ipswich match Warnock said "I thought one or two experienced players let us down. I was disappointed with certain areas tonight and I've let the players know. We are persevering, and we'll need some players over the summer which is when we will do our business. But we certainly won't give up on the play-offs, anyone can get into them".

Club Records

Club Honours

Current squad

As of 7 March 2008.

Manager - Steve Coppell
To celebrate Crystal Palace's centenary in 2005, the club asked Palace fans to vote for a "Centenary XI". The Centenary XI consists of players whom the Palace faithful have decided were their favourites over the history of the club.

Centenary XI Criticisms

When the Centenary XI was revealed to Palace fans it came under heavy criticism from fans who felt certain players shouldn't have been in the team, or that certain players should have been included.

Fans felt that the Centenary XI only represented the latter years of the clubs history, with the oldest player represented being Jim Cannon, who made his debut in the 1972-1973 season.

Fans felt that players such as record goalscorer Peter Simpson, former goalkeeper John Jackson,Don Rogers and Peter Taylor the latter capped by England whilst Palace were in the third divsion should have been included.Johnny Byrne was another contentious omission having commanded a record transfer fee when he moved to West Ham United in 1963.

Notable Crystal Palace players and Internationals

The following shows players who have received at least one international cap and played for Crystal Palace, or have got over 150 league appearances for the club. The list does not however, show current players who fall into either category. For a list of players who have played for the club see Crystal Palace F.C. players

Australia

China

Ecuador

England

Finland

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Italy

Jamaica

Latvia

Northern Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Scotland

Serbia

Sweden

United States of America

Uruguay

Wales

Managerial history

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L %
John 'Jack' Robson 1905 1907

 77 35 18 24 %
Edmund Goodman 1907 1925

 613 242 166 205 %
Alec Maley 1925 1927

 83 36 16 31 %
Fred Mavin 1927 1930

 132 63 33 36 %
Jack Tresadern 1930 1935

 173 98 44 71 %
Tom Bromilow 1935 1936

 44 23 5 16 %
R.S Moyes 1936 1936

 23 6 6 11 %
Tom Bromilow 1937 1939

 118 48 35 35 %
George Irwin 1939 1947

 46 15 11 19 %
Jack Butler 1947 1949

 88 23 24 41 %
Ronnie Rooke 1949 1950

 62 19 15 28 %
Fred Dawes/Charlie Slade 1950 1951

 40 8 10 22 %
Laurie Scott 1951 1954

 145 43 41 61 %
Cyril Spiers 1954 1958

 181 52 53 76 %
George Smith 1958 1960

 101 42 27 31 %
Arthur Rowe 1960 1962

 132 52 32 48 %
Dick Graham 1962 1966

 150 68 41 41 %
Arthur Rowe 1966 1966

 7 2 2 3 %
Bert Head 1966 1973

 328 101 96 131 %
Malcolm Allison 1973 1976

 146 52 45 49 %
Terry Venables 1976 1980

 189 69 68 52 %
Ernie Walley 1980 1980

 6 1 1 4 %
Malcolm Allison 1980 1981

 9 1 3 5 %
Dario Gradi 1981 1981

 30 7 3 20 %
Steve Kember 1981 1982

 30 8 8 14 %
Alan Mullery 1982 1984

 98 31 27 40 %
Steve Coppell 1984 1993

 442 179 113 150 %
Alan Smith 1993 1995

 108 48 25 35 %
Steve Coppell 1995 1996

 32 9 14 9 %
Dave Bassett 1996 1997

 60 29 15 16 %
Steve Coppell 1997 1998

 51 16 13 22 %
Attilio Lombardo/Tomas Brolin / 1998 1998

 7 2 0 5 %
Ron Noades/Ray Lewington 1998 1998

 2 0 1 1 %
Terry Venables 1998 1999

 31 11 8 12 %
Steve Coppell 1999 2000

 40 17 6 17 %
Alan Smith 2000 2001

 55 14 18 23 %
Steve Kember 2001 2001

 2 2 0 0 100%
Steve Bruce 2001 2001

 18 11 2 5 %
Steve Kember/Terry Bullivant 2001 2001

 4 1 0 3 %
Trevor Francis 2001 2003

 78 28 22 28 %
Steve Kember 2003 2003

 23 7 6 10 %
Kit Symons 2003 2003

 9 3 3 3 %
Iain Dowie 2003 2006

 123 50 29 44 %
Peter Taylor 2006 2007

 60 21 16 23 %
Neil Warnock 2007 Present

 27 10 10 7 %

Statistics are correct as of 17:00, 2 February 2008 (UTC)
Bold Indicates the person has managed the team more than once. Below is a table displaying their managerial statistics over their reign as Crystal Palace F.C. manager.

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L %
Tom Bromilow 1935 1939

 162 71 40 51 %
Arthur Rowe 1960 1966

 139 54 34 51 %
Malcolm Allison 1973 1981

 155 53 48 54 %
Terry Venables 1976 1999

 220 80 76 64 %
Steve Kember 1981 2003

 59 18 14 27 %
Steve Coppell 1984 2000

 596 223 166 207 %
Alan Smith 1993 2001

 163 62 43 58 %

Rivalry

Their arch rivals since the 1970s are the "Seagulls" of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., although for many of their south London based supporters the keenest rivalry remains with Millwall based in Bermondsey five miles (8 km) north of Selhurst Park. A more recent rivalry with Charlton Athletic has also been adopted by some supporters.

The Albion Rivalry

The Palace and Brighton rivalry started only in the mid 1970s, following Palace's relegation to the Third Division in 1974.

The two clubs were among the biggest at that level, attracting large crowds.Although there is over forty miles between the two clubs, a distance that will increase when Brighton & Hove Albion move to the proposed new stadium at Falmer, communications between Croydon and Brighton were good and many fans were keen to travel to an away fixture.

On opening day of the 1974-75 season, Palace's first game at this level in 11 years, Palace went down to a 0-1 defeat at the Goldstone Ground. Palace won the return fixture in March 3-0.

In the 1975-76 season, Palace averaged a division high 20,123 at home and a division high 10,437 away. Brighton averaged 15,343 (second in the division) at home, and 8,476 (fourth in the division). Brighton did the double over Palace, winning 1-0 at Selhurst Park in September, and 2-0 in Brighton in February.

Palace fared better the following season, drawing 1-1 at Brighton in October, and winning the return fixture in March 3-1. In addition to the league matches, the two teams were drawn together in the First Round of the FA Cup in 1976. The first game took place on November 20 at the Goldstone Ground, and Rachid Harkouk came off the bench to score a stunning equaliser and take the match to a replay after a 2-2 draw. Back at Selhurst Park the replay ended up 1-1, with Rachid Harkouk scoring the goal. This meant a second replay being held at Stamford Bridge. The second and final replay ended 1-0 to Palace, with Phil Holder grabbing the only goal but only after a disputed Brian Horton penalty miss. Horton had scored with his first attempt, but the referee ordered the kick to be retaken. Brighton supporters and Brighton manager Alan Mullery were understandably outraged, with Palace fans not surprisingly jubilant. Alan Mullery disparaged Palace fans, an act that would never be forgotten by fans of that time, and made his appointment as manager a few years later all the more surprising.

Both Brighton and Palace were promoted in 1977, Brighton finishing second, Palace finishing third, ensuring that the rivalry would be continued.

In the Second Division, honours between the two clubs finished even, with the two fixtures both ending in draws. 1-1 at Brighton in October, and 0-0 at Selhurst Park the following March. Brighton had the better season however, missing out on promotion on goal difference to Tottenham Hotspur.

1978-1979 saw Brighton pipped to the Championship by Palace's 2-0 over Burnley in their last game of the season. The two derby fixtures finished with a 3-1 win for Palace at Selhurst Park in October, and a 0-0 draw at Brighton in February.

For the first time, the two teams played their derby games in Division One. On Boxing Day 1979, Palace went down 0-3, and in April drew the home game 1-1.

In 1980-1981, Brighton did the double over Palace, winning 3-2 in December at the Goldstone, and 3-0 at Selhurst Park in April.

With Palace being relegated in 1981, it wasn't until the 1984-1985 season that the rivalry was renewed. Again, Brighton had the better of it, winning 1-0 at the Goldstone in September, and drawing 1-1 at Selhurst Park in April.

1985-1986 saw honours shared with Brighton winning their home game 2-0 on New Year's Day, and Palace winning the return 1-0 in March.

Things were even closer the following year, with both teams winning their home games 2-0, Palace on Boxing day, Brighton in March. Unfortunately for the rivalry, Brighton finished the season in last place, and were relegated.

Brighton returned for the 1988-1989 season, and on Boxing Day Palace went down to a 1-3 defeat in Brighton. On Easter Monday, Palace won the return game 2-1, a game that is in the record books for five awarded penalties (Brighton scored 1 of 1, Palace 1 of 4). Palace were promoted at the end of the season

In 1990-1991, the two clubs were drawn together in the Full Member's Cup, and on a freezing Monday night in February, Division One Palace defeated Second Division Brighton 2-0 after extra-time.

In 1992, Brighton were relegated to the Old Division Three, and in 1996 were relegated again, to the Old Division Four. They later came within a whisker of losing their league place altogether. Football fans from all clubs recognised that Brighton were the victims of mismanagement at this time, and Palace fans were among those showing support for Brighton's plight at various protests organised by fans to publicise their plight.

The rivalry was revived in October 2002, during the season in which Brighton and Palace returned to the same division as each other. With Palace beating Brighton 5-0 at Selhurst Park the rivalry was reignited. The game at Brighton finished 0-0.

In the 2005-2006 season, for the first time for in over two decades, Brighton beat Palace at Selhurst Park 1-0 on October 18, but a month later, on November 20, Palace gained revenge with a last minute goal by Jobi McAnuff winning the game for Palace 3-2. This is a fierce rivalry, often resulting in rioting and confrontation between fans.

The rivalry has been on the wane for some years as the sides have rarely met at First Team level and for some supporters the rivalries with Millwall and Charlton are now of greater significance.

The full record from a Palace perspective since 1974 is

Home Away Neutral Total
P 15 W 7 D 4 L 4 F 22 A 13 P 16 W 2 D 5 L 9 F 13 A 26 P 1 W 1 D 0 L 0 F 1 A 0 P 32 W 10 D 9 L 13 F 36 A 39

The Millwall Rivalry

As with most historic rivalries this rivalry grew through the locality of both teams. Millwall are geographically Palace's nearest team being based five miles (8 km) north of Selhurst Park at The New Den. The rivalry was fierce from the beginning and is usually an intense culture clash between suburban South East London (Palace) and inner-city South East London (Millwall). At various times the Management of the two clubs have been close, with many players and staff transfering between the two clubs throughout the last hundred years.

The two teams have met ninety times in all competitions, Millwall having the edge, with the Eagles winning twenty-seven times to the Lions' thirty-seven. This fixture also set a Division Four (now League Two) attendance record that is unlikely to ever be broken, when over 37,000 south Londoners turned up to see both teams battle out a promotion six-pointer in 1961.

Whilst the rivalry with Brighton takes precedent amongst many Palace supporters there is a minority who see this rivalry as of greater historical and emotional importance.

Shirt sponsors

  • 1905 - 1983 None
  • 1983 - 1984 Red Rose
  • 1984 - 1985 None
  • 1985 - 1986 Top Score
  • 1986 - 1987 AVR
  • 1987 - 1988 Andrew Copeland
  • 1988 - 1991 Fly Virgin
  • 1991 - 1993 Tulip Computers
  • 1993 - 1999 TDK
  • 1999 - 2000 Various Sponsors- There was no permanent sponsor due to the club being in administration.
  • 2000 - 2006 Churchill Insurance
  • 2006 - present GAC Logistics

Stadium Information

Trivia

  • Were hosts of first official ground-share (excluding war time arrangements) when Charlton Athletic F.C. shared with them.
  • During the Second World War Millwall F C played home games at Selhurst Park after The Den was bombed.
  • Were the first club to have been hosts of more than one official ground-share (at different times), when Wimbledon F.C. moved in.
  • Provided Ireland defender Roy McCracken, the first ever international player from the Third Division.
  • Provided England striker Johnny Byrne while in the Third Division.
  • Provided England midfielder Peter Taylor while in the Third Division.
  • Is the only English or Scottish team whose name starts with five consonants.
  • The 'Eagles' nickname arose during the management tenure of Malcolm Alison who adopted the colours of F.C. Barcelona and incorporated the Eagle into the Palace badge for the first time.
  • At various times Crystal Palace have played in all four tiers of the Football League/ Premiership.
  • Crystal Palace hold the record (four) for the most number of relegations from the Premiership
  • Real Madrid were the visitors for a friendly to celebrate the installation of floodlights in 1962.
  • Glad All Over by The Dave Clark Five was adopted as the club song in 1964. It is played when the teams come out for each home match and when Palace score

References

See also

External links

Official Website

Match Day Radio Station

Crystal Palace Fan Sites



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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 10:01:20 PDT (GMT -0700)
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