A dull midtable finish for Palace last season after the play off heartbreak of the previous campaign, and Neil Warnock will do well to avoid a similar season this time around.
Last Season – 15th After Neil Warnock had led them into the play offs in 2007/08 and been unlucky to lose in the semi final against Bristol City much was expected of Palace last season who were tipped as a dark horse by many. Things started well when they secured the services of City’s best player Nick Carle but ultimately they endured a drab campaign, noticed by the rest of the teams in the division only when they were forced to trek down to South London where they found a widely disliked chairman and manager and a niggly, horrible team. They never once threatened to be promoted or relegated and crashed out of both major cup competitions two matches in. All in all very dull indeed, and they lost teen age star John Bostock to Tottenham’s reserves into the bargain.
Head to Head: For once I am able to write that QPR had the same manager, Paulo Sousa, in charge for both legs of a fixture last season – however not surprisingly both matches finishes scoreless. Paulo Sousa had only just taken over when the R’s outplayed Palace at Selhurst Park before Christmas, and he was just days away from having his contract terminated when the Eagles came and kicked their way through rangers in a similarly drab affair at Loftus Road in April.
Palace 0 QPR 0
QPR 0 Palace 0
Odds: It doesn’t seem as though the bookies have much faith in things getting particularly better or worse at Selhurst Park this season with odds of between 33/1 (BetFred, Ladbrokes, Coral) and 25/1 (various) placing them slap bang in the middle of the predicted league table.
The Manager: What is there left to say about Neil Warnock? A success at most of his 11 clubs as a manager, but a constant irritant to fans of the other 91 league clubs wherever he has been. He won the Conference with Scarborough in 1987, two promotions with Notts County in the early 90s, one promotion with Huddersfield and another with Plymouth, FA Cup and League Cup semi finals and promotion to the Premiership with Sheffield United and then the play offs with Crystal Palace. He knows what he is doing, and his teams do not play bad football on the whole, but his constant chirruping away in post match interviews and at other managers and referees rubs most up the wrong way. The thing you have to understand is it is never Warnock’s fault. Sheffield United’s relegation from the Premiership was almost entirely down to him in my opinion – the players he bought, the tactics he used, the things he said i.e. claiming United were safe after a home victory against West Ham. The whole Carlos Tevez affair since has clouded that issue and typified the blame game Warnock likes to play when things have not gone his way. Warnock’s list of disputes is a mile long but just to give you a flavour he and Stan Ternant hate each other with a passion, Graham Poll is a regular foe of his, Warnock was filmed flicking a V at Norwich boss Nigel Worthington after he’d apparently refused to shake hands after a match, and he has even fallen out with Sean Bean. I actually find Warnock quite entertaining most of the time and often find myself chuckling away at his antics but sometimes he is a bit much and I am not sure how I would have coped had the rumours about him coming to QPR earlier this summer proved to be true. Warnock is, by his own admission, coming to the end of his career now and won’t seek another job after this one. There is a danger of both him and palace stagnating with that in mind, particularly if he announces that this is to be his last season, and although the pair are said to be friends chairman Simon Jordan is notoriously trigger happy.
Survival Chances 5/10
Players: Palace have added Southampton striker Stern John to their attack this summer. Warnock has always loved his strikers, signing one a week at Sheffield United, or so it seemed. John is a bit of an enigma – he does not look like a footballer and does not seem to have any stand out strengths like pace, touch, flair, power but he scores goals in this league with decent frequency. He bagged just three last year which suggests his powers may be on the wane but Warnock has extracted the best from such seemingly limited players before. He will need to, because a front line of Stern John and Alan Lee is scaring nobody on paper – it is vital that West Ham’s Freddy Sears fulfils his potential during a season long loan deal. Victor Moses is an outstanding young talent, and Sean Scannell isn’t far behind him, Nick Carle and Neil danns are solid midfield players in this league, and the role of omnipresent clogger in the centre of all Warnock’s teams is filled by Shaun Derry. At the back Palace are trying to add Claude Davis who was there on loan last season and attempted to detach Sam Di Carmine’s head from his neck with a single swing of his boot last season. Nathaniel Clyne is a classy full back and yet another product of Palace’s hugely successful academy set up – QPR take note.
Likely Star Player – Victor Moses
Transfers:
In:
Freddy Sears from West Ham United – Loan
Darren Ambrose from Charlton Athletic – Free
Stern John from Southampton – Free
Out:
Carl Fletcher to Plymouth Argyle – Free
Scott Flinders to Hartlepool United – Free
Paul Ifill to Wellington – Free
John Oster – Released
James Scowcroft to Leyton Orient – Free
Ryan Carolan – Released
James Dayton – Released
Jamie Smith – Released
David Wilkinson – Released
Rhoys Wiggins to Norwich City - Loan
Prediction: Palace have enough quality young players to cause teams problems and nobody will relish facing either Moses or Sears if he can fulfil the potential shown at West Ham. However they provide merely fancy decoration to an otherwise stodgy cake and it is hard to see them doing a great deal better or worse than last season.
Verdict: Mid table mediocrity.