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- [00:00]
Ayo Akimolere
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Dom Fifield
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- [01:47]
Ayo Akimolere
The Athletic FC welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me, Ayo Akimolere. 2026 hasn't started well for Crystal Palace. Captain sold 12 games without a win and sliding down the table. So how much danger are palace actually in? All right, in with us today we've got our Crystal palace correspondent Matt Woosnam. We've also got Dom Fifield as well. Let's get into this. On Monday, the transfer window closed. In the window, palace twice broke their transfer record by bringing in Brendan Johnson and Jorgenstrandlas. And Matt, your latest article though on the Athletic refers to Palace's chaotic window in many respects. How much madness was there going on behind the scenes?
- [02:33]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, it was pretty crazy window for Palace. Quite unusual really for such a hive of activity, but perhaps not so unusual for it to be so late. But as you say, broke the club record twice spending a huge amount of money, which again is quite unlike palace. And it could have been a lot more as well. They had quite a few options that they were exploring to bring in. But yeah, it was just, it was a bit mad really, for Palace.
- [02:58]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah. And Dom, you've raised concerns on a podcast, I think we did, after the FA cup defeat to Macclesfield. And you've raised concerns about, you know, the money spent over the summer. But I mean, look, they've broken their transfer record twice. I mean, why is it so doom and gloom at this moment in time?
- [03:14]
Dom Fifield
Yeah, they can't win, can they? People have a go at them when they don't spend money and then people have a go at them when they do spend money. Obviously it's the people they brought in because these are guys that are very different from the profile that Crystal palace would normally recruit at this time in the window. Now I actually, I have a bit of sympathy for palace on this front because I think they were, they went into this January window trying to solve problems. If you look at the three players that or the two players that ended up leaving and then Mateta, who's still there, Ezra left right at the end of the summer window. 300 first team appearances under his, under his belt for various clubs. Mark Gage was always a possibility that he might leave in this window. He did 250 first team appearances for the club for Swansea and Palace. And then Jean Philippe Mateta, who you know, you can't see playing for palace again, certainly no time soon. 340 odd appearances for palace, that's 900 first team appearances between those three. Are you taking them out? They're not. You're not taking them out the squad, you're taking them out the first team. So palace are actually in a rather strange situation, one that he'd always dreaded really, where two or three of their stars would leave in very quick time. They usually sold one at most in a window and they needed to replace them and they needed to replace them with players who are Premier League ready, who could come in and be secured mid season. Not easy. And really on, on paper, that's what they've done. Strand Larsen, 250 appearances. Evan Gassar, 192. Brennan Johnson, 260. That's 700 appearances. And all for players that their average age is a lot, lot lower than the three that departed. So you can't judge a transfer window as much as we like to. You can't judge a transfer window as soon as the deadline passes. You judge a transfer window in three months time, six months time, nine months time even. So let's have a look and see how well these three guys settle in at the club and whether they have an impact, whether they take palace to the Conference League title and Europa League football, whether they keep them in the division and then judge whether this was a good window or not. And that's the only time you can do it. It's very difficult to, to judge, make a snap judgment on the transfer window purely by the money that's been spent.
- [05:32]
Ayo Akimolere
The way you're looking at this squad right now, obviously we'll talk about the Premier League a little later. Does this look like a squad that can compete all the way through to the Europa Conference League final?
- [05:41]
Dom Fifield
Well, I mean it really should, shouldn't it? Let's be honest, it's, it's the, the least onerous of the European competitions. I think palace have got the biggest budget in the competition. They probably established as favorites despite their rather sloppy performance in the, in the group stage. Yeah, all three of those players go into the squad. All three of them add something different. The fact that Crystal palace aren't in the FA cup and aren't in the League cup and I think their Premier League ambitions have been tempered slightly probably means that they can concentrate a bit more on the Conference League. And yeah, I'd expect them to go very, very deep in that competition, if not, if not win it. I think a lot of people at the start of the season probably thought they should win it anyway. But they've now got a squad that's probably a bit slightly better attuned to going deep into that competition.
- [06:23]
Ayo Akimolere
Okay, I'm hoping that's one of the many positives we'll try and touch on in this podcast. Gents. Matt, let's talk about the recruitment. You know, how different has that department been since Dougie Friedman left?
- [06:33]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, so obviously Friedman left. I think it was March time. So it's almost a year since Dougie Friedman left Palace. Matt Hobbs came in, the former Walls born director. That's really the main change is that Steve Parish, the chairman of work with Dougie Freeman for such a long time they knew each other really well, they trusted each other. So for someone new to come in to change things around and see what was going on and get settle in a bit like the players really get these new guys settle in, I'm sure it's quite challenging. I think that he's come in and he's on a short term contract, so we'll See what happens with his future. In my interview with Steve Parish back in December, he sort of spoke about potentially changing the structure of the recruitment and making it a bit bigger and a bit broader and more of a department rather than kind of relying on one person. And I think that's a sensible thing for a club like palace to do. So it is different and I think he'll look different still. And I think they're still working out exactly what life after Dougie Freeman looks like.
- [07:35]
Ayo Akimolere
Can we talk about Mark Gahey? Because I don't think it was a surprise that he left in January, considering all the speculation over the summer in general. How much of a bigger hole does that leave Matt for Palace? We've talked about recruitment elsewhere, but I mean, that's the club captain mid season gone.
- [07:50]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, I mean, it's impossible to replace him. Like he's such an incredibly talented player, but also, you know, in the squad, a big part of the squad as well as in off the pitch, big part of the dressing room. And yeah, he, he's not. He's someone who leads by example and I think palace will miss that. But actually palace, his problems are at the other end of the pitch. They're not really at the back, they're more up the other end of the pitch not scoring goals, which is why they focused on trying to get goalscorers and did indeed, you know, do that in the winter window. But ye clearly they're going to massively miss Gay and the fact they didn't get anyone in despite their best efforts to replace him is going to be somewhat of a problem. You have got Chadi Riyadh coming back from injury after a very long time out. But again, he's inexperienced as well. It's not like he played a lot of games and got injured and then come back, but he's someone that they'll certainly look at to fill that gap. You might think that Oliver Glasner might change the system, but he said that he won't do that. He kind of implied he might and then change his mind. So, yeah, look, it's impossible to replace him. He's such an incredibly talented player. And palace, if palace were to replace him, how do you replace someone who in other circumstances would have gone for 60, 60 million or so? Palace just can't do that at this moment in time.
- [09:09]
Ayo Akimolere
The name JD Campos, one that comes into mind, the lad from Toulouse that they brought in, Darmi, in many respects, I don't know if that's a direct replacement or not, but not necessarily the defensive qualities of players. But I guess it's also the leadership you're losing from. Marque, a point in which you're looking for a team to that fight to try and see out the season.
- [09:27]
Dom Fifield
In many respects, yeah, that's not ideal at all. You say that there was a good chance he was going to leave in January. There wasn't really, because if Manchester City center hards hadn't dropped like flies, they wouldn't have moved for him in January either. So he would have been at palace until the end of the season and then moved on a free transfer. So Matt's right. You can't replace a player of that caliber in January. You can try. I mean, they put bids in for Arau at Benfica and Ordonez at Bruges and they didn't come off largely because clubs don't want to lose key players mid season. I mean, Benfica have got a Champions League tie against Real Madrid coming up. They don't want to lose one of their best center halves ahead of that. So. So I mean that's hence the sort of looking at Ethan Pinnock as a sort of stop gap until the end of the season. There was a logic to doing it that way because the model, as has been explained previously, the idea is that you have replacements coming lined up when, when a big player leaves. I don't think palace have ever really got that exactly right. They certainly not as slick as the Brighton and Hove Albion recruitment department when it comes to that. But that said, I think you're more likely to get a ready made replacement for Mark Gay in the summer than you are in January just because of the caliber of player that you've got to bring in to fill in that hole, that void that's been left behind. So it'd be a massive, massive, massive miss. And he'll do brilliantly well at Manchester City over time once he's settled in there and palace have to get by. I wonder now that palace might have gone the other way. And Matt says that their priorities was very much at the front line. But it feels an awfully long time since palace looked defensively stable as well. So you know it's going to those, those forwards better start scoring because we.
- [11:11]
Matt Woosnam
Might have to be on that point though, Dom. I would just say that a big part of that I think is because of the pressure that's gone on the defense as a result of, I would say in large Sean Philippe Mateta missing really good chances. I think that just puts a lot of pressure on the defense, especially the way that Palace Play in trans position. I think a large part of the defensive vulnerability. And also Mark Gay was part of that team that was, I think, was it nine games. I think he played in that winless run. So there's part of that there. But I do think some of it at least has to go down to the poor, poor finishing from the whole team.
- [11:46]
Ayo Akimolere
Well, you've kind of led me to my next question. Matt, Jean, Philippe, Mateta. Where do we even start with this one, gents? I've really loved watching him as a football fan. I went to watch him in Marseille when he played for France in the Olympics under Thierry. Brilliant player. I'd say the last two seasons for him have been really magnificent. Maybe not this season so far, but I mean, where do we start with this one? Can he spare his blushes and come back into this squad, Matt? I mean, how do we deal with this?
- [12:15]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, it's going to be difficult if he. I mean, the first thing is what happens with his injury. He's got a knee problem and that was part of the problem with the move to AC Milan that was proposed and could have happened. And also elsewhere. He could have gone elsewhere. But you. The knee was part of the problem with that. There were other issues around that deal, but that was certainly part of it. So what happens with his knee, whether or not he needs an operation, whether he goes for an operation. Also, palace obviously have just absolutely obliterated, not just broken, but obliterated their transfer record to sign Jurgen Strand Larsen. So they're not going to put him on the bench. And Glass is only going to play with one up front. And Matta's out of form. He is Palace's top scorer, but he is out of form as well. I think we have accept that maybe that's partly because of the knee injury. So the chances, as I think Dom said this earlier, the chances of him playing for palace anytime soon are pretty, pretty limited. But I think palace are probably expecting to sell him in the summer. By then he'll have 12 months left on his contract. There's been negotiations around that contract since 2020, summer 2024. So, you know, sort of 18 months. They've been well before that. They've been talking about, you know, getting a new contract and he hasn't wanted that. He wanted to go and play in the Champions League. And yeah, I think we saw some comments from Dean Henderson after the Nottingham Forest game, which were kind of quite loaded. It felt he talked about players, kind of the implication was talking about players who wanted to be there There was no mention of Mateta, of course, but it kind of felt like it was aimed at Mateta and the fans. You know, the fans were singing critical songs of him. They were singing the Wilfried Saha song at fore. After that spat between Mateta and Saha on social media, they sang other songs that were critical of Mateta. So it's going to be hard for him to win them back as well. So it's not looking great for him at palace in his future.
- [14:15]
Dom Fifield
Can I just say, I mean, I actually feel a bit sorry for Jean Philippe Mateta because I think he's been unbelievably poorly advised. Really, really poorly advised. There's been a contract, as Matt says, on the table for him at palace since the summer of 2024 on improved terms that would have been put him right up there with the club's biggest earners. And he just did. He never signed it. He was told not to sign it because it would. I don't know what. I don't know the logic with that for. I mean, why would you do that? Why would you not at least earn really, really well until that move comes? He's seen other players at the club sign terms and be sold, Michael Alise being the. The principal example of that. But also, you know, he got his move after signing improved terms and he hasn't signed it. And then they forced a move, they tried to force a move at the worst possible time. The worst possible time. The player is enduring his worst spell of form since pre Glasner. He's got a knee problem that is clearly hampering him and probably really affecting that form. And the way he's playing games, I mean, there's a sympathy there, but why would you then try and force a move mid season? So now he's in a complete state of limbo. If he's done it to try and get his World cup ambitions realigned, that was my thought.
- [15:25]
Ayo Akimolere
Is that why? I mean. Or just stay where you are and banging the goals if you can.
- [15:29]
Dom Fifield
Exactly. I mean, is he going to get more games at Crystal palace or is he going to get more games in the Premier League or more games at Milan in Italy? I just don't see it. And look, let's be honest, any club that spends a lot of money on him mid season is going to want him to hit the ground running. And if he's carrying a knee problem, which is going to require surgery, potentially, potentially, and they're going to keep him out for a while, then why would they spend the money now. Honestly, it's completely misguided. His last opportunity to show Didier Deschamps what he can do ahead of the World cup squad effectively is in the March Internationals. And now he's probably not going to even be fit enough to play in those March Internationals. So I do wonder now whether he'll end up he'll end up leaving Crystal palace in the summer, but he may well end up out of France's squad as well. And it's I don't want to blame him, but he's been poorly, poorly advised.
- [16:17]
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- [19:01]
Ayo Akimolere
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- [20:15]
Dom Fifield
Yeah, I mean that's what happens. I would say that's what happens at quite a lot of of middle table middle class Premier League teams that hit their ceiling and, and they just get their best talents get cherry picked by the elite. That's what happens. That's almost inevitably, it's just, it's just the food chain in, in English football. But in Palace's case, I've seen this, I'm old enough to have seen this twice before. I mean I've actually got behind me here, there's a picture of Malcolm Allison there and that isn't from the team of the 80s, but I think that's when he returned to the club when the team of the 80s was unraveling. But palace had one of the most exciting football teams emerging from the 1970s going into the 80s in the top division were top of the league briefly at the end of 1979. And that that team actually sparked by the sale of a player to Arsenal, come to think of it, disintegrated and you know, they spent the 80s in the second division and with crowds a fraction of what they used to be, you fast Forward to the 90s and Crystal palace finished third in the top division, denied a place in in Europe by a late reprieve for Liverpool by UEFA. And oh, there's a player sold to Arsenal. And suddenly it all unravels. And now here we are, what, FA cup winners. Ye and farewell ebbs and thanks very much.
- [21:39]
Ayo Akimolere
I'm sorry the big money of Arsenal have come in again to pick one of Palace's best prospects. But I mean, look, is that just something you accept as a fan of a club in Palace's position that it will never be as good for a long period of time? I mean, last season was phenomenal. I mean, I think across the football world everyone was quite happy to see palace do really well. But I don't know what it's like to sit in that position where you're thinking, I don't know how long this will actually last off.
- [22:05]
Dom Fifield
I think the realistic Crystal palace fans out there, myself included, made sure we really, really enjoyed the summer of 2025, the day in May, and then the community Shield at the start of the season because we suspected it might go this way. I mean, that is what palace have been telling their players when they've been buying these young talents who have then developed, you know, we are a stepping stone to, for you to in your careers. So, you know, there's an inevitability at some point they all leave. As said before, you don't want them all leaving at once. And I think that's really the problem here. And the issue here, coupled with the, the managerial situation and a manager who maybe didn't quite grasp it in the same way and maybe wants to break that cycle. But I'm not sure that cycle can be broken really. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. Palace fans will always have the summer of 2025. They will all always have that. They're also. Let's not exaggerate. We've got. There's still a chance that Crystal palace go on and win a European trophy this season. I mean it's not, it's not all doom and gloom. Need to start winning games again to get to raise the mood and to, to banish that specter of Premier League relegation, because they are, you know, it was only in December 7, I think the palace were fourth in the division. So I mean it's, it's, it's been a slide, but maybe a few wins just restores a bit of order and respect to the, to the campaign and then let's see how far they go in Europe because if they lift that trophy in Leipzig, for all that's happened in the context of Crystal palace history, it would still be a really, really significant season and one of huge progress, bizarrely, although it doesn't feel like it at the moment.
- [23:48]
Ayo Akimolere
Matt, do you think palace will ever be or have the opportunity to be a team like Aston Villa, for instance, who are trying to break into some sort of top up echelon of football?
- [23:57]
Matt Woosnam
I think they have to believe that they can. I think what's the point of not aspiring to be like that and not dreaming?
- [24:04]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah, but is that delusion or is that reality? I mean, I'm not a Palace fan, but I can imagine there is a dream. But there's also a reality when, yes, you bring another kid in. Pino. If Pino has another great season at palace, you can see him not being there next season.
- [24:17]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, I think they need to improve their infrastructure and get more money from elsewhere. That's the main thing, especially with, I think the problem for palace as well is the new financial rules as well. That's another thing, I think that drove some of their business this window as well as an eye on what they might lose in the summer and replacements. But yeah, I think it's very hard to get anywhere in the Premier League now. I'm sure Matt Slater will tell you all about the finances and Chris Weatherspoon will as well. But I think it's extremely difficult for palace to reach a level of Aston Villa. But I don't think it's completely impossible. I think with the right signings, with the right decisions, with luck, I don't think it's impossible to get there, stay there, maybe that's another matter. But you know, palace been in the Premier League for time now. I think their idea is to continue their steady progress and their gradual progress and sometimes that's not enough for people and I can understand that. We always want more. It's not enough for Oliver Glasner, that's for sure. But I think it's challenging but not impossible.
- [25:22]
Ayo Akimolere
Well, I mean, let's talk about Glasner. As you've mentioned it, Matt, he's mentioned he's leaving at the end of the season. What's going on here?
- [25:31]
Matt Woosnam
He told Paris Steve Parish over dinner during the October international break that he wasn't going to sign a new contract with the. And they sort of agreed to keep that between themselves. And then obviously he then came out with that in an outburst, an astonishing press conference. It was absolutely crazy just before the Sunderland palace played Sunderland a few weeks ago now. But I think palace will be looking at new managers, to be honest. I think palace may sort of revert a little bit to someone that they sort of have more familiarity with a style of play, that they have more familiarity with a manager that they maybe know a bit more about someone like that, someone who's perhaps less emotional and a bit more grounded and probably less ambitious. But I think it's hard to be more ambitious than Glasner, to be honest. From day one, it's been clear how much he. And I think again, as Steve Parish told me, you do have to have someone in the club who wants to push you forward and who does that have that ambition? So I think they will look at various different types of managers and, you know, it won't necessarily be a domestic manager again, but I wouldn't rule that out either. But I think it will be at the end of the season that palace replace their manager, not before, most likely.
- [26:49]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah, dumb. It's such a tricky one, isn't it, on who comes in after Glassner? Because, yeah, Matt's spoken about, you know, the emotion and all that, but it is that that has allowed palace to win trophies. Right. Like, do you need a disruptor or do you just need someone that just does what palace love to do?
- [27:04]
Dom Fifield
Do I think palace have loved what's happened the majority of the time that Glassner's been there? Let's, let's be honest, it's, you know, they were in our uncharted territory in many ways and, and he has set the bar a bit higher. So whoever comes in has got to match that. Not. Not least because the supporters will expect it. The supporters won't put up with a sort of regression to, oh, great, we're, we're back at 12th and we've been knocked out of both cup competitions very early on. They want to see evidence that they. Whoever comes in can take, can kick it on, can take it onto the next level, whatever that is. Maybe somebody that's slightly more predictable. In press conferences, we might see that. I think that's probably unnerved the hierarchy quite a bit what's happened in the last month. But look, it's not an easy, it's not an easy thing and the problem they've got is I suspect the majority of their candidates will be currently employed. The people they would like to take over, they'll be employed at the moment. So realistically nothing's going to happen in terms of appointing a long term, a successor until the summer. But depending on where the team form goes, I, I, I, I do think there's a bit of a tinderbox situation at the moment at palace if, if, if they continue to lose games and Brighton away at the weekend is a massive one and has proved to be a sort of graveyard for Crystal palace managers in recent seasons if they continue to lose games. And I suspect that Oliver Glasner's position is almost untenable really because he's, we're in that sort of situation, that sort of Fergie, I'm off at the end of the season situation where everything has sort of, and you know, how do you command the respect of a squad if they know you're jumping ship in a few months time? So it's, it's a really difficult one. He, he really needs for his own reputation, he needs to turn this around. He needs to work with these new players, make sure that palace click and get back to something that's more recognizable from, from the start of the season or from last season. Then he can leave with his head held high, you know, hopefully with a trophy in Leipzig. But if it doesn't, if the next few weeks are more misery, I mean, not least with games against Burnley and Wolves at home to come, if they lose those, I don't see how he does finish the season. And then you're in an awful situation for palace where you have to try and find someone who can stave off the threat of relegation in. You know, I don't think firefighting managers are particularly en vogue at the moment. They're not, you know, there isn't a Tony Poolis equivalent really out there at the moment. So welcome Pards.
- [29:30]
Ayo Akimolere
Do you reckon it can really damage manager's potential new employer when they see people like Blasna, Amarim Mareska in these press conferences to the press just going ham on, on the leadership and the clubs that they're at? Because I'm thinking if I'm going to spend a lot of money on, on buying into someone's philosophy as someone who runs a club, I Kind of want them to play the game a little bit dumb.
- [29:53]
Dom Fifield
Well, it must do, mustn't it? I mean, it's. It's not a good look. It's. The optics are terrible. I would say that every big Premier League club out there, let's say Premier League for now, but probably every big club on the planet thinks that they can change people. They won't happen. That won't happen with us. He won't do that with us. We're different to Crystal Palace, Eintracht, Frankfurt, Wolfsburg. Oh, wait a minute. There's a bit of a recurring theme here. So there will be faith that they can be different, that they can change him, they can make him more malleable and he will accept what, you know, how they run the club. But on one level, the alarm bells will have been ringing. Definitely. Definitely. Because you can't have somebody, an employee of your. Of the club, just come out and say the things that he did.
- [30:38]
Matt Woosnam
Even.
- [30:38]
Dom Fifield
Even if, you know he was justified in a lot of the things he said and even if it's completely understandable the level of frustration that he was. He was voicing. You just don't do that in public, unfortunately.
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- [33:05]
Podcast Announcer
You're listening to the Athletic FC podcast with IowaKimule.
- [33:09]
Ayo Akimolere
Matt, I want to sort of harbor in on where palace are at right now. 12 games without winning all competitions. Dom has mentioned, you know, that after the last Premier League win over Fulham on the 7th of December, palace were actually 4th. They're now 15th. Let's talk about relegation. How likely is it that they get dragged into this relegation situation? Because for all the glory of last season and how it all ended, perhaps they might still do well in Europe. But there is still the Premier League to think about.
- [33:38]
Matt Woosnam
Palace are not going to get relegated. Straight up. They're not getting relegated.
- [33:42]
Ayo Akimolere
Okay, he's putting it down.
- [33:43]
Matt Woosnam
Okay, if palace get relegated, you can clip this up, put it on social media, tag me and put me in the stocks publicly.
- [33:54]
Ayo Akimolere
All right, if you've got to say it with your chest, say it with your chest. Matt.
- [33:57]
Matt Woosnam
Two years ago, palace were in a pretty bad situation and Oliver Glasser took over and pushed him forward.
- [34:03]
Dom Fifield
Forward.
- [34:03]
Matt Woosnam
The reason I'm being a bit silly, but I don't think palace is going to get relegated. Opta had it down before the Forest game. I haven't looked after, but before the Forest game It was a 2% chance of relegation. They got a point out of that Forest game. They're a point further away from West Ham, who are now, I think, nine points behind palace for West Ham to bridge that gap. And also Leeds are down there as well. So for that gap to be bridged would take something extraordinary, I think, which isn't impossible, but very, very unlikely. Palace has got key players coming back. Ishmael Assad are, Daniel Munoz are back. Daichi Kamada in the midfield should be back for the Brighton game. And the chances of palace not winning games again is just so low. I think, as Glasner sort of said in one of his press conferences, they weren't so good as to go on 19 games unbeaten and they're not so bad to have gone 12 games without a win in all competitions. So I'm very optimistic, as you can tell, to counter Dom's relative pessimism. It may come back and bite me, but two years ago I. I wrote a piece saying the palace probably or almost certainly wouldn't be relegated. When actually I felt, you know what I should have said they definitely won't get relegated. So here's me coming back and saying that they won't get relegated. But I do think if, and it is a very big if, palace do start to slide down much closer towards relegation and if things go very badly on Sunday, I can see Glasnow departing sooner rather than later. But I think the fans have a lot to play in this. I think the fan reaction and the way that they are. And if palace get absolutely battered on Sunday, then fine. I can see Glassner going. I'm not saying that'll definitely happen, of course, but it's possible. I think the most likely outcome is that palace will pick up some wins and he'll see out the end of the season and they'll just trundle along till the end of the season. But at the same time, I think. I think given everything that's happened, he is under a lot more pressure and a lot more scrutiny. He hasn't helped himself. And again, as I say, the fact he's kind of to some extent lost the fans a bit, not completely, but they booed him. I couldn't believe, given where they were, given that a month ago they were singing his name to last Christmas at Shelbourne away in the Conference League. And then a month later they're booing him after the Sunderland game and they're booing Jean Philippe, Mateta and you just wouldn't believe how quickly things. Things can change. So again, that's another reason why I wouldn't completely say 100% he'll see out this season because things can really quickly change and if palace think that they're going to get relegated or very good chance of getting relegated, they will act. And that's why they acted part. Again, partly why they acted the way they did in the winter window is because they didn't want to risk getting relegated because it would be catastrophic for the club. And that is always going to be. Their aim is to avoid relegation. And I know Glasna gets frustrated with that and I can understand why, but that does have to be the Very first aim of palace is avoid relegation.
- [37:08]
Ayo Akimolere
Tommy, he almost got a bit tribal there. I'm loving this, really enjoying that. I'll leave you with the last couple of questions on this one, then, really. I mean, Brighton this weekend, an opportunity to galvanize this team for a derby, which I don't think many people understand much. So can I ask you to, one, explain why it is a rivalry and a derby, but secondly, a great opportunity for palace to get back to winning ways as well.
- [37:31]
Dom Fifield
Well, well, it's a rivalry really, born of familiarity. The clubs came up from the third tier to the top division together alongside each other over a succession of years in the 70s. A lot of games against each other, a lot of fractious games against each other, including an FA cup first round tie. I think that went to five matches, two of which were postponed due to the weather, and one eventually played at Stamford Bridge on a neutral venue, which was very, very controversial. Game, game, which palace emerged very fortunate to emerge victorious. And then Alan Mullery, the Brighton manager, had some coffee thrown at him as he was leaving the. Leaving the pitch and threw a load of small change at the feet of the palace fans and sort of said, that's all you're worth, Palace. And it sort of escalated from there, really. But it's, it's a. It's a good rivalry. I mean, it's. It's. Every team needs one, obviously, and it does galvanize the fan base still, in a positive way. Way. In a positive way. He says there have been some incidents over the years. Yeah, well, incidents over the years that haven't been particularly positive, but there you go. But that's just. That's just football for you, I suppose. Yeah, it is an opportunity. Definitely. It was an opportunity last season after a dreadful start, the worst start palace had had in the top division. And then they went to. To Brighton. I think it was in December when they'd recovered a bit by then, but they. They still weren't playing to their full potential and they, they were brilliant that day. They won 31 and were absolutely excellent. And from that moment on, their season kicked on all the way to Wembley. So it is an opportunity. Palace have got to turn this around sooner rather than later. And if they did that at Brighton, then it would actually heal a lot of wounds. I mean, if Strand Larsen and Guessant and Brendan Johnson make an impact in that game, then they're already cult heroes at Crystal Palace. I mean, that's a real chance for them to hit the ground running and to make a mark and to win the fan base over and suddenly, suddenly, you know, the fees, the size of the fees that have been paid go out the window. No one cares about that anymore, so they've got to look at it as a chance to show what they can do. Glasner, if he, if he wins that match, will suddenly become a hero again and he can look forward to the rest of the season with a bit more confidence. But there's always the flip side to that, isn't there? I guess if things don't go well, then, yeah, then the agony is prolonged a bit longer. So, yeah, we'll see. It'd be a great occasion. It's always, it's always feisty, it's always, it's always good. And it'll probably end up n actually, well, not. Not with palace not being able to keep clean sheet anymore. So it had to be well won.
- [40:00]
Matt Woosnam
Brilliant.
- [40:00]
Dom Fifield
Brilliant.
- [40:00]
Ayo Akimolere
Yeah. Palace off to Brighton away on Sunday, so make sure you keep an eye out for that match, gents. Appreciate your time as always, Matt, Dom, and also thank you guys for joining us as well. We'll catch you soon.
- [40:16]
Podcast Announcer
You've been listening to the Athletic FC Podcast. The producers were Guy Clark, Mike Stavrou and Jay Beal, with editing by Paul Iliff and Nick Thompson. The executive producer is Admir. To listen to other great athletic podcasts for free, including our dedicated club shows. Search for the Athletic wherever you get your podcasts. You'll also find us on YouTube at the Athletic FC Podcast, so make sure you subscribe. The Athletic FC Podcast is an athletic media company Production.
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Dom Fifield
Foreign.
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