Crystal Palace

On November 6, 2008, John Bostock made his Tottenham Hotspurs debut against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Cup.  With this appearance, he became the youngest player to ever make an appearance for the Spurs (16 years, 295 days).  However, exactly one year before, he was starting for Crystal Palace against Cardiff City.  By doing so, he became the youngest player to ever make a start for Palace (15 years, 295 days)*.

What a year it's been.

During the 2008 summer transfer window, Tottenham was able to controversially buy the young midfielder for a mere £700,000 (increases to £1.45 million based on appearances and full international appearances). 

Two years ago, Chelsea attempted to purchase the then-14 year old at £900,000.  Estimated market value puts Bostock between £2.5 to £5 million.  Even at his cheapest value, £2.5 million, Tottenham was able to get a huge discount on the England U-17 international.

The one thing that bothers me about this is that people didn't see this coming.  In recent memory, teams such as Crystal Palace, Everton, and Leeds United have produced amazing talents that have gone on to do wonderful things.  The only problem is few of their homegrown talents actually stay there.  Why should they?  They can make much more money with bigger clubs such as Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, etc.

To quote Leeds chairman Ken Bates: "The problem is that young players and their parents are sometimes seduced by short-term promises. It must be very tempting to see short-term gains and the glamour of moving to a so-called 'big club'."

In reality the truth is very different. The kids disappear at these "big clubs," rarely to be heard of again.  Once moved, few are making it into first-team play, they instead get few appearances and garbage minutes.

With all their money, the big clubs no longer need their own youth academies.  Instead, they can just go into smaller clubs and sign their top talents.  Sometimes, this pays off for the club, but more often is just dumping a few hundred thousand pounds.

Since his signing in 2007, Michael Woods (formerly of Leeds) has made just two appearances for Chelsea, both in the FA Cup.  In their Carling Cup loss to Burnley, Woods was called up to the bench, but did not make an appearance.

In comparison, Woods' former teammate Fabian Delph, Leeds United's next big name, has made 17 starts, scoring three goals as an impressive midfielder.  Delph has been getting increased attention from the footballing world, most notably from Arsenal and Manchester United.

With many of the world's top club going after him, how long will Delph last at Leeds?  What is in store for many smaller clubs during this next year?  How many of their players will end up leaving for bigger clubs only to sit on their bench or be loaned out to other clubs?  How many are going to be the next stars at their future clubs?

*John Bostock made his Crystal Palace debut one week earlier on October 29, 2007 at the age of 15 years and 287 days, making him Palace's youngest ever player.

A well-taken brace from Ben Watson and a late strike from substitute Shefki Kuqi ensured that Crystal Palace comfortably took all three points from Saturday afternoon’s televised clash against Barnsley.

The 23-year-old, who only two months earlier appeared to have engineered his exit from the South London club, popped up twice in the box to bag his goals—one from the spot and one from open play—to send the Selhurst Park crowd into raptures.

Kuqi—another player whose Eagles career looked to be over just a few months ago—put the icing on the cake with a delightful chip that wrapped up a 3-0 win, sending Palace up to 13th in the Championship on the back of three straight wins.

Palace had started the brighter side, as Paul Ifill and Victor Moses—from the right and left flanks respectively—probed the Barnsley defence with some testing crosses. With only Craig Beattie to aim for, however, the Tykes defence managed to hold firm.

Nevertheless, it only took 25 minutes for the home team to finally make their early superiority count. After Julian Speroni found himself in the right place to made a point blank save from Maceo Rigters’ header, the Argentinean shot-stopper sent the ball upfield in search of Moses, who profited from some hesitancy in the Barnsley defence to find himself clean through on goal.

Showing remarkable composure, the 17-year-old sent the ball passed the on-rushing Heinz Muller, but was brought down in the box by the Barnsley ‘keeper before he could put the ball into the unguarded net.

With all parts of the ground expecting a red, referee Anthony Bates only brandished a yellow.

Given an unlikely reprieve, the 6’4” Muller had the chance to make full amends for his error, but Watson made no mistake from the resulting penalty—sending the German ‘keeper the wrong way as the midfielder passed the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

Palace had further chances—Beattie headed just over the bar from a 37th minute corner, and Watson tested the ‘keeper from a free kick a few minutes later—but had to walk off at half-time content with their 1-0 advantage.

The second half started well for Barnsley, as Rigters had another great chance to score. Unfortunately, just like in the first half, Speroni was in the right place to make the save, and Palace would soon be back in full control.

The passing was beautiful, with Moses in particular tormenting his various markers. It was two of Palace’s midfield orchestrators, however, who would double the home sides advantage.

With not quite an hour gone, good work on the left from Nick Carle—who had shown some great touches throughout the match—enabled the Australian to get clear to the byline, and his driven cutback was met six yards out by Watson, who once more diverted the ball passed the helpless Muller.

It was no more than the home side deserved, and from that point on Palace were coasting.

They regularly opened up Barnsley’s dejected defence, and only a fantastic reaction save by Muller prevented Clint Hill adding to Palace’s lead, after the defender had been set up by some great work by Moses.

Palace had too many players playing at the top of their game to be beaten, as Moses, Watson, Carle, and Beattie all put in performances that would have pleased their manager.

Speroni also had a fantastic game, despite having little to do defensively. He was a constant attacking threat with his long punts upfield, and finally gained a deserved assist after his long 82nd minute drop kick released substitute Kuqi, who flicked the ball over Muller with aplomb.

The 3-0 result would have delighted manager Neil Warnock, but there were other reasons for the Palace manager to be cheerful.

With only eight first-teamers in training on Tuesday, Warnock was forced to give the young right-back Nathaniel Clyne his debut, a decision that Barnsley immediately looked to exploit.

Clyne, only 17, faced the prospect of one of the toughest debuts the Championship can throw at a right-back—attempting to thwart the pacey and skilful Jamal Campbell-Ryce.
Having only signed his first professional contract on Friday, the Stockwell native would have been forgiven for being overawed, but he looked comfortable from the first minute—decisive in defence and, most impressively, unafraid to attack.

“We are at a stage in the club right now, where, if we get a few injuries—why not?” Neil Warnock said before the match about Clyne’s selection, and the youngster ensured that Warnock’s faith was not misplaced. So effective was his defending, Campbell-Ryce was moved to the left wing by manager Simon Davey before the first-half had ended.
It was an ultimately futile attempt to change the course of a match that was rapidly getting away from Barnsley.

Delighted by the performance of Clyne and others, the only bad news for Warnock, considering the current injury list, was the enforced substitution of a struggling Shaun Derry—although the 30-year-old’s injury didn’t look too serious.

Considering the state of the squad before the game, however, the former Sheffield United manager was more than happy with the result—and can now look up towards the playoff places, rather than nervously down on the relegation zone that Barnsley now inhabit.

Teams:

Crystal Palace: Speroni; Clyne, Fonte, Lawrence, Hill; Watson, Derry (Oster, 76), Carle; Ifill (Kuqi, 74), Beattie (Ertl, 86), Moses.

Scorers: Watson (25, 59), Kuqi (82).

Barnsley: Muller; Hassell (Van Homoet, 66), Foster, Souza, Kozluk; Devaney, Anderson, Leon (Macken, 68), Campbell-Ryce; Hume, Rigters (Odejayi, 73).

Man of the Match: Watson.

Attendance: 16,495

Like any outsider looking in, it is hard not to be more than a little envious of the Premiership.

The wealth, the glamour, the constant adoration—it all looks like a rather enjoyable party, one you would not want to miss. As a fan of a lowly Championship side, however, it is exactly that nightmare I have had to face most of my life.

As a result, it was perhaps inevitable that my jealousy would spill over to the many fans of clubs in England’s top league. After all, they get to see the team on TV every week, hear about the latest club news every hour of every day, and enjoy the anticipation of that next big-money signing until their heart’s content.

I, on the other hand, have to trawl the web in search of a story about my team, do a jig of delight when their name makes it into the paper, and think £20 000 is big money for any player (which, to be fair, it is in this current financial climate).

What makes it worse, almost painfully so, is that I have savoured the Premiership experience on more than one occasion. I am familiar with that sweet taste of success, I have lived and breathed it.

But if a Crystal Palace fan knows anything, it is that the good times never last.

For, as fleeting as that moment in the spotlight lasts, it really is enjoyable. The constant attention, the high-profile signings (Nicola Ventola? Unbelievable!), and undeserved put-downs from Alan Hansen all make for an exciting year.

The inevitable relegation, however, does manage to put a real downer on things. You feel like a recently eliminated X Factor contestant—what is there to live for now?

Championship sides seemingly have very little going for them—the rest of the world only care about them when the Playoff final rolls around, after all.

The adage about a trip to The Valley not being quite the same as a visit to Villa Park is—like all over-used clichés—based on more than a little truth. And, perhaps most damningly, the majority of games still kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday.

I mean, what self-respecting team does that anymore?!

I still loved it though, don’t get me wrong. I embraced the atmosphere, I saw its own unique charms. I thought the Championship was where the real work was done, where good honest professionals went out and gave it all for their club.

Let the big boys have the glamour and wealth—we had real football.

However, after the unfortunate events of the summer, where Tottenham ruthlessly stole the prodigiously talented John Bostock away from us, I really began to reconsider my beliefs.

After investing a fortune in our much-vaunted youth system, Premiership clubs were now coming in and taking our greatest prospects—for a fraction of their potential wealth.
It didn’t seem fair.

I had followed Bostock’s career since he was 13, felt the anticipating build as he neared the first-team. And just as he began to reach that milestone, he packed his bags and headed across to the supposedly greener pastures of North London.

Now he sits in Spurs’ “development” squad, years away from unleashing his formidable talent on the Premiership. And, worst of all, most Spurs fans won’t even give him a moment’s thought until he does.

Maybe that is the real difference between the fans of the Premiership, and everyone else. For the Chelsea fans, the West Ham fans, the Portsmouth fans—it is all too often about the here and now. Who should be dropped next week? Who should be bought to improve this season’s fortunes? Who is to blame for the current problems?

If a youth-teamer is released, no one bats an eyelid. If a successful former player returns to the club, he is routinely booed. Now is all that matters.

For Palace fans, it is the complete opposite. A former player is never forgotten. We salute our big name players as they head on to bigger and better things (I remember crying myself to sleep when Gareth Southgate missed that penalty in Euro ’96, and still follow his managerial work at Middlesbrough) but we also remember those players that never made it to the top level.

Mention the name Teerathep Winothai to any Palace fans—odds are they will remember him. He never played a game for the club.

In the lower leagues, this is the subtly different dynamic. The present is important—but equally so is the future. Current on-the-pitch troubles will always be the primary concern, but fans are constantly looking further down the road. Most fans know all about the young players coming through, and take comfort in their development.

For a Premiership fan, everything is so immediate, so throwaway. It is not necessarily their fault—after all, much of it is encouraged by the constant inundation of news updates and analysis. When the Eagles were soaring in the Premiership, I fell under the same spell.

But the fact remains, for any stable Premiership club, one week’s problems are next week’s chip paper. A Saturday defeat is mourned for the rest of the weekend—and maybe Monday as well—before being boxed up and thrown away, wiping the slate clean in time for that crunch midweek game.

In the age of Sky, every Sunday is a Super Sunday.

In the lower leagues, however, support is one long, constantly evolving battle. While the results are far from inconsequential, they are taken with far less emotion than those watching their sides on Match of the Day. Whatever happens on the pitch, there are always positives and negatives to be talked over in the pub afterwards.

Just as it is a different type of football, it’s a different type of supporting. Lower league fans are all about the journey, as much as the destination. After all, there are no guarantees it will ever be reached.

For many Premiership teams, however, they are already at their destination. As a result, the emotions are more immediate, the highs and lows more instant. Inevitably, the approach is more short-term.

This is what I was jealous of—the instant pay-off. It was like they were watching a blockbuster film every week, while I was continuing to plod through my never-ending soap story.

And yes, on the outside that does appear to be the case. I don’t think lower-league fans live week-to-week, or even month-to-month, but year-to-year. The moments of real drama are fairly infrequent.

But this is not necessarily a bad thing. The years of mediocrity, disappointment, and adversity only serve to make those moments more dramatic, more meaningful.

I will never forget weeping like a baby during Palace’s relegation-defining match against Stockport County in 2001, and the unmitigated relief I felt when Dougie Freedman scored in injury time to keep us up.

But that moment caries so much more poignancy when I remember all that surrounded that season—indeed everything that had occurred since our relegation from the Premiership in 1998. That moment at Edgeley Park was the culmination of three years of trials and tribulations.

So, I’ll continue to savour the journey, and worry about the destination if and when we get there. I’ll enjoy those blockbuster moments when they come—Playoff drama, the big cupsets against Premiership opposition—but now I don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

I’m no longer jealous of those enjoying the Premiership lifestyle, I simply appreciate the experience I am given. I’ll live for those little moments—like when home-grown Victor Moses scored that goal against Watford.

Not necessarily in the same league as seeing your team beat Man Utd on Sunday afternoon—but it will do for me.

To many it might appear to be less fun—but who said supporting a football team should be about having fun?

For Crystal Palace fans, it is never wise to talk too loudly about the great performances of one of the club’s players.

If they do, they often find that no sooner do they sing the his praises, then the player moves on to bigger and better things.

The latest, and arguably most high-profile, example of this was John Bostock. Bostock was supposedly “the boy Barcelona couldn’t buy”, but after his considerable talent became too difficult a secret to keep he ended up signing for, well, Tottenham Hotspur.

As the brightest graduate of the club's exceptional academy, seeing the 16-year-old leave after only a handful of first-team appearances was a bitter pill to swallow for all Palace fans.

Which is why you won’t hear too many Selhurst Park regulars crowing about the recent performances of Julian Speroni. The Palace ‘keeper, perhaps “the man even Middlesbrough could buy”, has been simply outstanding this season—despite seeing his team slump to a disappointing start.

A £500 000 signing from Dundee in 2004, the 29-year-old Argentinean stopper hasn’t always enjoyed the greatest of times in South London.

When he joined Iain Dowie’s newly promoted side, he was earmarked for the No. 1 jersey as the club sought to maintain its Premiership status. Unfortunately, an uncertain start and one nightmare blunder against Everton later, Speroni found himself relegated to the bench—replaced by the Hungarian trouser-wearer, Gabor Kiraly.

Palace too would be relegated at the end of the season, but the fall to the Championship did not improve Speroni’s first team opportunities. Only when Kiraly left, at the end of the 2006-07 season, did the South American finally get another chance to shine.

And shine he has. The ‘keeper, resplendent with trademark ponytail, has been a vital cog in the Palace machine since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign. Demonstrating his incredible shot-stopping from the first whistle, his command of the area has only grown as fans laud his ability to deal with crosses and shots alike.

After initial errors became ever more infrequent, it soon became evident that Speroni inspired faith and confidence in his back four, a trait that spurred Palace onto a surprising Play-off berth.

All in all, Speroni's impressive and consistent performances did enough to win Crystal Palace’s Player of the Year Award—and many agreed he had reached the peak of his powers.

Apparently, however, they were wrong. This season the Argentinean has only got even better.

After six games, Speroni sits proudly atop the player ratings on one Palace fansite, with his 8.47 average rating almost a whole point clear of the next best first team regular.

After Palace’s first win of the season on Saturday, a 2-0 triumph against Swansea City, the Eagles ‘keeper was awarded a 10 for his match performance by The Sun, the newspaper recognising his outstanding contribution to the Red and Blue cause.

Palace have conceded eight goals in their opening six games, but without Speroni you feel it could well be double that.

Palace manager Neil Warnock, never one to hand out praise to his senior players unless it is truly deserved, is acutely aware of the gem he has inherited:

“I wouldn’t swap him [Speroni] for anyone in the Premiership, never mind the Championship”, the Eagle’s manager remarked.

Few fans in the Holmesdale Stand would disagree.

With his true talent finally on display, many around the club have begun to speculate whether Speroni is in contention for a call-up to Argentina’s national side.

While on the outside it may appear the irrational view of biased fans, closer inspection reveals that the former Atletico Platense player may reasonably harbour some hopes of future international recognition.

The Albicelestes do not have great depth at that position, and few in the know would argue that Speroni would look out of depth alongside Sergio Romero or Agustin Orion (the two uncapped ‘keepers, from AZ Alkmaar and San Lorenzo respectively, currently in the squad) as an understudy to Juan Pablo Carrizo—the 24-year-old Lazio No. 1, who himself only has four caps for his country.

The problem for Speroni, however, is that Palace currently are not doing well enough domestically to bring widespread attention to his ability. Presently sitting 19th in the league, you imagine that the Eagles will have to become entrenched in the play-off spots before Argentina's manager, Alfio Basile, will even consider Speroni’s credentials.

Not yet 30, Speroni doubtless won’t begin to worry about his fading international hopes for a couple of seasons yet. He still has plenty of time to achieve all his ambitions with Palace, as long as Warnock can solve the team’s defensive woes.

If he can’t, though, you don’t imagine their will be a lack of Premiership suitors waiting in the wings. Good goalkeepers are hard to come by—after all, if Paul Robinson is a Premiership and international goalkeeper, Palace’s No. 1 certainly is.

Eagles fans know this all too well. Which is exactly why they won’t shout too loudly about it.

After the surprise (but more than welcome) playoff push at the back end of last season, Crystal Palace fans had high hopes for the 2008-09 season.

With a few promising summer acquisitions, many believed the squad had become capable of making a firm push for promotion back to the Premiership.

Four games and only two points later, the outlook is remarkably different. The team has looked flat and lifeless, a far cry from the performances that lit up Selhurst Park barely three months earlier.

Who is to blame for this disappointing turn of events? It is hard to put a finger on it, but the unsettling turnaround of the playing staff has certainly not helped.

During the summer, a total of eight players have arrived at the club, with another seven leaving for pastures new. Such turmoil does not aid the cohesion of the team, and recent performances have underlined that.

However, another problem seems to be Neil Warnock’s reticence to fully rely on his youngsters, rather surprising considering how successful such a policy was last season, when even the former Sheffield United manager was surprised by how well the likes of Victor Moses, Lee Hills, and (dare I mention him) John Bostock performed when called upon.

Emboldened by their impressive efforts, Warnock even went out and loaned in Scott Sinclair, Kyel Reid, and Nathan Ashton—all teenagers from Premiership clubs—to strengthen his playoff push.

Until those two games against Bristol City, the strategy paid dividends.

Now, however, Warnock seems to have changed tact. Moses has been left on the bench frequently this term, as has Lee Hills, Jose Fonte, and new signing Calvin Andrew.

Instead, old stalwarts like James Scowcroft and Matt Lawrence have occupied the starting positions.

The results have not validated such a strategy.

The lack of another Scott Sinclair-type player has also restricted the team's attacking intent. To remedy the problem, Warnock has admitted this week that he has been looking at Arsenal’s youth team for potential loanees. As a result, he was linked with a move for highly rated 17-year-old, Kyle Lansbury:

“I saw that we were linked with Lansbury—but I was actually their watching Jose Fonte's brother, Rui,” Warnock told the Croydon Advertiser.

Rui, 19, is the sort of player who could potentially fill Sinclair’s old role. However, doubts remain as to whether Warnock believes the youngster is physically capable of handling the Championship.

Such an attitude should have been discarded last season, where evidence to support such a belief was extremely rare. While Moses did get outmuscled in both critical games against Bristol City, this was arguably due to the insufficient threat posed by Clinton Morrison leading the line—allowing the intimidating City defenders to focus more of their attention on the dangerous youngster—than any real weakness on the 17-year-old's part.

With Calvin Andrew—or even recent signing Alan Lee—up front, the Eagles should have the physical attacking threat that would allow Moses, Scannell et al more room to exploit their pace and skill.

Scowcroft, who is currently injured, just doesn't have the mobility to scare even the worst Championship defences.

Speaking of defence, questions surround Warnock’s persistence in picking Matt Lawrence and Paddy McCarthy, especially while Jose Fonte remains on the bench. The Portuguese defender, on loan last season, did enough to persuade Warnock to make the deal permanent, yet he has seen little first-team football this term.

Rumours suggest that Warnock trusts Lawrence and Paddy McCarthy ahead of the cultured former Benfica man, especially against physical opponents—yet both men were in the lineup when Palace got hammered at Leeds in the Carling Cup, 4-0, and against Reading, where the Eagles went down 4-2.

Fonte, however, was not.

On Saturday, the Eagles welcome Swansea City to Selhurst Park. With seven points from their first four games, the Swans will be confident of improving their league position—they currently sit happily in seventh.

Newly promoted or not, they won't want to give the Eagles any help in kick-starting their season.

With two weeks off over the international break, Warnock must be hoping that his team have now gelled, and that he will subsequently be able to witness an improved performance from the lads, one that will bring a much needed victory.

If he puts his faith in Fonte (and what about Austrian international Johnny Ertl?) then he may well see a more solid backline. For now though, Warnock is focussing on improving the attacking threat, having seen only two goals from his side (both against Reading) in the league so far:

"I'm hoping we can create more and go at it a bit," he told Teamtalk.com.

"We've got to commit ourselves a bit more, even if it means that we're going to be caught on the break—we've got to cope with it. I want bodies in the box."

If he puts his faith back in Moses, Scannell, and Andrews, he may just get his wish.