This feeling of contentment could be down to a number of things, perhaps most obviously, the start we have made to season points wise is reason to feel cheery. in the games following the opening day defeat away to Peterborough, we have gone on to beat Burnley, Coventry, Hull, Crawley and lastly Wigan whilst also managing a creditable draw against a dangerous Blackpool side last Saturday.
Whilst normally, this would be reason enough to gloat outrageously in the faces of our footballing contemporaries, there are even more reasons for optimism of late, with the feeling that players such as Sean Scannell and Wilfried Zaha are finally beginning to fulfill their true potential. Scannell, who is now being given the chance to ply his trade as a centre forward, rather than as a makeshift winger, has been prolific in front of goal, netting three times, whilst Zaha seems to have added an extra dimension to his play, showing a directness and drive when running at defenders which has seen him cause problems for teams almost every time he has donned the red and blue since August, an aspect of his play possibly demonstrated most successfully in our last gasp win at home to Coventry, in which he created both Scannell's equalising strike and Jermaine Easter's 94th minute winner.
Hot on the heels of players such as Zaha and Scannell, a young man by the name of Jonathan Williams has begun to make his presence felt in the first team set-up this season, primarily making appearances in pre-season friendlies, before progressing to a cameo role against Coventry which saw him involved in the build up to one of the goals, as well as starting both of our League Cup fixtures.
Jon, whilst only just having turned 17, has shown just how special a talent he could become, with his performances demonstrating a calm and poise barely ever seen in someone so young. Not only does he appear to posses all the physical tools that could result in him become a genuine world-class player, he also seems to have a superb mental approach to his work, being fouled on countless occasions, and always shrugging it off, dusting himself down and starting again.
Dougie has obviously been careful in his handling of Williams so far in the press, praising him, whilst not allowing the assorted journalists to get too carried away too soon. It appears that everyone connected with the club is more than aware that the nature of the talent we have on our hands is a very special one, and no one will blame Freedman for making sure Jon keeps his feet firmly on solid ground.
All in all, these contributing factors have all played a role in allowing Palace fans to feel far more comfortable with the football club of late, after a prolonged spell of uncertainty before, during and after the administration period, something which Freedman himself has been quick to relate to in his column this week.
It is with comments like this, that Freedman sets himself apart from the vast majority of managerial candidates floating around in the English game with relation to our club. Often in the middle of these managerial columns I see the same cliches and motivational tidbits wheeled out week after week without any real conviction that the comments have come from the person in questions own thoughts, "We'll keep on working hard for the win", and "No one is more determined than me to be successful at this club" being two of personal favourite managerial quotes that amount to sod all in the grand scheme of things, Freedman's comments however, seem different.One of the major challenges I've set myself is to lift what I see as a feeling of negativity that seems to surround the club.Perhaps it's not surprising after the past few years. We've had administration and relegation battles but it still frustrates me the way that people perceive our wonderful club at times.Large sections of the media, a small section of our own support, and even one or two individuals inside the club seem to think that disaster is always lurking round the corner at Crystal Palace. Well not anymore.I discovered that pretty early on in my reign. It's almost like a disease that has infected the place and I'm determined to get rid of it. It will take time for sure, but day by day we are fighting it off.Ever since January the players have begun to believe.Last season they believed they could stay up. And this season they believe they can really go on and achieve something.Whether that something is promotion or a good run in one of the Cup competitions I'm not sure yet, but I know from working with them day in day out that they are desperate to achieve something.
They strike a chord with me, and no doubt countless other supporters, as the thoughts of a man who is deeply passionate about the club in question, phrases such as, "It still frustrates me the way that people perceive our wonderful club at times." don't just come out of a managerial handbook, they are the words of a man who has seen the club in its darkest days and has thrice been there to save it from oblivion. They are the words of a man who feels a connection to the club which means more to him than the figures on his monthly pay cheque, and because of this the supporters love him all the more.
I have no doubt that Dougie will become a superb manager in the long-term, and although it may have seemed a risk to appoint him in the role initially, I believe that the decision taken by Steve Parish and co will continue to reap rewards for a long time to come, partly because they appear to have unearthed a gem sitting on our doorstep in Freedman, but more importantly because, when in boils down to it, Freedman loves the club as much as we do.
PS
From now on I am going to endeavor to keep this blog ticking over on a far more regular basis, leaning more towards a personal look at the news coming out of SE25 rather than full-on opinion pieces tackling specific issues, hopefully I can add to what is already a bulging CPFC news centre with my thoughts.
Until next time.
