Crystal Palace v Brighton: The Palace view with The Eagles Beak

Crystal Palace versus Brighton is here and that meant it was time for us to have our customary chat with The Eagles Beak ahead of the big game at Selhurst Park.

There was much to discuss as much has changed since our last meeting. Palace won 1-0 at the Amex that day to put themselves in real contention for a top 10 finish. From an Albion point of view, the result made it two wins in 18 and relegation suddenly looked a very real possibility.

The Premier League season was halted two weeks later and once it returned, Brighton and Palace suddenly found themselves switching roles. Palace dropped like a stone to finish their campaign with a cloud over the club and lots of questions about the future of Roy Hodgson.

Brighton meanwhile picked up 12 points from seven games and played some excellent football, resulting in a real buzz around the (empty) Amex coming into 2020-21.

What does all that mean for Sunday afternoon at Selhurst? Jay from The Eagles Beak gives us the Palace view, an insight into how long Hodgson has left and what happens when he goes, and what they need to do to crack the top 10 in their eighth successive season as a top flight club.

Crystal Palace seemed to have a very Crystal Palace-esque season in 2019-20, too good to be threatened by relegation but not quite good enough to challenge for the top 10. What did Palace fans make of the campaign?
A real mixed bag as you say but the real disappointment was the way that we ended the season and that has stuck in the fans’ minds going into the new campaign.

The rest of it turned out to be pretty decent when you consider how last summer’s transfer window went in the lead up to the opening game of the season.

The problem is with a club like Palace, it is the hope that gets you in the end. Just when you think we are ticking over nicely and threaten to finish higher up the table than we expected, the rug gets pulled from under our feet.

There is really nothing wrong with hoping for more but there is a fine line in this division and with our past there is an element of being thankful for another season at the top table.

In some quarters of the fan base there is clearly some frustration at times when you look at how the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers have applied themselves, both the way they are set up on and off the pitch.

I can completely understand that, but I am too long in the tooth to be hugely concerned about comparing us with other sides and how they do things having seen what I have seen over the years.

How do you think you go about making that step to the next level, whereby you become an established top 10 club? Is that the aim for 2020-21?
The approach the club have taken over the years has been questionable in terms of how they have applied themselves in the transfer window. It is always a minefield, both the summer and January windows, but when you are a club like Palace you are generally having to be clever about your targets.

We all know that we will not be competing for signings with the likes of the Manchester clubs and Chelsea which is why there needs to be a very good scouting network.

We have made a number of good signings over the years since we returned to the Premier League and we have built some decent squads but there is always something else that gets in the way – a high profile departure, losing a manager, injuries to name but a few.

Everyone wants a top 10 finish, that is the next step which we should have taken by now, the ultimate goal is to qualify for Europe and to see the club compete on that stage would be quite something.

Roy Hodgson has his critics, that is for sure, but he is the one most likely to take us to that next step as he has provided some much needed stability.

When he moves on, that is the unknown as we have had our fingers burned already with the brave appointment of Frank de Boer. We could be lucky but that is going to be the single biggest decision that will be made since we were promoted and will go a long way to deciding which route we take.

The obvious follow up to that is to ask how long do you think Hodgson will go on and how do you try and replace him? We saw a fair few comments from Palace fans post-lockdown questioning whether he was the right man for the job.
You are right, there is a real mixture of feelings where Roy is concerned. Personally, I have a lot of time for him and he has been good for us, it has almost been a perfect match.

Yes, there will be question marks about all managers and the decisions they make – look at the likes of Gareth Southgate, Jose Mourinho, Frank Lampard, Pep Guardiola – they all have their critics as it is a high profile role being a football manager.

Roy has always had to adapt throughout his career considering how the game has changed during his time as a manager. Yes, there are questions about his team selections at times, lack of changes during a game and in game management but he has provided us with that much needed continuity at a time when we had been through a few managers in a short space of time.

Given the age of Roy, I suspect his tenure at the club will not last much longer, maybe just this season ahead of that big decision I referred to. We could do a lot worse than than to retain Roy’s services at the club in some capacity to help with that transition when it comes.

How we replace him is a huge question but there is a real feeling that Sean Dyche would be an ideal replacement when you look at the types of managers we have had in the past – Holloway, Pulis, Pardew, Allardyce – he seems to just fit that mould and suspect that he may be open to the move.

Elsewhere, the gamble of de Boer will still sting a bit but looking around the game, someone like Steven Gerrard would be an interesting appointment as there will be a club willing to give him an opportunity in England after his decent start in management at Rangers.

What have you made of Palace’s transfer business this summer? From the outside looking in, you seem to have made some very shrewd acquisitions.
It started well with the quick addition of Nathan Ferguson and the surprise capture of Eberechi Eze who is one of the most exciting signings the club have made in some time.

Bringing back Michy Batshuayi was much needed to bolster a floundering front line as well as the welcome return of Nathaniel Clyne to provide cover in the full back position.

Whether we are done or not is another question, but if we are, that has been one of the better windows with a number of youth additions being made that have gone under the radar as you would expect.

With the award of Category One status to the Palace Academy, there will be more of a focus on the youth ranks than before – but we have not done too bad recently with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and now Tyrick Mitchell making the break through in recent seasons.

How pleased are you with your start to the season? Beating Manchester United at Old Trafford (again) must have been good.
It has all turned a little sour with back-to-back defeats but if you had said we would have six points from the opening four games, I would have taken that as a decent start.

Having not had an ounce of luck at Old Trafford in the league for an absolute age, to win twice in consecutive seasons has been just brilliant.

A narrow result on opening day set that victory up at Old Trafford nicely. Losing to Everton is no disgrace the way they have started the season but we matched them all the way and we really should not have lost.

The defeat at Chelsea was just plain frustrating after such a good start – full of mistakes after doing all the right things to hold them off until the break. It has soured things a little going into the international break, which always seems much longer after such a result.

Palace took bragging rights in last season’s meetings with Brighton – what did The Eagles Beak make of those two games?
Let’s be honest here, we owed you from the previous campaign! Neither game was much to write home about and you were probably the better team in the 1-1 draw Selhurst until Wilf popped up – again!

The win down at the Amex was is remembered fondly because of the result but it was a dire game that was always going to be settled by one goal. I had a very different viewing experience for that one – sitting in my seat at Signal Iduna Park long before kick off between Dortmund and Frieberg, phone in hand watching the game.

Those in the ground at Dortmund similarly early to us must have thought we were mad celebrating Jordan Ayew’s winner, but the nerves watching the rest of the game as the atmosphere built around us made the whole experience very surreal indeed but one to remember, that much is for sure. It made for a great weekend in Dortmund!

Who will be Palace’s biggest threat at Selhurst on Sunday and what weaknesses are there in this Palace team?
Wilfried Zaha. He always seems to pull it out of the bag against Brighton and he has started the season in good form. Having said that, should Michy Batshuayi start ahead of an out of form Jordan Ayew, he has a real eye for goal and has been scoring for Belgium this season no doubt he will be keen to get off the mark.

If James McCarthy misses out through injury then midfield may be a little concern but we do have Luka Milivojevic to come back in. The other area is centre back where we have had makeshift defender Cheikhou Kouyate partnering Mamadou Sakho, who did not have the best of times against Chelsea. I am expecting a change there with potentially Scott Dann coming back in if Gary Cahill is yet to return to full fitness.

We’ve got to ask this before getting The Eagles Beak prediction – Palace have been linked with Brighton pantomime villain Ezequiel Schelotto in the last week. Surely not?!
That would be hilarious, right? Football has a real habit of making such things happen but by adding Clyne to our squad I suspect that has quashed any possibility of that happening – even if it was probably the rumour mill talking.

And finally, what is The Eagles Beak prediction for Crystal Palace v Brighton?
This is shaping up to be a draw and I do think that is the way that it will go, being the first game back after the international break.

The most bizarre thing about it will be this fixture being played in front of no crowd which is an absolute travesty but these are strange times indeed. That may end up working in your favour if I am honest, so here’s hoping not too much!

Thanks to Jay from The Eagles Beak for answering our questions ahead of Brighton against Crystal Palace. You can follow them on Twitter.