Looking Forward

CRYSTAL PALACE (Home)

FA Cup Third Round

Saturday 3rd January 2004 

Since last the two teams met, the Crystal Palace side have had more than their fair share of troubles.  Chairmen who have had designs on the club for differing reasons, players who have not been up to scratch and managers who have had their own agenda.  This has currently left them flirting with the bottom of the league, although ex-striker Iain Dowie has been installed in the boss' office and might be able to instill some of the spirit that he got the Oldham side playing with despite all the financial difficulties he had to manage with there.  And that is probably one of the big reasons why chairman Simon Jordan has taken him on, as there will not be a lot of cash available to him at Selhurst Park.

As loan keeper Thomas Myrhe has extended his time at Crystal Palace from Sunderland, he is likely to be the keeper in residence, while Cedric Berthelin is more used to being on the bench  - having been there for the majority of his career at Lens, Berthelin might have relished the opportunity to get the gloves on in anger.

The first among the defensive choices are Danny Butterfield, a former Grimsby Town defender has proved that he can get forward and score a few with a fine shot.  Ex-Boro defender Curtis Fleming is still knocking around, with his greatest asset from his days at the Riverside - his pace - decimated by injury and age, but still a player who reads the play well.  Shaun Derry started with Notts. County, then passed through Sheffield United and Portsmouth before ending up at Selhurst Park.  Can play midfield or defence and although rash in the tackle, earning him a card or several, his infectious enthusiasm has captured the imagination of the Palace faithful.  Dangerous from set-pieces with his foot or head.  A regular Australian international, Tony Popovic is well experienced - having played over 100 games for Sanfreece in Hiroshima.  His uncompromising style is useful in a side where the need to add some steel to the back line is necessary.  Alongside him, Kit Symons is reaching the veteran stage.  Recently in charge of the side after Steve Soppell went to Reading and before Iain Dowie arrived from Oldham Athletic, he is an experienced central defender and could be a difficult player to get past, although a pacy forward could prove tricky for him to keep up with.  Breaking into the side this season has been Garry Borrowdale, who has established himself in the left back berth. Don't know much about him apart from the fact he is young !!

Welcoming Julian Gray back to the fold was something Eagles fans thought would not happen after Jordan said Gray would never play for the club again, but managers and other things change.  A silky runner with the ball, this former Arsenal youth product and more recently loanee to Cardiff, Gray has skill and pace and needs to be watched as his runs on the left wing might cause problems.  Finnish cult midfielder Aki Riihilahti is industrious in the engine room and runs from box-to-box, but has a bit of trouble with his tackling (and his English !!).  Ex-Wimbledon and Northern Ireland wide man Michael Hughes has been a stabilising influence in midfield for Palace on the opposite wing to the mercurial talents of young Wayne Routledge.  Both are short in stature, but powerful in shot and blessed with pace.  It will be a hard task for the player up against Routledge as he is strong on the ball and is one of the main suppliers to the front line.

In that forward line is ex-Birmingham City striker Andy Johnson, who is small but determined in the air, while nippy in and around the box.  He is partnered in a typical little and large pairing with Neil Shipperley, who scored at White Hart Lane last time the teams met.  Burly striker Shipperley has been around and has scored almost everywhere he has played and will use his experience to give Gardner a tough time in this tie.  Other options up front come in the form of Dougie Freedman and Tommy Black.  Black is another ex-Arsenal youngster, who made a name for himself last season at Palace with a number of goals in the early stages of the campaign.  Can also play in midfield if required.  Freedman is another long time favourite of the Palace fans and his return coincided with a run of goals, which have dried up of late.  A striker who knows where the goals are, he will test Keller if the ball falls to him in the area.  Will always be revered for scoring the goal that kept Palace up in the First Division a few seasons back.

So, what can Tottenham expect ?  Certainly, Palace will be out to foremost give a good account of themselves.  This will mean they will be fired up for the match and with Spurs' current poor form, it could be a tough tide that they have to weather in the early stages.  A good performance will buoy the South London side for the rest of the season and that should alert Tottenham to the risk of taking this match too easily ... not that they can afford to do that against any side at the moment.

Spurs will need to settle into a pattern early on with a firm hold on midfield, which will depend on who they are able to field.  Some strong running at the Place defence might cause the most damage, with the pace of Kanoute and trickery of Keane getting the better of the central defenders.

A tight match as you might expect from a local derby, with the outcome a narrow win for Tottenham ...

PREDICTION : -   Tottenham  2   Crystal Palace  1

For more information on the opponents and their history, including full result history of matches between the two teams, click here.

VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE

How do you think your team have played this season ?

Palace started off the season well, but then went in to their usual slump, at one stage even ending up in the relegation zone. A change of management seems to have reversed this situation, and hopefully we can now start to climb up the table, keeping us well above the danger zone. I can't see us gaining promotion this season, but we all live in hope don't we?

Without a doubt Andy Johnson is our best player at the moment. With 15 goals from 23 starts so far this season he never stops for the whole 90 minutes.

Dougie Freedman has lost his position in the side. after being our top scorer for a number of seasons. He is likely to be on the bench though, and will have a lot to prove should he get on the field with any decent amount of time left on the clock.

Wayne Routledge is, probably, the most exciting prospect that is likely to play on Saturday. Gareth Williams is, I guess, our best prospect for the future, but is unlikely to be seen at White Hart Lane, unfortunately.

Can't see Iain Dowie changing the line-up that beat Ipswich Town 3-1 at Portman Road on Sunday, though Thomas Myhre is due to return from his loan spell, which could see Cedric Berthelin back in goal unless we bring someone new in. Expect to see:

Cedric Berthelin (kept a clean sheet against Liverpool and could do the same again, though I somehow doubt it)
Danny Butterfield (likely to take a pot shot at goal if played out wide)
Tony Popovic (Australian defender, very strong in defence)
Kit Symons (heading towards the end of his career, filled in for the managerial role between Steve Kember and Iain Dowie)
Gary Borrowdale (handy youth product, made a first team place his own this season)
Julian Gray (wants to leave, scored on Sunday, and likely to be playing well, as he wishes to showcase his talent)
Michael Hughes (probably our best off-season signing - bosses the midfield)
Aki Riihilahti (coming good again after a lean patch - handy player)
Andy Johnson (most likely to score if Palace do)
Wayne Routledge (very nippy, could give your defence a run for their money)
Neil Shipperley (disappointing form of late, could well come good for this match)

On the bench?
Probably:
Lance Cronin (Reserve keeper - young, full of confidence)
Tommy Black (ex-Arsenal youngster, capable of scoring from midfield or behind the front runners)
Curtis Fleming (solid defender, no-nonsense kind of player)
Shaun Derry (highly under-rated player, likely to take a shot on goal when one least expects it)
Dougie Freedman (has a point to prove if he gets a run)

Spurs are not on our "most-hated" list (are you on anyone's?). Given the boost to our confidence on the appointment of Dowie, and the recent headlines that Tottenham are "still in the FA Cup" (who have you played?), most are looking forward to a good game.

Kasey Keller - can we "borrow" him?

Much as it pains me to say so, I think the home side (your lot) will just edge it. 2-1 as a final scoreline would be a good reflection of the game, I feel, though with confidence high in our camp we could crash to a worse defeat than that!

I don't expect you will wish to be reminded of the last time we met at White Hart Lane? On 24 November 1997 Neil Shipperley scored the only goal.
(Ed : - I think that was the game prior to Gross taking over and Chris Hughton's only game in charge of the team !!)' 

Thanks to Colin Pryce
Crystal Palace International Supporters Association - Palace - Eagles.com

Crystal Palace : -  Berthelin; Butterfield, Symons (J. Smith 70), Popovic,  Borrowdale (Granville 81); Routledge, Watson, Hughes, Gray; Neil Shipperley,  Johnson (Freedman 46)
Unused subs: Black, Fleming

Crystal Palace -   None

Crystal Palace -  Watson (foul) 10, Hughes (foul) 14, Freedman (foul) 80, Butterfield (foul) 83

A tricky FA Cup tie on paper turned into a farce in actuality, thanks to one man and one man alone.  Poyet dismissed, when he had been trampled all over and then the ref balanced things up nicely by sending a Palace player off ... and he wasn't too worried about who it was, just as long as he was a Palace player.

Luckily for Spurs, the player who could have turned out to be the villain of the piece - Fredi Kanoute - showed his scoring prowess with a hat-trick and stole the headlines, but it was Stephane Dalmat who excited the crowd and was responsible for the best things Tottenham did today.  The French wide man looked like he was intent on bringing some joy to the depressed ranks of Tottenham fans and he produced more step-overs than a Phil Neville training session.  He probably knew that he could turn it on against a First Division side, but the fact that he was trying to do it on the edge of his own box when we were 1-0 up was not good for the heart.

Luckily, Fredi was in good heart and with a cold winter's day in front of him, went about warming the cockles of our hearts for a more successful 2004.  His first effort was ruled offside, which was just as well, as he missed the target after the ball had been played back into the box after a blocked Keane free-kick.  Fredi then made a run on the left and brought the ball inside to shoot wide, which was just a range finder.  A minute later, he gave us the lead when Poyet made a run to the edge of the area and was alert enough to slip a pass with the outside of his right foot to Kanoute just inside the right corner of the box. He took a touch and blasted the ball between the keeper and his near post.  It was a fine finish after a quarter of an hour.

Stephane Dalmat was mesmerising the Palace right back Borrowdale and his trickery took him free on the right to produce a dangerous low cross into the box, which Jackson just failed to get on the end of.  In his next attack, he made more of the ball.  He ran directly at the Palace defence and once inside the area, they couldn't touch him as he pirouetted and drag-backed his way past four players and slid the ball across the face of the six yard box.  It eluded some visiting defenders, but Kanoute was on hand at the back stick to put the ball away to make it 2-0 on 20 minutes.

At this stage, Palace looked dispirited and Tottenham were going ahead at the Paxton Road goal like there was no tomorrow.  Jackson, who had another sound match, and Fredi were both denied by stand-in keeper Cederic Berthelin, before the Spurs youngster was booked for a lunge that failed to connect with ball or Routledge a few minutes before the ref produced the card just prior to the break.

A goal just after the interval killed the tie and it was Kanoute who wrapped up his hat-trick when Ledley King scooped the ball over the defence and Fredi was left alone in the penalty area to control and drill home past the French goalie.  The lead should have been four when Dalmat ran through the middle of the field and produced a fine ball through to Robbie Keane, who went for power and fired over the top rather than find the net with a less vicious drive.

Palace had a spell of about four minutes when they put Tottenham under a little bit of pressure.  Watson, Butterfield and Freedman hit shots on goal that Keller had to grab, but they didn't truly extend the Spurs keeper.  Dalmat was not tiring and his run on the right and shot from an angle flew narrowly over the top as he let fly with his left peg.  Unfortunately, that was all that was left of the football action, as the next twenty minutes fell into a black hole thanks to the man in black.

Poyet was running after the ball straight towards the West Stand, when he was tripped by Freedman, who then proceeded to walk over his back as the ref blew for a free-kick.  Poyet put his head down to Freedman, who walked away with his hand to his face.  It did not look like a butt, but when the ref consulted with his linesman, the Palace man got a yellow, while Gus was looking at a straight red !!  Everyone was stunned and a member of the Spurs bench threw a water bottle to the floor in disgust.  Palace reacted to Spurs going a man down by replacing a defender with a defender and they obviously were settling for a loss of 3-0 and no more.

The match looked like it was really going to kick off.  D'Urso had lost it and some of the players had too.  When he decided to even things up by sending off a Crystal Palace defender, he couldn't even get that right.  A ball was played forward to Zamora and he was cut down from behind by a high challenge from substitute Jamie Smith.  Instead of the offending player, he chose to send Butterfield off after consulting his linesman.  He didn't want to go and the play was held up for some time.  All the players knew who it was and told D'Urso, but why should he listen to them ?  After all they are just names in his book to him.

Still, Tottenham were still trying to score and Dalmat took a short corner to Keane, who returned the ball to him in the area.  He ran across the face of the area and picked out a shot that was heading just inside the post until a Palace player - Hughes - stationed there kicked it out, with the keeper beaten.  At the other end in added time, a corner produced Palace's best opportunity with Popovic heading the ball low, but straight into Keller's arms.

The game was over as a contest within twenty minutes and it was good practice for Tottenham to defend a lead, although truthfully, Palace hardly threatened during the ninety minutes.  From 18th in the PL to 18th in Division One looks to be a wide gap and the way that Spurs went about the victory showed that they are able to hold a performance together for the majority of a match, but they will find that they will not be afforded such respect by Birmingham on Wednesday, when they must start getting some points on the board in 2004.  The mercurial talents of Dalmat will be needed to open up Premiership defences and King played a solid holding role in midfield, while Keane and Doherty did well at the back.  Robbie needs another goal soon and Fredi just keeps on scoring.  

Hopefully, this will instill some confidence in the team for the battles ahead.

MEHSTG TOP MAN : - STEPHANE DALMAT

Keith Mendament

You would have liked to say it was those of Frederic Kanoute, but unfortunately for all concerned they were of Andy D'Urso.  How he makes the FIFA panel of refs, I have not got a clue.

D'Urso decided that he was in a booking mood and had two Eagles players in the notebook before 15 minutes were out, with a liking for making himself the centre of attention, he must have been relishing this London derby.  Setting his stall out early, the ref made his intentions clear with a ninth minute booking for a first foul of the game by Watson.  Admittedly, it was a late scythe on Keane, but it was sending off material when compared to what came afterwards.  The main surprise was that D'Urso failed to book Julian Gray of Palace as he showed dissent at every decision he didn't get and generally failed to live up to his billing as an ex-Gooner who was as good as Rohan Ricketts.

His real piece de resistance came nearing the end after he had sent off Poyet for reacting with his head to a foul by Freedman.  Zamora won the ball off Butterfield and and went through only to be tackled by Jamie Smith.  The ref appeared not to have given a free-kick and pointed to a throw to Spurs, but as players charged in from both sides, the ref moved in to restore order.  But from that order came chaos.  He missed the fact that the player who had tackle Bobby was not the man he was trying to dismiss.  Everyone was hooting their derision and the players were telling him he had made a mistake, but he is a proud man, so don't expect him to own up to his error.  All he was concerned with was his decision to head Butterfield off towards the changing rooms.

The lack of attention to detail obviously spread to the fourth official who only added a minimum of two minutes added time, when the sending off took about five minutes.  

Still, it mattered little to this match, although the absence of Poyet will limit Tottenham's options for three weeks when he is suspended.  The good side of the match was Kanoute's ability to be in the right place at the right time.  His first goal on 15 minutes was a result of good movement and passing between him and Poyet.  Starting off the move, Gus picked the ball up from Carr, exchanged passes with Kanoute' taking his back-heel and slipping the ball wide to his right where Fredi was moving forward.  One touch and then he bent the ball around the advancing keeper to put Spurs ahead.  It was two within five more minutes, Dalmat's ability to move the ball from one foot to another bamboozled the Eagles back line and left Popovic in his wake as he made for the dead-ball line.  Realising that others were better placed, he drove the ball into the six yard box and with defenders aware that a touch might result in an own goal, his good work was finished off for a simple goal by Kanoute.

Dalmat was showing off his full repertoire of tricks and seemed to be enjoying himself.  The Spurs fans in the crowd certainly were and they lapped up every step-over and drag-back.  One incident in the second half summed up his technical superiority over the Palace players.  A long ball was played up to him in the right wing position.  He took the ball by letting it run, thus sending one Palace defender sliding past him and then as another approached at speed, switched it to his other foot and the latest blue and red shirted player went sprawling in the other direction.

Everyone did well today.  Even Gus, before the blood rushed to his head and his head rushed to Freedman's.  Ledley had a comfortable afternoon and set up Kanoute's hat-trick goal nicely.  After Dalmat had wriggled along the right touchline and then dug the ball out from under his feet, Ledders produced a neat little lifted ball over the heads of the Palace defenders.  Fredi took it on his chest and buried the ball past Berthelin, who had stopped him getting his treble inside the first 45 minutes with a low save to his volley. 

Palace were poor going forward and produced only a couple of long range efforts that Keller held well, a free-kick that kicked up in front of him making his sprawling save look ungainly and a header from the subsequent corner that Popovic landed right in the pit of Keller's stomach ... yet another free header from a corner though.  Doherty had played well in defence, doing what he does best and perhaps picking up an undeserved booking, when Shipperley fell over under challenge.  It was interesting to see incidents of a similar nature that received differing judgment from D'Urso depending on their time in the match and their location (inside or put pf the penalty area/a dangerous position).

Taricco wound Palace fans up a bit by "buying" some free-kicks with dramatic falls and otherwise did well, while Gardner was not troubled and he and Carr both had licence to take the ball forward out of defence.  Davies made a late appearance and showed he is coming back to fitness, while Johnnie Jackson showed that he has the ability to get back and defend as well as surge forward on the left side.  The one worry was that the chances that fell Robbie Keane's way were not converted, with his insistence in trying to score the "great" goal rather than punishing the opposition.

Anyone who thinks the corner has been turned is very wrong.  All this showed is how good we might be in next year's First Division.

Peter Parker

Accrington Stanley

Cardiff City

Leeds United