Daniel Smith spoke to The Eagles Beak to get a Crystal Palace perspective ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kick off at the Cottage…
Fulham vs Palace: What’s the first thing that comes to mind from years gone by?
The first thing that comes to mind is this fixture being one of the best away days on the calendar which makes it even worse that we are missing out as fans which is a real travesty. Of course we understand the reasons, but it does not make it any better. Other than that, the one memory that still sticks in my mind in a game between the two clubs, is the one at Selhurst Park which ended in a big win for you guys that signalled the end of Ian Hollway’s tenure at Palace a few years back.
If you could have one player from Fulham, who would you pick?
If I am being honest, I would have struggled before the transfer window ended but now that you have recruited Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan, that is the one player I would love to see back at Palace. He had a excellent loan spell with us a while back and we had hoped we would go back in for him. Whether he is the same player after his injury remains to be seen but I do hope you will see him impact games for Fulham and glide effortlessly past opposition players.
Are you happy with the job Hodgson/Lewington are doing?
Even though there has been a lot of fans calling for him to move on, he has been a good for us, providing much needed stability at a time when we were chopping and changing managers. There is a feeling though that things are starting to go a big stale and with one of the best squads that we have had at Palace for some years now, there is a concern whether we will see their true ability with Roy’s defensive mindset. It is likely that this may be his final season in charge before we move on to pastures new and it is often a case of being careful what you wish for but I am prepared to give him this season as he has deserved that much from us. We have become a seasoned Premier League outfit under his guidance and that we can be thankful for but some of the football has not been great and his stubborness to stick with the set up of his team until late in games often frustrates fans. I have a lot of time for Roy and what he has done for us, and I do hope that he sees the ability in this team as the season progresses and allows them to take the shackles off.
Top 4 and Bottom 3 predictions?
Top 4 – City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs
Bottom 3 – West Brom, Fulham (sorry!), Burnley
How do you see the game panning out?
After the last few games I am expecting Palace to come out and play but there is no doubt that Scott Parker will have circled this game as one you will be aiming to pick up points from. Our approach needs to change from the last couple of games and it will be interesting to see how Roy changes the focus from a defensive mindset to one that attacks the opposition. We have had real problems creating chances in recent games after a very good start to the season which is difficult to put a finger on so hoping for better in this one. I will go for a 2-0 Palace win to make up for recent weeks.
Not that we will be watching with the game frustratingly being on PPV but that is another story – we are encouraging fans to donate to a Foodbank instead as we feel fans are once again being exploited which is a travesty in the current climate.
Thanks to The Eagles Beak for answering our questions. Our very own Daniel Smith also answered questions for their preview article. Check it out on here
