by CRYSTAL MESS
As much of a staple at Selhurst Park on match days as Mark Bright sitting next to Steve Parish looking glum, Crystal cheerleaders have had little to wave their blue and red pompoms this season. Tasked with rousing the crowd ahead of kick-off before forming a guard of honor at the entrance to the narrow tunnel of the South London ground, these entertainers can at least be relied upon, unlike the home team they send welcome to the park. in a solid eight-out-10 performance no matter the weather. The sight of Crystal doing their thing is probably the only thing tonight’s game between Crystal Palace and Chelsea has in common with last night’s Super Bowl, a spectacle that seemed to be no more than the prelude to a passionate post-match clinch. between Taylor Swift and her winning streak Travis Kelce. Love is unlikely to be in the air over Selhurst Park, given that both Mr Roy and Mauricio Pochettino have spoken in the build-up about the lack of affection they have inspired among their respective teams’ fans.
“No,” said Poch, when asked if Chelsea fans have loved him since he arrived at the club. “I have to be honest with you. No, because I understand that they won [Big Cup], they won cups, the Premier League. Why are the fans falling in love with me after six, or seven months? We are in the final but we are not in a good place in the Premier League table. I think right now I feel the respect from the fans, I see them on the street and they’re all nice to me but I can’t lie.”
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With Valentine’s Day fast approaching and Football Daily an annual reminder of what it feels like to be unloved, we can certainly sympathize with Poch but at least he has a chance to change things. After his side’s uncharacteristically impressive display against Aston Villa last time out, a win against relegated Palace would further upset Chelsea fans, while a win over Liverpool in Sunday’s Fizzy Cup final would at least equal a knee quick. trembler, with endless romantic possibilities further down the road.
Sadly for Mr Roy, there are no such redemptive possibilities, now that his one-time relationship with the Palace fans seems to have come to an inevitable end. Out of two cups and with nothing more exciting than avoiding a relegation battle to look forward to, the 76-year-old manager seems to be going through the motions until a newer, more glamorous replacement can be found . “It was the hardest period of my career for one reason,” he said ahead of tonight’s game, having seemingly consigned the Iceland fiasco to the vaults. “And that’s why the fans turned so much against us. They are the people we can’t afford to turn against us, because we need them.”
Palace also need Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guéhi, three standout players who could make all the difference against a Chelsea side famous for blowing sometimes hot but mainly different degrees of cold. Unfortunately for Mr. Roy, the three are sidelined with a knock, in a state of affairs that greatly increases the chances of him getting tonked otherwise for his average team. Should Palace lose in the same emphatic style as they did against Brighton last time out, we’re predicting a quick divorce.
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STATEMENT OF THE DAY
“To be a football supporter, especially at this club … I came back twice to see them out of relegation … there will always be bad times. Let’s be fair, the last three years have been West Ham’s best ever. Sixth and seventh in the league, semi-final of the Europa League, final of the European cup competition and I think this club has still grown. Without a doubt, we had a terrible day today and I understand them [the fans] going but sometimes at football clubs you will have bad days. We had a bad day today and I certainly won’t forget the good ones” – David Moyes asks West Ham fans to see the bigger picture after his side were humiliated 6-0 at home to Arsenal. Not quite Roy Hodgson levels of ‘you should be happy we’re still in the Premier League’, but not too far off.
DAILY FOOTBALL LETTERS
Ifab’s idea of blue cards (Friday’s Football Daily) seems to show his ignorance of colors and how they work. He may need to consult a color expert (artist or designer). According to his plan, two blue cards would equal red, or a blue and yellow card would equal red. However, since anyone is familiar with colors, blue and more blue make blue, and blue and yellow make green. Or maybe Ifab is just color blind, which goes along with the ignorance and arrogance behind this idea” – Nigel Assam.
For my sins, I become a football referee on Saturdays and a hockey referee on Sundays. If my weekend is going to be ruined I like to return the favor. In hockey, a green card is a two-minute dustbin and a yellow card is at least a five-minute sin bin. And red is red in both games. In football, bins for professional fouls and dissents (10 minutes) and two yellows (20 minutes) are long overdue improvements. Brian from Northampton is a dreamer and not a reactionary” – Roger Prowse.
Are the cards proposed to punish dissent colored blue to represent the language they will be punishing?” – Richard Ó hÁgáin.
To top off Lionel Messi’s recent non-playing relationship in Hong Kong. He could not appear more disinterested during the entire trip. While David Beckham was involved in training sessions with local children and schools, shaking hands, kissing children’s heads, signing autographs and generously spending time posing for selfies with fans, Messi remained locked in his hotel. On the day of the game, although it was understandable that he had a knock, unfortunately, he could at least show some interest, say some words (admittedly in Spanish, but with translation) and pose for photos and signed autograph books. He looked grumpy, bored and desperate to get out of town. His standing and reputation here in Hong Kong could not be lower” – Marc Meldrum.
Re: Matthias Schill (and others) in Football Daily’s Friday letters. Abe Simpson is not going into a brewery and leaving the famous gif, but actually in a house of burlesque. The bordello, although mentioned in Bart After Dark, is never seen. And yes, I should know more” – Adam Griffiths (and others).
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. The winner of our letter without prize today is … Richard O’Hagan.
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• This article was amended on 12 February 2024 because an earlier version misstated Mark Bright as Ian Bright.
