Crystal Palace v Liverpool

[Will]

Double Agents

 

In advance of our first meeting of the season on Sunday, YNWA looks at the careers of some of those who have represented both Crystal Palace and the reds over the years.

 

Current double agent

Midfielder Tom Ince signed on as a youth player in 2008, being handed a squad number for the 2010/11 season. He made just one senior reds appearance, as a substitute in our humiliating Carling Cup defeat by Northampton Town, and moved on to Blackpool in August 2011. He joined Palace on loan from the Tangerines last January, scoring once in eight games.

 

At the back

Neil Ruddock wound his career down with Palace, arriving on a free transfer from West Ham United in July 2000, notching twice in 26 appearances in his one season there, before joining Roy Evans at Swindon Town in August 2001. He had played 152 times for the reds following his £2.5m capture from Tottenham Hotspur in July 1993, helping us to claim the Coca-Cola Cup in 1995 before moving on to Upton Park for £100,000 in July 1998.

 

Steve Staunton joined Palace on loan in November 2000 as his second spell at Anfield was drawing to a close, and so was there alongside Ruddock although the two never played together there. He made six appearances, scoring a 45-yard screamer in their home defeat of Tranmere Rovers, his final game, and was then released back to Aston Villa on a free transfer shortly afterwards. Stan arrived from Dundalk for £20,000 in September 1986, striking seven times in 148 reds appearances across two spells, helping us to our last League title in 1990, and the FA Cup a year earlier.

 

Left-back Peter Wall failed to score in 42 first-team appearances after signing from Wrexham in a deal that cost us £35,000 for him and full-back Stuart Mason in October 1966, but ‘Max’ had greater success with his next club, Crystal Palace, whom he joined in May 1970 for £30,000. He spent eight seasons at Selhurst Park, playing over 200 times for them with one of his rare goals coming at Anfield in January 1972, although we still won 4-1.

 

In the middle

Ray Houghton signed for Crystal Palace from Aston Villa for £300,000 on transfer deadline day in March 1995, bagging eight goals in 87 games for the Eagles, captaining them to the play-off final, and later returning as coach. He had arrived at Anfield from Oxford United for £825,000 in October 1987, and went on to strike 38 times in 202 reds games, helping us to two League titles, two FA Cups and the FA Charity Shield before moving to Aston Villa for £900,000 in July 1992.

 

Paul Stewart signed from Tottenham Hotspur for £2.3m in July 1992. His time at Anfield was a failure, scoring just three times in 42 appearances in nearly four seasons. He left for Sunderland on a free transfer in March 1996, having already spent a spell on loan with Crystal Palace two years earlier. He bagged three goals in eighteen games while at Selhurst Park as they won the First Division title.

 

Not often on the wings

Victor Moses started out with Palace’s Academy, breaking through to the first team in November 2007. He scored eleven goals in 69 games before being sold to Wigan Athletic for £2.5m in January 2010 after the Eagles went into administration. He moved on to Chelsea in August 2012, spending last season on loan in L4. He netted on his debut at Swansea City in September 2013, scoring twice in total in 22 reds games.

 

Winger Jimmy Carter signed as a professional for Crystal Palace in November 1983. He never made the first team, a fate that also befell him at Queens Park Rangers, his next club. He later spent just nine months at Anfield after signing from Millwall for £800,000 in January 1991, making only eight appearances before leaving for Arsenal at a loss of £300,000. Australian winger Nicky Rizzo never made a senior reds appearance, and joined the Eagles on a free transfer in July 1998. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee ligament injury and was restricted to 41 games in his two years there, netting four times, before moving into lower League football in Italy.

 

Up front

Stan Collymore moved to Selhurst Park from Stafford Rangers for £100,000 in January 1991. He only struck twice in 25 games before joining Southend United in November 1992 for £150,000. He netted 35 times in 81 reds games after signing from Nottingham Forest for £8.5m in July 1995. He was offloaded to Aston Villa in February 2000 for £7m, where he again failed to fulfil his potential.

 

Vic Wright bagged 33 goals in 85 reds games after signing from Rotherham United in March 1934. He moved on to Plymouth Argyle in June 1937 and later guested for Palace during the war. Charlie Hewitt struck six times in sixteen reds matches after arriving in August 1907 from Tottenham Hotspur for £75. He moved on to West Bromwich Albion for the same fee in April 1908, and then to Spennymoor United, and Crystal Palace in May 1910. He bagged 41 goals in 162 games for Palace, including one on his debut in a 6-1 thumping of Plymouth Argyle.

 

Other double agents

England international left-half Tom Bromilow made 375 reds appearances after signing professional terms in 1919, having asked for a trial straight from the army. He scored eleven times while helping us to claim two League titles in successive seasons in the 1920’s. He went on to manage the Eagles in the 1935/36 season, as they finished sixth in the Third Division South before resigning over transfer issues. He returned as boss in January 1937, leading them to the runners-up spot before moving to Leicester City in the summer of 1939.

 

Outside-left Michael Griffin joined the reds from Darlington St Augustine’s in 1906, but only made four appearances before joining Palace in May 1909. He only stayed in South London for one season, playing 35 times. Bootle-born half-back Jimmy Hughes signed from Hertford Albion in 1904, moving to Palace along with Griffin after fourteen reds games. He was with the Eagles a lot longer, turning out 209 times for them, during which time they missed out on the Southern League Division One title on goal average in 1913/14.

 

Winger Mark Kennedy joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2006. He turned out 48 times for the Eagles, grabbing just one goal before being released in May 2008. He had moved to Anfield from Millwall for £1.5m in March 1995. He only ever made 21 senior reds appearances, without getting on the scoresheet. He was sold to Wimbledon for £1.75m after three years at Anfield.

 

Besian Idrizaj signed from Linzer ASK for an initial £190,000 in August 2005, and made his first senior appearance in our friendly at Crewe Alexandra back in July 2006, netting a treble at Wrexham a year later, but failed to make the first-team squad, sadly dying aged just 22 in May 2010. He had spent the first half of the 2007/08 season on loan at Selhurst Park, only playing seven times without scoring.

 

Roy Hodgson was a moderately successful youth player with Crystal Palace, but was never able to break into their first team, moving into non-League football before launching his management career. Mike Kelly had been Roy Hodgson’s assistant at Fulham, following him to Anfield for his unsuccessful spell as reds boss. He had previously spent time as Assistant Manager to Dario Gradi at Selhurst Park in the early 1980’s, returning as goalkeeping coach in February 2004.

[Will]

Down Memory Lane

 

YNWA takes a look back at previous memorable away League meetings as we visit Crystal Palace for only the fifteenth time in the League on Sunday. We have a reasonable record against them away from home, having won five, drawn five and been beaten four times.

 

Most recently

Joe Allen scored a club record 59th first-half goal in a season last May, with Damien Delaney putting through his own net after the break. Two minutes later, Luis Suárez scored his 82nd and final reds goal, a club record fourteenth away goal of the season and joint all-Premier League record 31st goal in a campaign as we took a three-goal lead, reaching a new club record of 48 away League goals. This was an all-Premier League record 21st time in a season that we had scored three or more goals in a game. However, Delaney pulled one back with just eleven minutes remaining before Dwight Gayle nabbed a brace as the game ended 3-3 to deliver our League title hopes a near-decisive blow, although we went back to the top of the table with less than a week of the season to go. Victor Moses came off the bench for his 22nd and last reds game on loan from Chelsea.

 

John Welsh played his tenth and final reds game as we suffered yet another away League defeat in that season, 1-0 in April 2005, courtesy of an Andy Johnson strike. We won 3-0 in December 1997, thanks to goals from Steve McManaman, Michael Owen and Øyvind Leonhardsen.

 

A thumping win

We trounced the Eagles 6-1 in August 1994, with Jan Mølby converting a penalty before Steve McManaman bagged a brace and Robbie Fowler also got on the scoresheet in our season opener, with Ian Rush adding another two goals to his tally against the Eagles. As one end of the ground was being redeveloped, the crowd of 18,084 was the lowest ever for a first-team meeting between the clubs.

 

Rushie on target

Ian Rush netted as we drew 1-1 in March 1993, the latest League stalemate at Selhurst Park. The Welshman also netted in January 1990, with Peter Beardsley also scoring as we won 2-0. Rushie’s seven strikes against the Eagles are the most of any red.

 

Emlyn on the mark

Our first League trip to South London, and first meeting in more than three decades, ended in a 3-1 victory in August 1969, with Emlyn Hughes, Roger Hunt and Peter Thompson on target. Three years later, Crazy Horse struck again as we were held to a 1-1 draw. Ex-reds left-back Peter Wall broke his leg in this game. Ray Clemence played his hundredth League game for the reds.

 

Brucie’s milestone

Bruce Grobbelaar played his 400th League game for the reds as we lost 1-0 in March 1992

 

Steve’s bow

Gerry Queen struck the only goal of the game in January 1971 as the Eagles beat us for the first time at the sixth time of asking in all competitions. Midfielder Steve Arnold came off the bench for the first of his two senior reds appearances.

 

Another win

John Toshack netted the only goal of the game in August 1971.

[anfieldgaz]

JFW. 3 points needed.

[Molby]

Poor thread

1 out of 10

[DJS]

Without Sturridge, it's hard to really muster a great deal of confidence for this.

 

If Brendan would just play the diamond and give Balotelli a strike partner, I'd feel confident but that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

[Cobs]

Palace are s***. We'll smash them.

[Gunga Din]

Palace are s***. We'll smash them.

aye, they're s***e. but so are we. not confident about this game at all

[Cunny]

Poor Martin Kelly not even deemed worthy enough to be deemed a double agent.

treated like a dog.

[Stevie H]

bloody hell will, totally made me think it was friday that did. damn.

[Cobs]

aye, they're s****. but so are we. not confident about this game at all

 

Man Up, FFS !

[Flight]

We'll batter these.

[Nate.]

Colin loves a performance against us.

 

Not expecting much to be honest.

[The_Adder]

Bricking it.

[cymrococh]

Bricking it.

Really? Against Crystal Palace?

[Earl Hafler]

Might be a different type of snake ?

[Bootle Buck]

Can see this game being another West Ham. They will be fired up against a team coming in lacking in confidence, with a shaky defense and toothless front line. It's a tight pitch with a noisy home support. They will be looking for a scrappy, physical game and will be looking to put us under pressure from set pieces. Think Borini's movement will be necessary upfront rather than a static Ballo.

[Rory Fitzgerald]

Has Colin started talking about Rafa yet ?

[NeilJ]

Has Colin started talking about Rafa yet ?

When did he stop?

[RedMersey]

Dreading this.

[DJS]

Palace are s***. We'll smash them.

They are s***. But we cannot score goals and can't keep them out.

 

Doesn't paint a pretty picture.

[Hassony]

we'll win, after three defeats in a row, the only acceptable result here is a win

 

Lovren OG 1-5 Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana, Skrtel, Markovic

[Nebraska Red]

we'll win, after three defeats in a row, the only acceptable result here is a win

 

Lovren OG 1-5 Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana, Skrtel, Markovic

Drinking already?

 

Not a chance in hell we score 5 in one game.

[Earl Hafler]

Can see this game being another West Ham. They will be fired up against a team coming in lacking in confidence, with a shaky defense and toothless front line. It's a tight pitch with a noisy home support. They will be looking for a scrappy, physical game and will be looking to put us under pressure from set pieces. Think Borini's movement will be necessary upfront rather than a static Ballo.

 

His ' movement ' though is similar to that of Baros. For all the throw ins that Baros won, his two finest moments were one back heel and getting out of the f***ing way.

 

Unsurprisingly, Palace are amongst the leagues highest scorers with set pieces and use of an aerial ball in attack, among the lowest with shots in and around the area.

Lallana, Sterling and Gerrard off Lambert. Look to expose their flanks with Sterling and get Gerrard into scoring positions.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

aye, they're s****. but so are we. not confident about this game at all

both teams will score, it's whether we can actually get 2 or more.

 

Hate footy right now

[Molby]

 

His ' movement ' though is similar to that of Baros. For all the throw ins that Baros won, his two finest moments were one back heel and getting out of the f***ing way.

 

Unsurprisingly, Palace are amongst the leagues highest scorers with set pieces and use of an aerial ball in attack, among the lowest with shots in and around the area.

Lallana, Sterling and Gerrard off Lambert. Look to expose their flanks with Sterling and get Gerrard into scoring positions.

 

can you stop going on about Lambert please?

 

he's nowhere near good enough AND we have not shown any inclination to play in a manner that suits him

 

Balo plus one other, which may or may not be Lambert

but definitely 2 up, if Balo is fit