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Crystal Palace v Sheffield United Saturday 1st February 2020 // 3pm

01.02.2020

INSIDE THE PROGRAMME CRYSTAL PALACE V SHEFFIELD UNITED SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 2020 | 3PM K.O.

Directors Steve Parish, Chairman David Blitzer, Joshua Harris Chief Executive Phil Alexander Chief Financial Officer Sean Oâ€™Loughlin Sporting Director Dougie Freedman Club Secretary

Christine Dowdeswell Head of Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning

Scott Guyett Head of Medical Dr. Zaf Iqbal Academy Director Gary Issott Director of U23 Development Mark Bright Head Groundsman Bruce Elliott Commercial Director Barry Webber Operations Director Sharon Lacey Head of Consumer Sales Mike Pink Head of Ticketing Paul McGowan Head of Legal David Nichol Head of Content & Production James Woodroof Head of CRM & Campaigns Tom McGuiness Head of Safeguarding Marcus Puddephatt

72 Editor Dan Blazer Design Billy Cooke, Luke Thomas Contributors Ben Mountain, Ian King, Dom Fifield, Chris Waters, Grace Cullen, Chris Grierson, James Woodroof Photography Neil Everitt, Seb Frej, Reuters, Pinnacle, Rex Features Printer Bishops Printers

CRYSTAL PALACE V SHEFFIELD UNITED

Copers Cope

Chris Grierson

Junior Eagles

Amateur Analysis

A Corner of South London

Dom Fifield

Scott Banks

Palace XI in Time

Shaun Derry

01.02.2020

STEVE PARISH Welcome to the fans, players, staff and directors of Sheffield United to Selhurst Park today. Welcome to each and every Palace supporter here to get behind Roy and the team. 08

Dougie and I returned from a trip to Israel earlier this week, as we sent a squad to the fantastic international U19 Winter Tournament in Tel Aviv, where they finished runners-up. These trips are important for so many reasons. It’s great for Dougie and I to spend one-on-one time with every single player, to get to know them better. Such trips also help young players learn about the realities of life as a footballer – the travel, hotel rooms, different food, being away from family and friends not to mention some ‘interesting’ refereeing. And obviously, it’s fantastic from a football perspective as part of the players’ development playing against teams from other parts of the world.

Almost straight off the plane, we played a very good Grasshopper Zurich team. Paddy and Gary tried a few people in new positions which probably didn’t work as well as it could and that coupled with a very dubious penalty given against us after six minutes - and a very obvious one not given in our favour - saw us slump to a 0-3 defeat. We kept trying to play our football throughout the game, as indeed we did in the whole tournament, and with a few positional changes we returned the next day to get ourselves off the mark with a 2-0 win against the Dutch team SBV Excelsior. That proved the start of an unbeaten run to the end of the tournament, including an impressive last minute equaliser to draw against a considerably older Maccabi team, when David Omilabu crossed to Rob Street to head home in the dying seconds. With many of our lads born in 2003/4 playing against teams full of players born in 2001/02 you might have thought that the punishing schedule of five games in three days would get the better of us, but the boys actually got stronger and clinched second place with another last minute goal from the excellent Fionn Mooney in the dying seconds of the final game. I could not be prouder and more impressed by the attitude, aptitude and conduct of our boys. It was a

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“SUCH TRIPS ALSO HELP YOUNG PLAYERS LEARN ABOUT THE REALITIES OF LIFE AS A FOOTBALLER”

great experience for Dougie and I, and fantastic to spend time with the players and coaches. Everyone did well but I would like to give a special mention to John-Kymani Gordon, TQ Addy and Dylan Thistleton who had a difficult time at right back in the first game but came back to put in some great midfield performances and finally Jacob Russell who was voted ‘keeper of the tournament. I’d finally like to praise Paddy, Gary and all the wider staff for leading

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the squad as they did on the trip, also Leanne our Academy Administrator, and our new Safeguarding Officer Vienna on making sure it all ran like clockwork. The Palace TV guys are working away on a film of the trip, so keep your eyes out for that. We are still awaiting news from Bromley Council about our planning application for our state-of-the-art Academy – and we remain confident that our plans will come to fruition. There is a proven pathway here at Palace for our most talented youngsters – as Wilf and Aaron have shown in recent years. Brandon, Tyrick and many others are pushing hard too and have been in and around the first-team squads in recent weeks – which is pleasing to see. I am writing these notes before the end of the transfer window, so there is little need to speculate on these pages as it will already be old news by the time you are reading it. What I’m extremely pleased to hear about is the return of Luka, Patrick, Christian and Andros to full training – hopefully we will see them all in action very soon indeed. Today we face an extremely impressive Sheffield United side, who beat us earlier in the season. I am sure yet again it will be a tightly contested affair between two very well organised and talented teams. Enjoy the game, and get behind the team as loudly as you can. Up the Palace.

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attitude from the players. That’s the key in my opinion. We are always there, trying to improve. We have stability which gives us confidence for the future. “We must be very proud - we made some historical wins away from home – Chelsea, Man United, Man City, Liverpool. Some teams do it once in 30 years, we’ve done it in two-tothree years. It shows how quality we are, there is no secret. “A big influence has been the manager, and the Chairman. He keeps stability in the club. We don’t have a lot of sales or additions, we are stable. We buy when we need to buy, players who can bring us quality. We sell when we really need to sell. It gives us stability and that is why we are very successful.” For Hodgson to make Luka captain at age 26, after less than a year at the club speaks volumes. For a team who has to fight for every point, his effort level is infectious. As the manager says, it is “ideal.” “I try for myself, always, to give my best. Every time when I’m on the pitch, to do my best – to give 100% for the club. In the end, for me the most important thing, when I finish the game, is: have I left everything on the pitch? If I did, I’m happy. “Sometimes, the quality depends on the moment, depends on the form. Sometimes you’re good, sometimes you’re passing or tackling is good or not good. Sometimes it’s very good you score, or assist. But the attitude must be there. Performance, mentality, personality must be on the pitch – you

have to bring it on the pitch and must bring it in to the squad. “That’s what I’m trying all my career. Sometimes you’re Man of the Match, sometimes you’re the worst player on the pitch. But the attitude must be there. And I’m trying to never lose that.” We talk about the red card for

“ I LOST A LOT FROM THIS RED CARD AS A PERSON, I KNOW THAT. BUT THE OTHER PLAYERS CAN LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE TOO. I LET THE PLAYERS DOWN, WHICH IS SOMETHING YOU CANNOT DO. ” Luka’s uncharacteristic reaction to the provocation of Derby County’s Tom Huddlestone, which led to a three-game suspension during the recent FA Cup defeat. It is the third red of his professional career to date. The Serbian shifts in his seat. “You know, it’s my first red card in my career for this kind of situation. I will not try to get some excuses about

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what I did – but to be honest, I lost my head. I lost my head. A lot of games, a lot of pressure – I was tired as well: mentally and physically. In one situation I got provoked, when I tried to stand up the guy pushed me twice. “What can I say? Ok, it’s a cliché – but you must learn from your mistakes. Much better to learn on other people’s mistakes than yours, but it happened – I must change it, because it never happened to me to be honest.” It’s put to him that he is usually the first to try to diffuse confrontational issues on the field – regularly leaping to separate players from trouble, or often to protect and placate Wilfried Zaha after repeated, cynical targeting. “It’s true. We all know that most of the teams will go to kick your best player – I try to protect [him] – it’s part of my job as captain. I’m always there to help others. But this time, it was a different situation. I didn’t solve it in the way I should. You have to learn on your mistakes, try to never repeat again – you don’t leave your team a man down. “I lost a lot from this red card as a person, I know that. But the other players can learn from my mistake too. I let the players down, which is something you cannot do. But it happened, and I cannot now judge myself. But I will try to never repeat again and to be honest, to keep my focus.” The attitude must be there. And it is, in abundance. As Roy Hodgson suggests, Luka Milivojevic as a person, and a player, should be cherished.

01.02.2020

VICENTE GUAITA

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20 PATRICK VAN AANHOLT

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ANDROS TOWNSEND

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MAX MEYER

JORDAN AYEW

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EAGLE EYE WITH PALACE TV'S CHRIS GRIERSON

If you’re a keen watcher of Palace TV then you will have seen a lot of training videos in the past four years or so. It’s great that we can just pop outside the office any time we like and capture some goals, saves, tackles and skills. But it hasn’t always been this easy. When I started working here five years ago, videos of training just weren’t done. Training was seen as sacred. One of the most viewed videos on our YouTube channel was one of pre-season training under Tony Pulis and I think this was because it was such a novelty to see players being put through their paces on the training field. I can’t remember the first time we filmed training but it must have been under Alan Pardew.

He was great with us and never had an issue with us filming. The important thing was that we were careful with how we edited so we never gave anything away about how the team would play or what the starting lineup would be. Over the years we’ve gained the trust of the coaching staff. They know we’ll never publish

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something they don’t want seen. For example, we never film when the team are working on shape for the next game and they don’t even have to tell us not to film it. The biggest obstacle in the early days was actually some of the players. More old school players like Damien Delaney definitely hated having

cameras there…and he let me know that! Terrifying. It’s been fascinating to watch that change over the years, though. Recently I’ve had players complaining when we’re not there, as a lot of them like posting their goals and moments on their own social media channels. Sometimes, when a particularly good goal is scored, they’ll turn around to us and say: “did you get that?” We’ve definitely changed our style since we first started filming training. At first, we were excited with our sexy new camera so all videos would be shown in slow motion with close-ups and dramatic music. But we’ve learnt that people just want to watch training as if they’re stood by the pitch at Copers Cope. So now

we keep the videos pretty raw. It’s actually really exciting when you capture something amazing. I shot an amazing piece of Wilfried Zaha skill earlier this season and had to walk away from the camera and gasp. Our training video sponsor was probably pretty happy with the millions of views, too! Introducing a drone last season was fun. The players made it their mission to try and hit it, but agreed to pay costs if they ever knocked it out of the air. Luckily our pilot had quick reactions! The one downside of training videos are the comments online. After you’ve spent three hours getting the feeling back in your cold feet, there’s nothing worse than reading comments like: “now do this on a matchday,” “easy to

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do that in training,” or “PLEASE stop it with the training videos.” Can’t people just enjoy the fact that they are given free access to watch the players they support, entertain them? However, I know it’s a small minority who moan. So please can the majority start replying with praise so the team and myself can warm our feet in a bath of positivity? Ta very much.

Head to eagles.cpfc.co.uk or the CPFC app to watch all the behind the scenes content.

01.02.2020

GAME CHANGER footballfoundation.org.uk 52 AD-105x148-FF-Game Changer.indd 1

01/08/2019 09:21

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01.02.2020

Alan Pardew enjoys reflecting upon his playing days. Perhaps he considers it a break from the old routine for a figure better known now as a manager. Given the relegation scrap he has recently been flung into at ADO Den Haag, he might actually relish the chance to reflect on his time parading Crystal Palace’s midfield three decades ago. When his mind does drift, he acknowledges Palace’s promotion campaign and their first season back in the elite as his best in the professional game. A player who made his name in non-league, from Dulwich Hamlet to Yeovil Town, Pardew found his feet in rarefied company and, over those two years, made an impression. He was a workaholic and effective in the Second Division. He would score six goals in Palace’s first season back in the top-flight, a feat he never matched at that level again. “I’d been the golden boy at the non-league teams I played for, but had struggled and actually been a ‘boo boy’ in my early days at Palace,” he said. “But I developed a thick skin from that which helped me, and I played my best football in those two seasons.” One of his most rewarding

afternoons arguably came at White Hart Lane in early March, 1990, when Palace moved into uncharted territory. Palace had never won at Spurs in the league and Terry Venables’ Lilywhites, while hardly illuminating the division, boasted some mouth-watering attacking talents. A team who had recently won at Chelsea – a feat they would wait 29 years to repeat – had lost their last two matches, so the visit of a side hovering just outside the relegation places felt opportune. Yet they hadn’t taken into account the industry and energy of their opponents’ unsung midfield. Andy Gray, leaner and increasingly influential, dominated with Geoff Thomas restored at his side. That pair set a standard at Spurs which would be maintained for the next 18 months. And, in Pardew, the visitors had an unlikely matchwinner waiting for his moment. The midfielder, largely operating off the right, had seen a first-half effort scrambled from the goal-line by Gary Mabbutt. If that was unfortunate, his luck turned after the break as Erik Thorsvedt mustered a weak punch at Andy Thorn’s punted free-kick, and Pardew looped a first-time

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header over the clutter around the penalty spot and into the empty net. “I remember scoring past Peter Shilton and Neville Southall early on that season, then past Nigel Spink at Villa Park, but Spurs felt special,” he said. “We had started that season nowhere near good enough, apart from our two strikers. “But we knew that, if we could keep games tight, we could get results. After the Liverpool setback in the autumn, we’d got back to fighting tooth and nail for each other. The bear pit – no holds barred, and what we said to each other at training was beyond honesty at times – was back. Okay, we’d lost Ian Wright to njury, but being without our best player actually made us gel even more to compensate.” Those on the Park Lane terrace erupted in delight at Pardew’s goal, and later celebrated Wright’s return off the bench. Other than one Lineker shot, which Richard Shaw blocked, the visitors were untroubled. Coppell’s side finished the afternoon in 15th place, immediately above both Manchester clubs. More significantly, they were seven points off the bottom three.

The 2019/20 season marks 30 years on from the first year ‘back’ in the top-flight under Steve Coppell, and this week The Athletic writer Dom Fifield looks back at a magical afternoon at White Hart Lane.

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01.02.2020

LUCY GILLETT

The abuse from a group of male spectators, who had positioned themselves directly behind my goal, started from kick-off and a barrage of abuse carried on relentlessly throughout the first-half. It wasn’t until half-time that I got a chance to speak to the referee and in the second-half the group had relocated themselves. I don’t know if this was because the referee went to Coventry United’s first-team manager and flagged the issue, spoke to group directly or whether they realised they were being out of order. That being said, they were still watching on during the secondhalf and being aggressive, but the personal abuse towards me stopped. Thankfully, I’d say I’m pretty thick-skinned. Therefore, comments

like that go in one ear and out the other. I tend to be calm and collected in those situations. However, there our former teammates of mine, and perhaps even in this squad now, that might not have taken the abuse the same way I did and the comments would’ve got to them. This is the first time I’ve personally been the target. I’ve witnessed situations before, but they weren’t targeting me individually. Hopefully this is just a one-off experience. It hasn’t deterred my love for the game, this club and the English game. The club and the team have been great with me and have supported me hugely, regularly checking in with me that I am okay – it’s nice to receive that support and highlights what a tight-knit squad we have.

Since the incident, I’ve been asked a lot about how we can move to eradicate these situations from happening. And given what I went through, this is something I’ve given a lot of thought to. It comes down to the education side. That’s the biggest thing we need to combat. Educating the players on how to respond to this behaviour, educating fans on what respectable behaviour is and educating clubs in raising awareness of any abuse suffered. I’ve put this behind me now, and I’m fully focussed on helping Crystal Palace finish as high up the league table as possible, and progress further in the FA Cup, starting with tomorrow’s game against Southampton.

Palace for all | proud to be inclusive CRYSTAL PALACE V SHEFFIELD UNITED

On Sunday 12th January, I suffered sexist abuse during our FA Women’s Championship game away at Coventry United.