Roy Hodgson’s permanent return to Crystal Palace brought a new set of goals with ambitions set on a top ten finish, so where do the Eagles sit on the eve of the season in the battle for the Premier League’s middle section?
Whether dictated by the board, by Steve Parrish, by Roy Hodgson or a combination of them all, the re-appointment of Hodgson wasn’t the major factor in establishing a direction for the season, but more so the language used in declaring his return and that being a top ten finish.
Palace have long been capable of achieving these heady heights as we cast our minds back to the Pardew days, and our many end of season flurry of points that have elevated us up the table, but this campaign we see this objective set from the start.
With the season opener fast approaching and the transfer window kicking towards the final stages. it’s possible that Palace are well set with one of the most balanced squads we’ve ever held.
A settled and comfortable back four, hopefully soon to be bolstered by competition at left back and potential for serious contenders for starting places in the centre of defence should our interest in targets come to fruition. A solid, balanced midfield with depth would only point to a missing piece of an assured, consistent marksman to finish our squad which is similar to those clubs in the league.
As in financial muscle of the big boys is flexed ever more frequently, and with greater force, the middle league is up for grabs with the contenders of Brighton, Villa, Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham, Everton, West Ham, Wolves, and potentially one of last year’s strugglers or newly promoted teams.
You could argue that of the teams listed, Palace are well placed to hit these new heights. The leagues bigger names have creamed off Brighton’s influential stars, do they have more on the talent conveyor belt for another European push under the quality of De Zerbi?
Can Villa balance the Thursday/Sunday programme that many have struggled with and allow their strengthened squad to push further?
Brentford are yet to replace their talisman in Toney, do they have the strike power to sustain their recent overachieving?
Will Bournemouth’s changing of the guard enable their squad to overachieve?
Then we have the likes of Fulham, Everton, West Ham and Wolves all characterised by squads consisting of efficient league players, individuals with potential and those yet to show their ability at this level.
For Palace to hit the top ten we will need to return to certain aspects that became fairly frequent pre-Viera with that being taking the scalps of the big six/eight much like Brentford have in recent years. Adding to this factor is the accumulation of points against our competitors, again for this we return to pre-Viera days where plan B and C appeared to have greater consideration and conviction.
Palace and Hodgson, like many this season, have the opportunity to push on. The mix of promoted sides and those survivors from last season appear to be the weakest cohort for quite some time and you will expect these teams to battle it out at the bottom.
The difference this season is the intent has been outlined before a ball has been kicked. The squad has greater balance, depth, experience of the league than previous years and those competing for similar spots. It’s now for the club to realise the potential on and off the pitch to push Palace to the next level and make noises that our current board or potential investors cannot ignore.
The final ‘Plan B’ and ‘Plan C’ need to point to our leader. The appointment of Hodgson has bought us time, stability and the realistic consideration of a top half finish. But we must all realise that for us to keep this exciting and ambitious squad together for as long as possible, we need to identify the coach to keep Palace moving forward, whether it comes after Hodgson achieving his ambition, or whether he falls prematurely short in this process.
