QPR Report Interview: The Crystal Palace Perspective

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March 10, 2011 -A CRYSTAL PALACE FAN PERSPECTIVE - QPR Report Q&A

Long-time Crystal Palace fan, Palace_Spence -to us known as magyarangol29 - has very kindly agreed to provide a look at Crystal Palace on and off the field

Starting simply: How long have you supported Crystal Palace?

Most of my life, growing up as a kid in Beckenham I had all the kit and fellow kids at school in those days were all Palace too. Unlike today of course where most of them would be wearing a Chelsea, Arsenal or Man Utd shirt.
In and out of love with football as a whole over the years and going through teenage hood of course there were more “interesting” sports to follow.


What do you think of the Various Palace websites and messageboards? How do they get on with the other?: Are there any serious inter-board conflicts (as there certainly are between certain QPR boards!)?

The two main Palace fan sites I frequent are “The BBS” and “The Holmesdale On Line”. Two very good and informative sites for us fans to read, debate, rant and argue on. Yes, there’s healthy rivalry between the sites but it’s all good / healthy banter.


Special Palace Rivalries? Presumably Charlton and Millwall - and maybe Brighton? Think it's evenly held?

The history with Brighton is an odd one. For me, and this is just my opinion, Brighton aren’t one of MY serious rivals. Sure, in the past there’s been bad blood there but I prefer to call the likes of Millwall and Charlton as rivals purely from a geographical point of view. We are “The Pride of South London”.

Again, for ME, I’d see QPR as more of a rival than Brighton. But hey, if they manage promotion who knows, that may change. Ultimate rival for ME would be Charlton. Can’t stand them!


Over the years, you've had quite a bit of managerial and board turnover. And as as QPR fan, I'm speaking as an expert re managerial turnover!

Yes indeed, been fun hasn’t it!!


What do you think of the current Palace "Fan" Owners? WHY are they involved? WHO ARE THEY?! What do you expect? Could they realistically have done more to boost your chances?

The current owners, love them! They’ve been a breath of fresh air for myself and most Palace fans would agree. The CPFC 2010 consortium are indeed fans, led by Steve Parish who stepped in when we were facing extinction (again). Whilst in administration we were linked to the likes of Puff Daddy and billionaire Americans which was all very amusing and fantastic to read about of course. However it was the local businessmen/fans who actually stepped up and put their money where their mouths were.

What do I expect from them? Hmmm, initially I was just happy that we still had a club to support and follow but now the honeymoon period is over, I guess, like most, I’m looking for stability and survival in the Championship. I can only say what I do not expect from them and that is quite simply to not go crazy with spending insane vast amounts of money on players and put us in debt.

Going back to that breath of fresh air comment I made. A couple of members from CPFC 2010 regularly log on to our message boards and hold Q&A sessions with the fans. It took a little while to actually sink in for us Palace fans that here, posting on our forums, were our new owners. Engaging and debating with us, who would ever had thought something like this would actually happen??


How do you think Palace treats its fans? Appreciates them? Listens to them? Screws them?

Not sure if I’m qualified to answer that one. At the end of the day the club is a business and has to be run correctly or else we’ll yet again end up in the doo doo.
My hopes are that the new regime are putting in place measures that’ll stop that kind of thing happening again. At least in our lifetimes. As above point re: engaging with the fans YES, they do listen to us and appreciate us. Screw us? No, I don’t think so.


Who are you Dangermen/Most valued/most overrated/most underrated players?

Dangermen - N’Daiye , Andrew - most valued – Garvan – overrated – Speroni , underrated -Dorman. Work that one out if you will my friend, my lips are sealed.


Prediction for season promotion/relegation places - And how would that compare with pre-season prediction?

Difficult question, as you are more than aware this division throws up some serious oddities at times and this year is no different. In particular there’s been an abundance of quality clubs in the league. Ok, promotion is still somewhat wide open in my opinion. I think QPR will go up automatically this year though as I keep telling my Company Director and life long QPR fan. Of course he is still very cautious and level headed on the subject and rightly so but you can imagine the banter we have shared this last year!
QPR, Forest and a Welsh club!
Relegation wise is also tough. This seems to be changing daily. Currently, as we stand today I see Preston, Sheffield Utd and Sc**thorpe going down. However, Middlesbrough and Derby are looking like getting sucked in too.


In your heart of hearts, what were you expecting pre-season for Palace?

I was happy to simply complete the season lower - middle table.

Are you looking forward to playing QPR?

Hell yes, time to right some wrongs.


What is your view and the general Palace views of QPR (If we even feature in your consciousness)

Most Palace fans dislike QPR and this has been proven even more so after your invitiation to take part here. From my own personal point of view I’m really not that bothered and I do genuinely wish you all the best. The initial knee jerk reaction to Mr Warnocks exit was a bitter pill to swallow as he had been my favourite Palace manager to date. But hey we’ve now got Dougie Freedman.


We obviously share a number of players and managers - Warnock and his coaching team; and the players he bought (and the ones he tried to buy); Terry Venables came over to QPR (and brought his coaching squad and half the Palace team - Francis, Fenwick, Flanagan, Sealy, Burridge, Allen, Wicks). Other players over the years: Don Rogers, Terry Venables, Mark Lazarus, Ian Evans...Wilkins, Silkman, Routledge, Watson, Borrowdale, Hall?

Yes, and I wonder what will happen if indeed Wigan get relegated. Ben Watson and Victor Moses anyone? Watch this space!


Do you have any views about Gary Borrowdale who since he signed for QPR has not exactly set the place on fire?

No views on him. I never felt that he set the world on fire for us but was clearly on good terms with Mr Dowie so got picked a few times when I felt he shouldn’t have.


What are your past Encounter Memories - Best Memory/Worst Memory of Past QPR- Encounters? Who is your favourite QPR Player over the years? (And your least favourite)? Ditto any view of Neil Warnock?

Not many to be honest. The return of the Warnock to Selhurst Park. Seeing Adel Taarabt for the 1st time was entertaining. He’s got skills and a great capture for you guys.

I loved NW at Palace and as stated above he’d been my favourite Manager to date. He left, I hated him and now I admire him again lol. Fickle fan eh.
You cannot take away the passion NW has. He’s a motivator, an entertainer and off pitch a pretty good bloke. But, that’s my view anyway and I can hear Palace fans cursing me for saying it, but like NW, I’ll say it as it is! At the end of the day, he was friends with our previous Chairman Simon Jordan and with us purely because of that friendship and I enjoyed his time with us.

My favourite QPR player, arghhh come on now. Ok, in all seriousness Shaun Derry.
Off the pitch I’ve had personal dealings with Shaun as he was renting his property to a fellow Palace player who is a personal friend of my family.
With Shauns tough “the guvnor” no nonsense style on the pitch you couldn’t be more surprised with such a kind well spoken bloke off the pitch!! Really top bloke, good Dad and family man. So yes, I’ll vote for Shaun Derry “Derry Derry”.


SCORE PREDICTION for QPR-Palace

Initially I was thinking a bore draw 0–0 but now after beating Cardiff and with off-pitch distractions with a certain Mr Paladini I’m hoping your boys will indeed be distracted!


Where, realistically, do you think Palace will be in five years time?

Ohhh, it has to be residing in 40,000 all seater stadium at Crystal Palace Park and enjoying life in the Premiership.


Do you have any advice for QPR fans, in the event that we do go up? (Spend more/spend less; keep the manager; change the manager, etc)

Not really. I’m sure NW will have a nice war chest available if he secures promotion and I look forward to seeing how he spends it and what he does with them.

Many Thanks again to Crystal Palace fan, Palace_Spence - magyarangol29 for providing this.