24/25 Season Preview 20 in 20 - Crystal Palace

8 of 20 - Palace/The Eagles

Author

nick lochner
August 02, 2024

The 2024/25 Season kicks off Friday August 16 when Fulham travel to Man United.

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2023/24 Finish - 10th Place

Consistency. A medium sized South London club, Palace is entering their 12th straight season in the PL, and in each of those seasons have finished between 10th and 15th with as few as 41 points and as many as 49. In many ways, that consistency is impressive. Another viewpoint might be that they are too conservative - satisfied at avoiding relegation and not overspending. Either way, the consistency is impressive.

Leadership. Manager Oliver Glasner took over with 13 matches to go in the season last year, and the majority of the competition was top 10 in the table. Palace were not guaranteed safety, and relegation talk started to swirl. That talk got stomped out quickly as Glasner finished those 13 matches with the 4th most points of any team in the PL during that stretch going 7W 3D 3L. Other clubs had interest in Glasner in the offseason, but he will be back at Selhurst Park, good news for Eagles fans.

Talent. While Palace lost star Michael Olise (to Bayern Munich) several key pieces should be returning - Jean-Philippe Mateta (16 goals), Eberechi Eze (54 chances created, 18 more than Olise), Jefferson Lerma and Adam Wharton both in the midfield. That’s enough for Glasner to be excited about challenging for Europe (a Top 7 finish).

Shady. Palace announced NET88 as their new shirt sponsor and the Premier League described the partnership as a “record two-year deal”. Yet, there are many questioning what’s really behind the deal. NET88 is a global gambling website, yet they have no presence in the UK and they just filed for a trademark in the country in March. In addition, there is no English website available, just one that’s “under construction”. Holmesdale.net, a popular Palace supporters’ website, reached out to the club and got a response from the Chief Commercial Officer and while the email is not available the Holmesdale response was “needless to say we were disappointed by the CCO’s response”. Will be interesting to follow this story given all the Financial Fair Play focus.

Good to Great. Palace has all the makings of a good club. A great season would result in a top 7 finish. Will be fun to see the direction the campaign takes.

The Club

Located in South London (Croydon)

Selhurst Park, 25,000 capacity

Rough estimates

$265M Annual Revenue (11th PL)

$87 Player Payroll

History on the Pitch

  • Highest finish, 3rd in 1991

  • 0 FA Cups, 2 Runners-Up

  • 0 Europe Cups

Ownership

In the 2000s the club had financial issues and 4 wealthy fans created CPFC 2010 and took control of the club, they each owned 25% and bought the stadium. Steve Parish became Chairman. In 2015, 2 American investors were added buying 18% of the club each, for $65M. One of those is Josh Harris, the new owner of the Washington Commanders. In 2021, another American investor John Textor bought a 40% stake, increasing that to 45% in 2023 however he is now looking to sell his share and is interested in buying Everton. Parish remains the Chairman.

Fans are concerned, as questions surround the partnerships commitment and focus to Palace. Do the owners get along, agree with the decisions making? It is rumored that some of the owners are looking at other English soccer clubs.

Josh Harris

Sponsorship

Home Shirt

Biggest Rival - Brighton & Hove Albion

Unofficial A23 Derby

  • A surprising rival, as the clubs are 40 miles apart but connected via Interstate A23.

  • The rivalry dates back to the 1970s when both clubs were fighting for promotion out of Level 3. They both ended up getting promoted, and the animosity continued in Level 2.

  • In 141 Matches played Palace has 51W 50L 40D.

  • Palace also have rivalries with South London clubs Millwall and Charlton Athletic but have not played either in league competition since 2015.

The Culture

The Holmesdale Fanatics - Founded in 2005, HF started with a small fanbase in section B of Selhurst Park. The group was frustrated with the lack of tradition, and stadium seating rules, as well as with how the club was being run. They became known across the UK and their membership skyrocketed.

Palace is a London Club whose fanbase is primarily regional to the South Boroughs. Many consider it the most “fanatic” club in England. A combination of chants, flags, banners, and organization of the supporters brings great atmosphere to the club.

The Crystal’s

Palace is the only club to have “NFL” style cheerleaders. In similar style to the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, the group performs before each home match as well as half time. They are active in the community and charity events. Holmesdale has more on the Crystal Girls.

The Crystal’s

Hard Knocks?

Amazon Prime Video followed Palace during their 2012-2013 season, which concluded with the club's promotion to the PL. The series has 5 episodes.

Supporters You May Recognize

  • Liam Neeson

  • Bill Lyman - Rolling Stones Bassist

  • Katy B

  • Rebecca Lowe (PL Mornings)

Song

In 1968 the Dave Clark Five performed Glad All Over at Selhurst Park and the song became tied to the club.

Game Day Pub Guide

Fan Sites

According to the AI tool COPILOT - here is an image of a Crystal Palace fan at Selhurst Park, based on Wiki’s description of a Hotspur Supporter.

Official Twitter

@CPFC

High Follows on Twitter

@holmesdaleUSA (12k)

@holmesdale (14k)

@ultrascpfc (22k)

@WingingItCPFC (15k)

The Team

The Gaffer

  • Oliver Glasner (Austria), 49yo

  • Glasner’s player was all in Austria over 16 years that ended with a head injury that required him to stop playing.

  • He began coaching in Austria and moved to Germany where he had success with Wolfsburg and Frankfurt.

  • Glasner replaced CP icon Roy Hodgson in February 2024 and led Palace to a great finishing run earning more points than all but 3 clubs.

ODDS

  • To Win League +30,000

  • To Be Relegated +900

  • To Finish Top 4 +2,500

  • To Finish Top 10 +140

Roster Notes

Full Roster click link

Projected to finish 11th

Americans on the team (as of July 28)

  • Chris Richards, GK (Center Back)

Interested in playing Fantasy Soccer? Here are the basics. Typical teams have a budget of $100M and 15 players - $6.7M per player.

  • Jean-Philippe Mateta (FWD) $7.5m

  • Eberechi Eze (MID) $7.0m

  • Daichi Kamada (MID) $5.5m

  • Adam Wharton (MID) $5.0m

  • Marc Guehi (DEF) $4.5m

  • Chris Richards (DEF) $4.5m

Goalkeeper

  • Dean Henderson - Top 15 in PL.

Selhurst Park

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