Crystal Palace Vs Sunderland

The Brigadier

I know most readers of this forum are fans of either Man Utd, Liverpool or Arsenal - but amazing as it may seem there is football outside these teams!

There is, lest I dare speak it, football even outside the Premiership!!!

Tonight Sunderland are at home to Crystal Palace 2-3 Down from the first leg, both teams playing for the right to play in the premiership.

I will of course be rooting for the eagles, and will be flying to cardiff for the final should we make it!!

Who would people here like to see win? Who would people think will win?

Does anyone care??

The Brigadier

Dowie's lofty ambition to lift Eagles to new heights
By Richard Bright (Daily Telegraph)
(Filed: 17/05/2004)

Iain Dowie expects each and every one of his Crystal Palace players to stand up and be counted as they enter the electric atmosphere of the Stadium of Light tonight.


The Eagles are just 90 minutes from the Nationwide First Division play-off final after securing a 3-2 advantage over Sunderland from the first leg at Selhurst Park on Friday night.

Should Palace reach the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff it would be a remarkable achievement. When Dowie took charge just before Christmas, he inherited a squad languishing in the lower echelons of Division One and promotion was just a pipedream.

However, the no-nonsense former Northern Ireland striker has transformed the same set of players into a hard-working outfit who have lost just six times in 24 games and now stand on the verge of a return to the Premiership.

Dowie, though, knows there is a lot of hard work to be done before anyone at the club should start thinking about trips to Highbury and Old Trafford."We have got one huge question being asked and we have got to get the right answer," he said.

Dowie has warned his players they should expect to be greeted by a cacophony of noise when they run out on Wearside tonight.

"It was deafening on Friday, you could not get yourself heard," he recalled."When the third goal went in, I thought someone had taken the roof off."

Andrew Johnson, the Football League's leading scorer, has chalked up 32 goals this season, and Dowie admits he has been an integral part of the Palace revival. "If Andy had not scored, you would still have said he worked his socks off. He gives you that all the time," he said.

The Palace manager is also aware of how much of a threat the 6ft 3in Sunderland striker Kevin Kyle will be again. "They sent a lot of balls up to Kyle on Friday and he is a real old-fashioned centre-forward, a real handful," he said.

Dowie, 39, concedes that whatever the outcome of the Eagles' play-off adventure, it will have been "massively successful" campaign, but he will not be resting on his laurels.

"You always have things to prove. I am very ambitious to gain as much knowledge as I can, to aim to be better every day," he said. "I am sure the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger feel the same.

"There are always extra challenges ahead and certainly for me, who is a wet-behind-the-ears manager, there is lots to prove."

eirebhoy

I want Palace to win and expect them to get the draw they need. I'm really looking forward to this match (more than the FA cup final to be perfectly honest). Prediction: Sunderland to be leading for most of the match only for Freedman to come off the bech and grab a last minute equaliser.;)

kensutz

Yes i do care, I think Palace will make it all the way. Hopefully West Ham will stuff the scummers of Ipswich tomorrow nite and ruin their hopes. The main reason why I support Norwich is that I didnt like the way most people follow Man Ure, Arsenal, Liverpool etc, I'm supporting them now for 18 years since I was 6. The first division do have it's fair share of quality games, even the play off between the hammers and the scum was a good game.

Palace to win 5-4 on aggregate
West Ham to win 3-1 on aggregate

Palace to beat West Ham 2-1 in the final in ET.

Harry2001

Yes there are a few of us lower league fans knocking about on here

I'm going for Palace tonight but it will be close, Palace v Hammers final

The Nationwide is on a high at the moment with record crowds and some excellent football

The Brigadier

Thanks for the support guys...

It's nice to see there are some football fans around who take an interest in football.

Far too many "fans" follow Utd, Liverpool, Blackburn, Leeds or whoever is flavour of the month and wouldn't understand loyality if it bit them on the bum!

kensutz

I am a Norwich season ticket holder so there's commitment for ya

The Brigadier

didn;t Delia Smith use to be an Ipswich Season Ticket holder???

Now there's committment for you!!!

sorry, couldn't resist.

I was happy to see Norwich go up. I've allways been quite fond of them. And I cheered them on for Mike Walker's Uefa cup team's exploits!!

kensutz

she wasn't. she hates the scummers.

The Brigadier

Delia Smith wore blue at the 1978 cup final.

She was also on Noel Edmunds Multi Coloured Swopshop wearing an Ipswich Shirt!

sikes

the atmosphere at the stadium of light tonight should be someting else, can't wait.

personally i think palace needed more than a one goal lead to take up the north as sunderland have only lost there 2 all season.

i think that it will go to extra time as the away goals don't count. actually i am not 100% sure on this so can any1 confirm???

no injury problems from either team. can expect mcateer to get sent off late on but think sunderland will nick it 2-0 aet.

should be a good one

watman

I ll be shouting for the Eagles tonight . Think they ll hold on for a draw .
After Watching the second semi final , i thought they were very even and cant pick a winner . possibly extra time and penalties. But Palace for Promotion !

The Brigadier

I think we will hold on for a 2-2 or a 3-3 draw

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

The Brigadier

He was allways cheered when he played for palace

TwoShedsJackson

Hopefully Sunderland get stuffed. Filty mackems, coached by a crap manager. Pah!!

Pepe LeFrits

Do away goals count in the play-offs?

The Brigadier

no

watman

Not looking good at Half time - Come on Palace

The Brigadier

arse....

mms://a924.l609521688.c6095.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/924/6095/319274370/reflector:21688

Link to streaming commentary....

Pepe LeFrits

Would like to see Palace back in the top flight, but wouldn't seeing McCarthy there either... tis looking good for Sunderland...

eirebhoy

I can't believe Palace are 2 goals down, they are all over Sunderland. I didn't know away goals don't count so one more goal and Palace are back in it.

BTW - There's a lot of empty seats for a match like this.

sleepwalker

wan sunderland


wanna see mccarthy get back into the premiership and all the irish players that are there, can only be good for us to have them all playing top flight football

The Brigadier

i'm in bits with this...

arrghrghrg

just one goal please...

think its time to let the doug out..

Harry2001

Originally posted by The Brigadier
think its time to let the doug out..

Christ things must be bad

The Brigadier

why? Dougie rocks....

The Brigadier

Sunderland are such a shower of dirty bastards

Harry2001

Originally posted by The Brigadier
why? Dougie rocks....

Just messing - I remember Dougie well from his Forest days

Hopefully he'll knock one in

The Brigadier

we just ****in scored!!


yesyesyes

watman

Go on Palace !!!!! Powell 90

Harry2001

sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! come on palace!!!

extra-time

The Brigadier

I am so tense I feel like throwing up...

Come on Palace....

We can do it!!

Pacifico

Ha ha nice one. Still though shouldn't have been a goal:p

Peno's Hopefully.:)

The damm Martin Keown match will be put back now:(

The Brigadier

right penalties it is...

Pacifico

Drama!! Poom saves the peno Palace needed to win!!!

GuanYin

amazing game. Sudden death

Pacifico

Best shootout....Ever!

That peno was sad.....

GuanYin

sweet jesus!

Harry2001

Well done Palace!!!!!!!!!!!

what a cracking penalty shoot-out

The Brigadier

and now I'm feeling..bang bang...

GLAD ALL OVER!!!!

GuanYin

Well done Eagles!



Gotta feel for McCarthy

The Brigadier

I am so glad McAteer missed, he was such a niggly nasty git during the game....

Should have been sent off a few weeks ago in the league as well...

PHB

Woohoo, go Palace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Down with Sunderland

eirebhoy

The best football match i've seen all year, well, that I can remember anyway. I thought that you weren't allowed stop when running up for a penalty? Routledge looks like he has the ability to play premiership football, full of tricks for a fullback (if thats where he plays). Palace deserved it over the 90 minutes.

The Brigadier

Super Wayne plays on the wing...

but, yes a talented young lad....

AJ is a cracker, shame he didn't have the best of games...

At least he has the final to look forward to!

KdjaCL

hahaha at Jason the egnlish git ,god i hate him, only seen extra time was amazed palace settled for penos. Played some nice football this season expected them to attack a bit more.

kdjac

Dewey

Originally posted by KdjaC
hahaha at Jason the egnlish git ,god i hate him

kdjac

ehhhh........McAteer is irish. 1-0 holland.......do you remember??

I cant belive Micks Men wont be in the play-off final. I know they didnt play well but 2-0 in injury time all they had to do was hang on but couldnt. I thought Babb and Breens penos were good! Feely sorry for Mick, i wanted to see him and Sunderland in the Premiership. well there is always next year. But fair play to Palace, i think they will go on into the Premiership now.

The Brigadier

Palace were the best team on the night. And the best team in the first leg...

Deserve to win...

and fingers crossed for the final...

I'll be there!

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Dewey
ehhhh........McAteer is irish. 1-0 holland.......do you remember??

McAteer is an Englishman playing for Ireland.

The Brigadier

Like so many others....

KdjaCL

Originally posted by Dewey
ehhhh........McAteer is irish. 1-0 holland.......do you remember??

What part of ireland is Liverpool in? he a git ,seriously no amount of goals for ireland can make me like him ,i will beat him up if i see him.



kdjac