If other reports in the press are anything to go by, it appears Crystal Palace have just signed Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama as their new manager, such is the excitement around Selhurst Park and the expectations of the Dutchman Frank de Boer, after his arrival.
With modern football being as it is, I can just hope that he is given the time which is obviously needed for him to implement his style, training methods and club culture at Palace, something which was not the case with his previous position at Inter Milan. He was asked to leave the San Siro after just only 85 days and 14 games in charge, which is clearly too short a time to turn around what is essentially a group of trained monkeys. It takes longer than that.
With a touch of romance and a whiff of “the beautiful game”, I make no attempt at unbiased reporting in this article, as the Eagles have been in my families blood for generations. In this day and age of overpaid teenage mercenaries being role models to the even younger, I am proud to be a Palace supporter. My season ticket holding grandfather took me as a child to the glorious and luxurious Selhurst Park, (Which is also a place I worked as security for a while to see the games for free. Not a job recommended for the faint of heart depending on that weeks opposition). Yes the Eagles also pay ludicrous wages and yes, we are worth hundreds of millions of pounds, but the difference is our chairman made his money through honest business dealings and not through exploiting the markets, insider trading or breaking the kneecaps of oil barons.
Lets hope that finally, since the birth of the club in 1905, the greatest football supporters in the world can celebrate some silverware and get drunk for a positive reason for a change.
FRANK DE BOER | FIRST CRYSTAL PALACE INTERVIEW