I didn’t intend to mention the FA Cup Final.
Why would anyone want to read my thoughts on Pep Guardiola’s super-talented, super-expensive robots winning their trillionth trophy while a not inconsiderable cloud comprising 115 Premier League charges hovers over their heads?
Answer: no one.
Except, of course, they didn’t. The 115ers were given a bloody nose. Joyously so.
I defy any football fan who isn’t a supporter of Brighton, Charlton, or Millwall to have not felt at least a tinge of emotion as that final whistle went and the ‘Holmesdale’ end of Wembley erupted into a sea of raw and unbridled emotion.
You didn’t need to be an Eagle to have a tear in the eye, as it wasn’t just a win for Palace. It was a win for the ‘other 86’ – those who obligingly spend most of their time in the shadows, while the so-called Big Six mop up trophies and trillionaire owners for fun.
That Pep Guardiola chose not to be honourable in defeat and instead attempted to pick a fight with Dean Henderson made it all the sweeter.
Poor ol’ Pep. Fancy having to face the ignominy of losing on the biggest stage to a team worth a mere fraction of your own and which ‘enjoyed’ just 21.7 per cent of the possession.
Must be devastating.
What wasn’t devastating was a reminder that the glory of the FA Cup still exists, as hard as the Big Six try and dilute its importance for the other 86 and those non-league clubs for whom FA Cup runs can be, potentially, a matter of life and death.
Pep may see it as a bit of an inconvenience – at least until trips to Wembley and the prospect of silverware make it interesting – but try telling that to Oliver Glasner, Steve Parish and 30,000+ Palace supporters.
It was, without question, one for the little guy, and as a club that City fans have always regarded as of a similar size and stature to our own, it offers that sliver of hope that, somewhere down the line, that could one day be us.
It’s unlikely, I guess, but roll the clock back to 2012-13, when City were in the Premier League and Palace in the Championship, and I’m not sure you’d have found a single Eagle who would have envisaged a successful trip to Wembley on Cup Final day in 2025.
But neither did it happen by accident. Palace have been through tough times, including administration in 2010, but, via numerous peaks and troughs, have managed to get their house in order both on and off the pitch.
They are now in a place where they can buy, among others, Eddie Nketiah for £25m and Adam Wharton for £18m and, in addition to having a quality coach in Glasner and a fanbase as passionate (and organised) as any in the country, they have a group of players who play with pride, determination, and belief.
This is one of many areas where, currently, the paths of our two clubs diverge. You can probably guess where this is going.
Those of you who enjoy the ON THE BALL behind-the-scenes documentary-style pieces that our club’s media team produce will probably have seen 2024-25’s concluding episode that landed on YouTube this week.
It was an eye-opener, and you have to wonder why the club felt it was right to release footage of that ilk. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know to which part I refer.
For those that haven’t, picture the scene:
Johannes Hoff Thorup leading a group meeting in which he spells out that there are eight games to go and that, in order to make it into the top six, they will probably need to win at least six of them.
The reaction was astonishing. Mumbles, bowed heads, no eye contact, like a bunch of sulky teenagers being questioned on who had been drawing obscene images on the toilet walls.
It was, quite honestly, pathetic.
I guess, by this point, JHT had lost the dressing room, and so most of the players felt not the slightest need to engage, but for a group of highly-renumerated professionals to appear so uninterested, unmotivated, and defeatist confirmed almost everything we feared in those mind-numbing closing weeks.
That they clearly had no respect for the Dane must surely have played a part in Ben Knapper’s decision-making, but, worryingly, a sizeable chunk of that sulky, sullen group will be here next season.
What happens if they decide they don’t like the new head coach and/or the way they are being spoken to?
More sulking?
If you haven’t seen it and you’re curious, with the permission of @canarystats, here is said clip:
This clip just shows to me the lack of effort and care towards the end of thorups reign and shows how we have a mentally issue in this football club rather than a quality issue pic.twitter.com/jot8EOsy35
— DazzlingDoyle (Ex Thorup's no.1 fan) (@CanaryStats) May 15, 2025
I challenge you to not feel, at least, a grain of sympathy for JHT who, by the look on his face, was acutely aware of the uphill challenge he faced in trying to motivate them.
Like I said, why the club chose to post such a damning clip is intriguing to say the least. I recommend they don’t show it to any prospective new head coach. They could be forgiven for running a mile.
But, in that regard, the wait goes on and looks like going on for another few weeks.
Interesting times, but I’m just not sure whether they’re good-interesting or bad-interesting.
In the meantime, Palace fans…. enjoy!!