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Having squeezed onto the Holmesdale Road terracing as a youngster and represented Palace’s youth team, half a century later Roy Hodgson is back in his native south London managing his boyhood team. Here, he talks about his memories of watching the Glaziers in the 1950s, his lengthy career in the game and how he feels about it coming full circle.
From his opening day last-ditch tackle on Huddersfield Town’s Steve Mounier that had supporters rubbing their eyes, to his displays of speed, timing and agility in the Eagles’ backline, Timothy Fosu-Mensah has quickly made an impression in SE25. Here, he speaks about making a name for himself in the Premier League, despite not yet reaching his twenties.
Having starred for England under Roy Hodgson, Andros Townsend is hoping to replicate that sparkling form now the pair are together again at Selhurst Park. Here, he speaks about getting the most out of the partnership to turn Palace’s fortunes around.
Today could see James McArthur compete in the heat of battle for the 100th time as a Palace player. Here, the Eagles’ Mr Dependable speaks about his three years in south London, and what the future holds as he begins his second century in SE25.
For the rest of this season, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a Palace player, and already the loan move is proving to be a shrewd one. While his temporary club are benefiting from his all-action displays, he is making the most of his time in SE25 by reconnecting with his south London roots.
During the summer, Frank de Boer became Palace’s second-ever foreign manager and the Dutchman’s appointment has only raised excitement levels in SE25 ahead of the new campaign. Here he talks through his illustrious career that has now handed him a belated crack at the Premier League.
It’s probably fair to say that Christian Benteke doesn’t want this season to end. Five goals in his last six appearances has seen him terrorise defences again, and now he is filled with confidence those backlines will be quaking in their boots at the thought of the rejuvenated striker aiming to be a more of a menace than ever before.
The original of the Eagles’ French Five, Yohan Cabaye has hit the goal trail at the perfect time to boost Palace’s survival chances, and now he is hoping the extra influence of Les Bleu can help the red and blue in the season’s final few weeks.
Last season saw Jeffrey Schlupp get a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of one of football's - possibly sport’s - greatest against-all-odds fairytales. Here, the Eagles’ new signing gives us an insight into how the Foxes went from relegation certainties to runaway Premier League champions in just 12 months.
After claiming three clean sheets in his past five outings, Wayne Hennessey is one of a number of confidence-filled Eagles performing to their maximum. Having fought hard once again to be first-choice in goal, he is hoping inspired outings like his recent display against Chelsea will help him nail down his position for good.
When Patrick van Aanholt curled the ball into the back of the net against Middlesbrough last month, it came as little surprise despite being a left-back. Now he has broken his duck for the Eagles, one of the Premier League’s deadliest defenders is eyeing more matchwinners to steer his new team out of trouble.
Of Palace’s four January signings, Luka Milivojevic was definitely the one that got tongues wagging the most, in more ways than one. The Serbian may be an unknown quantity on these shores, but he’s hoping that playing his part in a successful relegation scrap could quickly change all that.
It was always going to be a tough decision, but Wilfried Zaha has got what he wanted. After deciding to switch his international allegiance from England to the Ivory Coast, the Eagles winger is hoping to now make a belated mark on the world stage for club and country.
Despite finally breaking the Eagles’ all-time appearance record for a goalkeeper by making his 389th outing for the club earlier this month, Julian Speroni is still hungry for more. The Palace legend is aiming to reclaim the goalkeeper jersey he has barely let out of his safe hands for the past decade to further enhance his legacy at Selhurst Park.
The list of Mathieu Flamini’s former teammates reads like a Who’s Who of the 21st century’s biggest stars. From Ballon d’Or winners to global icons, he’s shared a changing room with them all, but now he is hoping that his wealth of experience can be a useful tool for his current squad’s hopes in 2017.
These words from Dougie Freedman back in 2012 helped persuade a disillusioned Damien Delaney to return to football, having turned his back on the beautiful game. Now with 150 league appearances for Palace under his belt, he is thankful that he didn’t miss out on his career’s golden years.
Having scored crucial goals for Palace during a rollercoaster 12 months, Jason Puncheon is now hoping for more of the same. As is tradition at this time, he looks back at the ups and downs of 2016 and targets more reasons for celebration following the turn of the year.
Not usually known for his goalscoring exploits, James McArthur has been enjoying regular appearances on the scoresheet this season. With four of his five goals for club and country coming via his aerial prowess, he’s hoping that he can rise to the occasion again this afternoon.
This interview first appeared in the Crystal Palace v Manchester City matchday programme - 19th November 2016. No-one has played more Premier League games for Crystal Palace than Joel Ward, but whilst he enjoys pitting his talents against some of world football’s elite players on occasions such as today, he refuses to forget where it... Continue Reading →
In the past two seasons, Joe Ledley has managed to find the Holmesdale net against Liverpool, and now he’s hoping to make it third time lucky. Fresh off his summer exploits with Wales, he has taken his fine form into the Premier League and is aiming to once again give the Reds the blues this evening.
JONATHON ROGERS 