“You the fans are the best fans in the world – there’s no doubt about it,” said Steve Parish as he took to the pitch after Crystal Palace’s final match of the season last May. A smiling Roy Hodgson listened on after a successful return to his boyhood club to replace his successor, Patrick Vieira, had inspired an 11th-placed finish. “We’re going to take this club to the next level,” promised the Palace chairman.
It wasn’t the first time Parish, who helped to save Palace from administration in 2010, had used the phrase to describe his ambitions for a team he has supported since attending his first match in March 1973 – a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the old First Division. “We still got relegated that season,” said the former advertising executive. Malcolm Allison’s side made it successive relegations in 1974, underlining the point that supporting Palace has always been about not expecting too much.
