The biggest surprise for me I think was the emergence of Sako as a potential saviour. I thought he would only ever be a bench player who did not offer much but his rebirth as a striker was just brilliant for the few games that it lasted. Could he have maintained it? We'll never know but we might if he stays around for next season. I for one hope he does.

I am happy to admit I was wrong in my assessment of knowledgeable Palace fans. They told me Roy would be a hideous mistake and I believed them. But when I think about it, a man who managed Switzerland and various clubs up into the EPL and only lost two games as England manager, so why were Palace fans so sceptical?

Was really pleased when Roy was appointed as I'd reached the anyone but de Boer point after pre-season and one game and he had a decent record with clubs of our stature.

A season of big moments and turning points - Chelsea, Stoke, Watford, Huddersfield and where so many players made a big contribution but ultimately one man was the the difference.

Disappointed so many of our own fans referred to us as a joke for sacking de Boer when anyone with a grain of sense or wasnt p!ssed could see he was the biggest mis-fit ever.

I had been a lot more worried last season and after our 0-4 loss against Sunderland, i was convinced we would go down, bearing in mind our tough run in. It was miracle that we beat Chelsea and Liverpool away and Arsenal at home and then Hull 4-0 in the final home game. On reflection, our situation in Jan-Feb last year was a lot more dire last season than at the same time this season.

After last season, I was looking forward to this season with optimism. However, after Allardyce resigned and watching a couple of preseason matches in Hong Kong when FdB was playing a lot of players out of position and how arrogant FdB came across in interviews, I did not think he was the right man. These concerns were reinforced after our home losses against Huddersfield and Swansea. Ironically, just when I thought FdB might be turning things around (e.g. performance at Liverpool and Burnley), I was surprised by his sacking. However, I had a feeling that we needed to revert back to playing to our strengths and not the "square pegs and round holes" approach of FdB. So was happy with appointment of Hodgson and prospect of more pragmatism. I was also reassured by Hodgsons track record at Fulham.

After the 7 matches ...like most fans, it was looking grim and embarrassing.

Chelsea win was a massive turning point and from that point onwards, I began to feel that as long as we did not get cut adrift, we had a chance. The target I had in mind was 16 points at half way mark (we had 16 points at half mark in 3 of the previous 4 seasons and had survived).

Those lost points against Bournemouth and Everton were a source of concern, but we were still not completely cut adrift.

Key milestones were in Nov/Dec were: last minute equaliser Vs West Ham, last minute winner Vs Stoke just after Shawcross had missed when it was easy to score and two late goals vS. Watford. After Watford, I genuinely began to believe and that amazing win at Leicester put us on a good footing. We actually had 19 points after the draw Vs Man C and ahead of points schedule I had set.

The next major event was the comeback win at Southampton, especially as we had 1 day less rest after playing Man C just 2 days. imagine the position now if Stoke and Southampton had got those 3 points instead of us. By mid Jan, we were well ahead of my points target and compared to same stage last season.

The poor points return from 2nd half of Jan was predictable given our fixtures and injuries (esp Zaha) but the win against Huddersfield was crucial to boosting morale and bring our points tally close to target. When we lost after being 2-0 up against Man U and lost points to late goals against Spurs, Liverpool, Bournemouth, I thought the gods were against us this season.

Last year, we had beaten big teams but then lost at home to our relegation rivals, This year, after our poor points return from games against the Big 6, I had the fear that we would also be unable to beat Brighton home and Leicester home. But this year, we actually won those 6 pointer games which we were expected to win.

Overall, even when results were not going for us, we played some ver good football but have had the tendency to give away silly goals, especially at the end of first half and late in the game.

In terms of players, of course Zaha has been standout while Luka has been solid and Tomkins impressive and injury free. I have been pleasantly surprised by the amazing improvement in PvA post Xmas and also crucial contribution by Sako in December/January.
Cabaye, Mcarthur and Townsend have been hard working and injury free and do not always get the credit they deserve as all the attention is on Zaha.. Until the Leicester game, I was not sure about RLC but it is clear to see his quality and class.

After this season, I am hoping there will be less drama or crisis this summer and next season. Nice boring season with us comfortable in mid-table would be nice. We have a good manager and good set of players. Fingers crossed we can keep Zaha while new contracts for Cabaye, McArthur would make me happy. Just need to replace RLC, TFM and focus on keeping the core of the current first team.
Sounds easy but I am sure there will be bumps along the way.

Edited by sueagle2012 (02 May 2018 11.31pm)