It's been about 30 pages since I last posted so thought I'd give you lucky lot my view!

Couple of points. I think he might just be coming here, my reasons

• We ARE a bigger club. AFCB are doing well, very well indeed. But that's part of the problem. If we were in their position, in our heads we are still playing below where we believe we belong. We believe that now. And we're a league above them!

• EH has a fantastic record. I can see peoples points that if he were to take over and we got relegated it would tarnish that. Granted it's a valid point. But.... IF, and it's still an IF, AFCB were to gain promotion, they would in all seriousness go down next year. They would probably go down quite badly too. EH has worked wonders there but the gulf between L1 and the championship is massive.  Football 'experts' claim the gap in quality between league 1&2 and the Championship is quite huge. Just take into consideration the players in this league. Mostly they have some prem experience. Through loans or previous teams. Is it worse to take over a team and get relegated or to go up and get spanked every odd week and go down badly? It could go the other way totally but it's an interesting thought.

• Also on potential. AFCB might go up, might not. If they did they will be looking next year to stay in the Championship. If he came here and kept us up, we're looking at a genuine push for promotion. Youngest ever prem manager maybe?

• The other thing I picked up on, and am amazed no one else has, is he said it's a question of head v heart. So he knows which is the right decision. That's decided, it's whether he can do it. But the bit I am amazed at is in his interview he says he LOVED working for this club. Now I'm no Derren Brown mind reader superstar, but I think simple logic would say your subconscious will be controlling you in an interview that's not pre scripted. Surely if you had no intention of leaving and you are staying, you would say I LOVE working for this club. Saying you loved working for this club and players etc, you're putting the club (subconsciously) in your past....

•We know EH is loved by the fans, but I can bet your bottom dollar SP has been on recently to here, maybe under a different alias, and shown EH the excitement with our fans. Maybe not made him look at the screens but taken quoted etc about how much chat there is. Would be good knowing he has the instant, and almost 100% backing of the new fans. Also a lot of AFCB fans saying although it will hurt, they won't hold it against him..

I might be totally wrong, but it's interesting.

I think you may be right. To be honest, if I put my rose-tinted Palace spectacles to one side, if I was Howe I would take the club I truly loved up this year and then leave for a considerably better opportunity than ours in the summer. I have little doubt that a better-funded, "bigger" team will come calling if he has further success over the balance of this season. And really, if he's been offered the Palace job already but spent Saturday managing Bournemouth while we were simultaneously going out of the FA Cup, that tells me all I need to know about which way he's leaning.[/quote]

Sorry Syd but I just do not get this. He was here for an interview and, if the stories are true, was offered the job on Friday. Now I guess SP would have agreed to give him the weekend to think it over but even had he said yes on the spot he would not have been managing us yesterday for the Coventry game. He would have to return to Bornemouth, resign and say his goodbyes. At best he could have sat in the stands but what would be the benefit to us of that. I think you are slightly askew on your thinking this time.

Anyway if he is going to take the job then turning up at the beginning of the week and starting to get to know the squad, talking to Doog about what areas need strengthening urgently and preparing for the Swansea game is ideal.

The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. Groucho Marx

I've got alarm bells ringing in my head over this whole situation. (maybe I need to see a psychiatrist? or is this just a symptom of following Palace for over 30 years?)

Of course it would be a great coup for the club to get such a promising young manager, but all this 'should I/shouldn't I' pondering doesn't bode well for me.

What happens if he does take the job at Palace and, as expected, we continue to struggle early on? You know what it is like taking a new job: it is very easy to look back at what you had before with rose tinted glasses, especially if you're struggling to settle in at your new place, and the pressures are tenfold what you had previously - which they most undoubtedly will be.

Do we really need someone in charge who will carry around some residue of regret of what he's left behind in the midst of a massive relegation battle? Especially if Bournemouth continue to look like they'll gain promotion.

Just watched his post match interview, and to me it looks like he has made up his mind to come to us, mainly due to not getting on with Bournemouth's owners and probably feeling more in tune with Parish, but he is obviously finding it severley painful to wrench himself away from what he's built.

This has all the hallmarks of the Dave Bassett debacle back in 1984. We had just sacked Mullery and Bassett was the rising star very much like David Howe: taking 4th division Wimbledon all the way to the 2nd tier in 3 seasons. He had a similar battle with heart and head; took the Palace job; 4 days later realised he'd made a massive mistake and ran back to Wimbledon. Thankfully as it happens, as Ron Noades turned to Coppell.

Ironically, my gut feeling is that this is what we should be doing now: turning to Coppell. After all the upheavel of the last year, the main task has to be to steady the ship; get us sitting comfortably in mid-table and then, and only then, start taking risks with young, promising lower league managers.

People underestimate the impact administration can have on a club. I felt this when we exited admin in July, and that is why I wanted the safe and knowing hands of Coppell back then, just to cradle us through to calmer waters. This is something Coppell himself realised when we came out of administration the first time back in 2000, and the reason Simon Jordan thought he was far too negative to take Palace forward. I think our last gasp survival that following season bore out Coppell's fears.

Don't get me wrong: i'm as excited as everyone to be linked with such an up and coming managerial prospect as Howe. Unfortunately, I just don't think it is good to start a new job with a heavy heart.

As a Palace fan, i'm packing his bags for him; as a friend I would be telling him to stay put.

Edited by Bubbs (09 Jan 2011 6.57am)

I've got alarm bells ringing in my head over this whole situation. (maybe I need to see a psychiatrist? or is this just a symptom of following Palace for over 30 years?)

Of course it would be a great coup for the club to get such a promising young manager, but all this 'should I/shouldn't I' pondering doesn't bode well for me.

What happens if he does take the job at Palace and, as expected, we continue to struggle early on? You know what it is like taking a new job: it is very easy to look back at what you had before with rose tinted glasses, especially if you're struggling to settle in at your new place, and the pressures are tenfold what you had previously - which they most undoubtedly will be.

Do we really need someone in charge who will carry around some residue of regret of what he's left behind in the midst of a massive relegation battle? Especially if Bournemouth continue to look like they'll gain promotion.

Just watched his post match interview, and to me it looks like he has made up his mind to come to us, mainly due to not getting on with Bournemouth's owners and probably feeling more in tune with Parish, but he is obviously finding it severley painful to wrench himself away from what he's built.

This has all the hallmarks of the Dave Bassett debacle back in 1984. We had just sacked Mullery and Bassett was the rising star very much like David Howe: taking 4th division Wimbledon all the way to the 2nd tier in 3 seasons. He had a similar battle with heart and head; took the Palace job; 4 days later realised he'd made a massive mistake and ran back to Wimbledon. Thankfully as it happens, as Ron Noades turned to Coppell.

Ironically, my gut feeling is that this is what we should be doing now: turning to Coppell. After all the upheavel of the last year, the main task has to be to steady the ship; get us sitting comfortably in mid-table and then, and only then, start taking risks with young, promising lower league managers.

People underestimate the impact administration can have on a club. I felt this when we exited admin in July, and that is why I wanted the safe and knowing hands of Coppell back then, just to cradle us through to calmer waters. This is something Coppell himself realised when we came out of administration the first time back in 2000, and the reason Simon Jordan thought he was far too negative to take Palace forward. I think our last gasp survival that following season bore out Coppell's fears.

Don't get me wrong: i'm as excited as everyone to be linked with such an up and coming managerial prospect as Howe. Unfortunately, I just don't think it is good to start a new job with a heavy heart.

As a Palace fan, i'm packing his bags for him; as a friend I would be telling him to stay put.

Edited by Bubbs (09 Jan 2011 6.57am)