Great guy, did wonders for our club, but I'm just wondering how many of you like me found his football, especially in our most successful period a complete turn off. I know there's the 4-3 and 3rd in the league but the football as pure spectacle was often dire, crowds were smaller and quieter and I just couldn't get into the football or identify with it - Palace had always been lightweight and skillful in their previous manifestations. I didn't go to the play-off semi final 3-1 win over Blackburn bcos I couldn't be bothered, I wasn't motivated enough to get on the 159 and go there. The season we came 3rd I was away but came back to see four home games: three 0-0 draws and an abysmal 1-0 at home to Luton - we were 3rd and they were 10th at the time, the standard of football was an indictment on the state of our game post Heysel - hardly any quality or skill, midfield bypassed for punts on to Bright's head to free Wright - nine times it failed, the one time it worked we scored - no Plan B. Sometime both teams would be entirely in the left or right side of the pitch. The season after we came tenth - I did not go to a single home game (the only time this has happened since 1972) - not as a boycott, I couldn't be bothered - it was so boring. He did well for us when he came back, and he deserves massive credit for picking the club up from nothing and avoiding a generation in the wilderness as the likes of Wolves, Ipswich, Forest, West Brom, Stoke and others have had to suffer. But our success then, same with Wimbledon and Millwall, said more about the poor quality in English football at that time than how great we were. I like and appreciate Coppell as a person and as a coach, but I did not enjoy our spell in the top flight as much as some fans because I found the football so boring. Am I a heretic or did some of you feel a bit flat about our football back then the same way I did?

kick offs were a bit lacking in imagination, for sure. everybody go to the right, kick off punted high down towards the touchline around the edge of the box, everybody chase, and put pressure on the throw

Fair enough but you need to accept we are Palace and are limited on how we can do well. Option 1 develop a system that gives us an advantage, a punchers chance. Coppell and the current squad give us that a strong hard working base that can defend and allow talented fast players to attack off that base. Option 2 invest in infrastructure, by this I don't just mean training facilities but scouting, player recruitment, analysis and youth.Identify what we want how we get it and who we need. It's a long term project needs consistency in style and approach and seems more likely under Parish then Noades. matched the Southampton and Swansea approach.
Coppell got the most out of what he had We are entering a different period now where we might be able to go toe to toe in the top division.
And yes I realise I've mixed my boxing metaphors badly.

One supporter of hacking argued that without it "you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and I will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week's practice -Blackheath secretary at first meeting of the F.A