To have 13 players out of contract is an absolute disgrace and has made us much less attractive to prospective new managers, the rebuild of the squad is ridiculous. But of course it has nothing to do with darling Stevie P, it must be Dougie's fault or Roy. The Parish sycophants that treat him as this amazing messiah, so that when any of us not in that camp criticise him, we get the tedious 'best chairman ever' 9 years in the premier and counting' unprecedented etc etc. But a lot of that is despite him. He is like a cat with nine lives, having the likes of Pulis, Allardyce and Hodgson available at perfect moments to replace appalling managerial appointments, which would otherwise have seen us relegated years ago. He is certainly not our best chairman ever. Arthur Wait oversaw the meteoric rise from the Fourth division to the top flight in the 60's which was greatly helped by the astute appointments of Graham, Rowe and Head, and certainly was nothing of the scattergun approach of Parish. By the way, there were three other important figures that were involved in saving our beloved club 11 years ago - Martin Long, Steve Browett and Jeremy Hosking without them the takeover deal would never have happened. But these are quiet guys who don't want the limelight which is why Parish was happy to become the vocal main man. But the chickens have now come home to roost!!! The mismanagement of this squad with so many players out of contract, and the managerial situation in limbo, means there is a strong possiblity of relegation next year. But of course it won't be Stevie P's fault! well not according to his adoring masses!!

The elephant in the room

Responsibility Deficit Disorder is a medical condition. Symptoms include inability to be corrected when wrong, false sense of superiority, desire to share personal info no else cares about, general hubris. It's a medical issue rather than pure arrogance.

The role of a chairman is forward planning and on the footballing side he doesn't seem to have done too well.

The planning for manager succession has been poor and sometimes I think that our many years in the top flight has been more down to luck than judgement with good managers just happening to be available when we need them and other years when we have failed to have adequate cover within the squad, not suffering injuries

On the whole Parish has done an excellent job for Palace if you take into account where we were when he joined and where we are now.
Of course the role of Browett, Long and Hoskings shouldn’t be underestimated, but Parish has taken on the day to day running of the club and it’s gone well.
Nonetheless, it can’t be ignored that we appear to veering off course at the moment.
The managerial appointment has to be someone who can work with Freedman (and accepts the DOF model) and probably be acceptable to the Yanks for their sign off the appointment.
Parish has previously mentioned they have to sanction key decisions or significant expenditure which is not surprising when they own the majority of the club.
This means some sort of consensus has to be achieved involving Freedman and the Yanks.
I don’t believe Parish can operate as a dictator in this scenario with sole responsibility for the appointment.
If it’s management by committee it’s no surprise that there are delays in the decision making process.
Our executive structure doesn’t appear to lend itself for swift decision making on key matters.There have already been rumours of Freedman favouring Ismael, but that not having universal support.
Only rumours, but wouldn’t be entirely surprising .

To have 13 players out of contract is unusual but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are all leaving and need to be replaced. Benteke for example, has signed a new contract and I expect others such as Ward and Townsend to get offered new deals. I'm not making a case for this as being a good situation but maybe not quite as bad as it looks.

Where it currently falls down somewhat is the lack of a new manager to be part of the decision making process. That situation has become something of a media circus in the absence of any official word from Parish. My guess is that whoever is now truly in the frame for the job is subject to compensation being payable and negotiations are taking place. Otherwise the likes of Lampard / Howe could have been appointed by now.

Overall I would say that Parish has done a very good job. To compare his achievements with that of Arthur Waite is just not relevant. Football has changed beyond all recognition over the last 50 odd years. Running a Premier League Club in 2021 is far more complex than a lower division club in the 1960's.

Parish has made mistakes down the years but he's got more right than he has wrong. A bit like Hodgson, he is held in high esteem by my friends that support other clubs.

To have come from the brink of extinction to looking at our 9th consecutive season as a Premier League club under his Chairmanship cannot be underestimated.

Someone should make a documentary about it.

Edited by NEILLO (14 Jun 2021 9.06am)

Old, Ungifted and White

A marvellous achievement and Steve Parish is worthy of fulsome praise for his efforts.
Not only is Steve the very portrait of suave aplomb,he is a bastion of good sense and possesses intellectual acuity.Most certainly an estimable chap.