Palace have been chronic under achievers for most of their history. I'm putting it out there to the universe - time to even up the balance sheet, We've got the coach, the players and the fans to do it. So instead of talking about what we talk about every season - will we avoid relegation how about we entertain the possibility...

Theoretically possible on current form but we've been blessed by almost zero injuries and we're yet to show that we can win the 6 pointers against teams around our level - just Wolves so far. And I'm nervous about how well our high tempo style will last down a full season.

It's a fairly thin squad still and in most spots there is fair step down in quality the moment we lose a starter - especially at the back. Take a look at Leeds this season and Southampton last time out to see what can happen if you lose a couple of key players.

2 wins in a row and some get carried away. Maybe there not used to it.

Second that! Every time fans of various clubs approach the top 4-5-6 and talk about Europe, the losses start coming. More than happy to consolidate our Premier League status and have a go in the cups.

As a relatively new fan, I'm wondering this: in what ways have we been under-achievers?

I'm on season #56 so I'll try to answer this !

I think IF we have under-achieved it's usually because this football clubs most reliable shooting has been in it's own foot.

Best to Google for more in depth detail, but we have had a series of owners, starting with Ray Bloye in the 70's, that have failed the club. In some cases just as it appeared that success was around the corner.

Steve Parish has his detractors on here, but trust me, he is far and away the best man we have had and his track record bears that statement out. He's made mistakes like anybody would, but generally learned from them.

So then if you look at our achievements v. our South London rivals.

Charlton - in all the years I've supported Palace, this lot have had the upper hand on us for only a few of them. They are now so far behind us, the gap has never been wider.
Millwall - usually way in our shadow. They did achieve European football by virtue of losing in the FA Cup Final. That's one thing we have yet to achieve ( the European football bit ). There's no money in that club, and they don't come across as an attractive investment.
Wimbledon - had their spell in the sun and over-achieved. For a time we were in their shadow, but they've had similar ownership issues to us.

Looking to the future, and the original question, those of my generation will be wary of getting ahead of ourselves after a few favourable results. But the club is looking healthier than it has for many years. The building blocks are in place to achieve Europa League football and personally, I would love to see us compete in Europe properly for the first time. I wonder how we'll f*ck it up ?

Old, Ungifted and White