I’m looking forward to club football starting up again on Boxing Day, especially so considering the position we’re in in the table. I definitely would have taken ninth at this stage before a ball was kicked. And funnily enough, it could have been more than that, which is an even more positive way of thinking about it. It's just the way the team’s approached it that's been refreshing, and it’s been refreshing for the fans as well. They're never looking like they're going to shut up shop. The team is always up for the game. I was happy when we appointed Marco because I saw a lot of Watford when he was there, and they always played good football. He’ll always look to have his team playing front foot football. He’s never frightened of that, he believes in the players, and you can see that belief.
Boxing Day will be a difficult game, but one that we can certainly go and win. I've seen a lot of Palace this season and, while they’ve done well, they don’t have as many points as they should have. They’ve been quite unfortunate in a lot of games. When I’ve seen them, often they have been very dominant, but not won the game. You could argue that there’s a similarity to Fulham in so much as the team will feel they could have more points on the board. But I think we’re both teams that, at the end of the season, will find ourselves comfortably safe from relegation, and in and around each other in terms of points in the table because Patrick Vieira, a bit like Marco Silva, plays front foot football at Palace. And although he's been afforded a bit more in the transfer market than Roy and Ray, who he took over from, they’ve used that money well and they’re a decent side, Palace, a good team to watch. And with the likes of Eze and Zaha, they’ve got good players to watch. It will be a very, very tricky game for Fulham, but not one that we’re going to be afraid of. They'll just go at it again, and I think it looks such a good game on paper. A real good game.
I had a brief spell at Palace as a player, but it’s one I look back on with frustration. That was my last season in football. I should have stayed at Blackburn, because I had the offer to stay on in a coaching role, but didn't take up that opportunity. I had to come back because the family were based in and around the Surrey area and didn't really want to move up north. So I came back and in pre-season I broke my ankle, and they signed me with a broken ankle. It was a case of trying to get me fit, and my ankle never really repaired to be honest. I played three games but it was like playing three games on one leg. But it was a chance to reunite with a couple of ex-Fulham people, like Ray Lew and Ray Houghton, who was still playing. It was one of frustration, but it's a good football club, Crystal Palace. Not as good as Fulham, but it’s still a good football club!
We sign off 2022 with a home game against Southampton, who have recently changed managers. In my opinion, that is a little bit of a blow to them as I thought Ralph Hasenhüttl had done really well and that they were always punching above their weight. That's a game that I think is really winnable for us. Although Southampton have got a new manager and normally it gives you a little bit of a lift, I think we look at that one and think that if we get right at them then we should be coming away with three points. It's not as tricky as the Crystal Palace game, for me.
