August 11 2004

Iain Dowie

No sooner had Palace condemned West Ham to a further year in The Championship, than a succession of pundits bravely stuck their necks out to predict instant relegation.

One, former Fulham come die-hard Chelsea fan, come expert analyst, David Mellor has repeatedly risked his burgeoning reputation to say Palace are doomed with Norwich and WBA to follow.

As someone who has actually covered Division One and Palace's revival under Dowie, I beg to differ.

Previous seasons have shown that promoted clubs will struggle and realistically, following a summer of heavy spending elsewhere only Everton, Man City, Portsmouth, Southampton and possibly Blackburn could be dragged in.

But Palace's new found stability and unity is contrasted at many of those clubs, and under Dowie they are sure to be one of fittest and best prepared teams in the league.

Unlikely promotion has instilled a belief in the players that may be lacking in established clubs and Palace have a few surprises up their sleeves in AJ, Routledge, Butterfield, a rejuvenated Michael Hughes and JULIAN SPERONI who looks awesome in nets.

The key area of concern is a lack of squad investment compared with those around them. Five players have been brought in for £2.1million but barely have a Premiership game between them.

Last season's thread-bare squad will struggle without an injection of experience and creativity, so it is vital that the long-promised signings do materialise this month.

If so, anyone who has followed Palace since December will have confidence in Dowie and his side confounding the critics. Staying in the Premiership is more achievable than winning promotion from the bottom four.

It is vital that Palace make a good start at Norwich on Saturday. For the fullest reports available anywhere on the web during the match, join me live from Carrow Road. The kick by kick, service will now consist of a pre-match, 20-25th minute report, half-time, 70-75 mins and full time.

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