May 5 2001

Austin - its all Smith's fault

Skipper Dean Austin said that former boss Alan Smith must accept the blame if Palace are relegated from Division One tomorrow. Palace are preparing for the crunch clash with Stockport County at Edgeley Park tomorrow.

Austin believes that Smith's repeated outbursts at his squad had a negative effect on the players and contributed to Palaces free fall to the bottom of Division One.

He said: "When you're playing you've got to believe in what you are doing. I think doubts had started to creep into the players' minds whether what they were doing was right.

"I don't think Alan really got his message across - I don't think the players knew what he wanted. The players are partly to blame but we can only carry out the instructions of the manager.

"He's been openly critical of the players, saying we're not mentally strong enough. Ultimately Alan picks the team, chooses the tactics and buys the players with the money at his disposal so I think it's unfair of him to criticise the players."

Meanwhile, reserves coach Terry Bullivant said that the players must ignore the scores at other games and concentrate on getting the result they need tomorrow.

"You have to be aware of what the opposition can do but you shouldn't spend too much time worrying about Stockport.

"We have to focus on our game plan and make sure the players know what's expected of them," said Bullivant.