[Football] When's the last time Crystal Palace were in Europe, and how did they qualify?

[pb21]

I feel a bit torn about this - because of course they did finish third in the old First Division - which would easily have qualified them for the Champions League. Except that at the time that (European Cup) was reserved for, yes - Champions! And they also would have qualified for the UEFA Cup that season, if places for English Clubs hadn't been limited because of Heysel.

As @Triggaaar mentioned, I think its completely reasonable to conclude that had other European spots been available that year, Palace wouldn't have finished in one of the spots. Regardless, they didn't, plus the 2010 Palace today is a completely different Palace to then.

 

[rebel51]

Yeah. This.

As it happens, they did play in the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1970s. And won away to Inter. So those who made up the 'Ever seen Palace in Milan' song may not have checked their history books.

It does get a bit nauseous and needy sounding this rivalry thing sometimes. A bit contrived. I just want three bloody points on Thursday.

I don't see them as bitter rivals, more a pantomime villain. And most who do see them as bitter rivals only do so because they were told to think that way.

Nice beating them though.

I didn't get told, somehow when I came out of the womb it was already inbuilt in me to dislike a thing called pikey scum and I put 2 and 2 together and I came up with a football club called Crystal Palace.

 

[peterward]

Whichever way you look at it though, whether contrived or organically grown, the rivalry started in the 1970s. Before that, Palace weren't significant - just another team in the 3rd. 4th, or third division(S) based in the south of England, like Reading, Gillingham, Leyton Orient or Aldershot. Portsmouth were generally off our radar, mostly playing in a higher division than us, so never really a rival either - again, not until the late 70s anyway.

Totally agree, but from then it did happen organically, and a lot has happened to solidify that rivalry for what is now pushing 50 years in the next few seasons.

 

[Nixonator]

Absolutely and utterly this,

The Palace rivalry was contrived in the 1970's because, well, we didn't really have any rivals as such.. To me the closest to a real derby that we have is with Pompey, and l can remember a gkood few battles with them back in the day. A shame in many ways that we haven't had the chance to play them in a fair dew years.

i mean Palace are a London team and ermmm Brighon is on the south coast, just like Portsmouth.

Utter rubbish, and is the narrative of sky sports and other media that do very little actual research. I doubt they even know how close Croydon actually is to us, we're just perceived as 'down on the coast' and therefore hundreds of miles away from city life.

An organically grown rivalry is more of a rivalry than mere proximity anyway, of which there are many others with greater distances between than Brighton Palace.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Well, I hope that's told Mustafa II. How dare he poke gentle fun at our rivals(bitter or pantomime) while also celebrating our success. It's a contrived rivalry that we should all be embarrassed about.

But unfortunately I rather like it, contrived pantomime that it is. And I'm really liking the fact that we're enjoying something they can only dream about because they and we both know that claims that the intertoto and anglo italian cup are proper European competition is not just the sound of the barrel being desperately scraped but the scraping of whatever the barrel is resting on.

If Leicester can go around singing 'Champions of England you'll never sing that' at teams that have absolutely nothing to do with them we can quite happily take the piss out of palace's humdrum mediocrity.

 

[Eeyore]

Utter rubbish, and is the narrative of sky sports and other media that do very little actual research. I doubt they even know how close Croydon actually is to us, we're just perceived as 'down on the coast' and therefore hundreds of miles away from city life.

An organically grown rivalry is more of a rivalry than mere proximity anyway, of which there are many others with greater distances between than Brighton Palace.

After 1989, just 13 years after it began to become a proper 'thing', we didn't play them properly until 2002. I seem to remember a Zenith Data match in 1991. After that the two rarely met until Div 2, and that was only for a couple of seasons.

I can't take the rivalry seriously. But it's good for a bit of pantomime. Then again, I struggle to take any rivalry seriously. Folk desperate to hold on to old grudges in the hope of the validation of something. If you're not liked then the next best thing is to be hated.

When I first started watching Albion 40 odd years ago, my instinct was to see Portsmouth as rivals. But I was told it was Crystal Palace. So I inherited it from someone else. For me it wasn't organic.

At the moment it's Chelsea I want to fail and Chelsea I want us to beat. Not because I am fashioning a deluded rivalry in my head, but that for me it's a grudge match. Next year that might be Liverpool or Wolves or Wyecombe Wanderers.

But I'm not given to dislike easily. Not to clubs, managers or fans. I quite like Crystal Palace because their supporters chose them above all the other London options. I like them to be below us because I was infected with the need for superiority and the feeling of jealousy, which is on their side at present, when the situation is reversed.

So it is a rivalry, although more one that belongs on the stage at The Dome in January.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

An organically grown rivalry is more of a rivalry than mere proximity anyway, of which there are many others with greater distances between than Brighton Palace.

Indeed. Try telling Leeds fans that their antipathy towards Manchester United is 'contrived'.

 

[Eeyore]

Indeed. Try telling Leeds fans that their antipathy towards Manchester United is 'contrived'.

Should be Harrogate Town really.

 

[Eeyore]

Indeed. Try telling Leeds fans that their antipathy towards Manchester United is 'contrived'.

Every antipathy is contrived after what would be the natural expiry of an original conflict. It is an unusual human trait. Any new Brighton fan, as in a child introduced to the game, would not automatically default to hating Crystal Palace. It is learnt behaviour. Thus my use of the phrase 'pantomime'. After all, what reason would a young Brighton fan have to dislike Palace any more than another team ?

 

[Braggfan]

Absolutely and utterly this,

The Palace rivalry was contrived in the 1970's because, well, we didn't really have any rivals as such.. To me the closest to a real derby that we have is with Pompey, and l can remember a gkood few battles with them back in the day. A shame in many ways that we haven't had the chance to play them in a fair dew years.

i mean Palace are a London team and ermmm Brighon is on the south coast, just like Portsmouth.

All rivalries are contrived.

I hate that there's thing that people in the media where can't understand our rivalry with Palace, but its perfectly ok for Liverpool and Manchester United to have a rivalry.

A rivalry doesn't have to be based on geography, but there seems to be the sense that its the only qualifying factor.

And regardless of the Brighton/Palace origins, I think there's been plenty of things over the years that justify this being a rivalry.

 

[rippleman]

Every antipathy is contrived after what would be the natural expiry of an original conflict. It is an unusual human trait. Any new Brighton fan, as in a child introduced to the game, would not automatically default to hating Crystal Palace. It is learnt behaviour. Thus my use of the phrase 'pantomime'. After all, what reason would a young Brighton fan have to dislike Palace any more than another team ?

You weren't there were you?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Every antipathy is contrived after what would be the natural expiry of an original conflict. It is an unusual human trait. Any new Brighton fan, as in a child introduced to the game, would not automatically default to hating Crystal Palace. It is learnt behaviour. Thus my use of the phrase 'pantomime'. After all, what reason would a young Brighton fan have to dislike Palace any more than another team ?

Agreed. It is learnt behaviour.

At Selhurst, as a 14 year old, in 1985, I witnessed Palace fans celebrate as Gerry Ryan was carried away with his leg broken in three places, and thus LEARNT to 'hate' them.

As a club, they've done little since to change my stance.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Every antipathy is contrived after what would be the natural expiry of an original conflict. It is an unusual human trait. Any new Brighton fan, as in a child introduced to the game, would not automatically default to hating Crystal Palace. It is learnt behaviour. Thus my use of the phrase 'pantomime'. After all, what reason would a young Brighton fan have to dislike Palace any more than another team ?

Because many young children have an innate fear of clowns?

 

[W3D]

Absolutely and utterly this,

The Palace rivalry was contrived in the 1970's because, well, we didn't really have any rivals as such.. To me the closest to a real derby that we have is with Pompey, and l can remember a gkood few battles with them back in the day. A shame in many ways that we haven't had the chance to play them in a fair dew years.

i mean Palace are a London team and ermmm Brighon is on the south coast, just like Portsmouth.

Smellhurst is closer to the Amex than Fratton, and they have their own local unpleasantness with stains. Don't think they'd consider us rivals.

 

[Simster]

Agreed. It is learnt behaviour.

At Selhurst, as a 14 year old, in 1985, I witnessed Palace fans celebrate as Gerry Ryan was carried away with his leg broken in three places, and thus LEARNT to 'hate' them.

As a club, they've done little since to change my stance.

That was my first Palace away game too. There was Gerry Ryan and then the cowardly indiscriminate coin chucking at half time and the numerous fights in the Arthur Waite seats. Attendance: 8,025 which even for the 80s was pure lols.

I have disliked the Nigels ever since.

 

[Brovion]

Whichever way you look at it though, whether contrived or organically grown, the rivalry started in the 1970s. Before that, Palace weren't significant - just another team in the 3rd. 4th, or third division(S) based in the south of England, like Reading, Gillingham, Leyton Orient or Aldershot. Portsmouth were generally off our radar, mostly playing in a higher division than us, so never really a rival either - again, not until the late 70s anyway.

Exactly. I know we've had this discussion time and time again, but before Palace we didn't have a 'real' rival. As you say traditionally Portsmouth were always higher than us and always looked towards Southampton - although I appreciate those who come from the west of the county have always, understandably, had a bit of a 'thing' about them.

Our rivalries tended to be short-term and not really that fierce. Fulham I remember we had a dalliance with, but before Palace I'd have said Bournemouth were our rivals, and even that was really based around one season. When Palace offered themselves we accepted gleefully, and although I don't feel quite the same way (local people supporting their local club) it was red-hot in the early years.

 

[Eeyore]

Because many young children have an innate fear of clowns?

Okay, I'll give you that one

 

[Eeyore]

Agreed. It is learnt behaviour.

At Selhurst, as a 14 year old, in 1985, I witnessed Palace fans celebrate as Gerry Ryan was carried away with his leg broken in three places, and thus LEARNT to 'hate' them.

As a club, they've done little since to change my stance.

Perhaps, but it's very irrational now given that the incident took place 38 years ago. A young fan from the last fifteen years would know no such thing. So, for them, it is the learnt behaviour I am referring to.

Hold on, 38 years ago. Oh my word. It was 38 years ago. I remember the very night like yesterday.

 

[rebel51]

Perhaps, but it's very irrational now given that the incident took place 38 years ago. A young fan from the last fifteen years would know no such thing. So, for them, it is the learnt behaviour I am referring to.

Hold on, 38 years ago. Oh my word. It was 38 years ago. I remember the very night like yesterday.

I think that was the game when the train going up got ransacked by our lot.Mental night.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Maybe they should have let Whitehawk change to Brighton City and we'd have had a pukka rival within the conurbation.