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It's just two weeks since the opening day of the season and already some are talking of a crisis, incredibly someone dared to suggest to me this afternoon that this is a must win game for us. Now, no matter how difficult the start has been for us, must win games do not come on August Bank Holiday weekend.
There's no doubt that the confidence, so evident ahead of kick off at Hillsborough, has been drained with the seven goals conceded, but leagues are not won in the first few weeks and neither are relegation issues settled, unless you are Luton.
We clearly need to get the season kick started, and a good result at Selhurst Park can lift us up a league table that hardly means anything right now even though it doesn't make for pleasant reading.
This most difficult of grounds to get to used to be a good place to go for good results although it is now almost seven years since we last won there. It's time to end that particular run.
Crystal Palace had something of an amazing turnaround last season. Down in the relegation positions in November they lifted themselves up the table with a remarkable run that took them all the way to the play offs.
They fell in the semi-final to Bristol City but they should have won that particular tie and gone on to play Hull at Wembley for a place in the Premier League.
I think everyone expected them to make a good start to this season but it hasn't happened so far, and I think everyone, given who is manager, expected a rush of new strikers at the club over the summer and that hasn't happened either.
The first summer signing was Charlton defender Paddy McCarthy who was brought in to replace Mark Hudson who made the same journey in the opposite direction. That was followed up with the capture of Southend goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan.
They paid a million for Bristol City's Australian midfielder Nick Carle who left Ashton Gate with a flea in his ear from manager Gary Johnson. He's been brought in to replace Ben Watson who is angling for a move.
Other signings have been Calvin Andrew from Luton, Austria Vienna midfielder Johannes Ertl and Jose Fonte from Benfica after he'd been with the club on loan in the second half of the season. And after the first game of the season they snapped up former Claret John Oster who was available after being released by Reading.
part from Hudson, the most significant of the departures has been Clinton Morrison who was their leading scorer last season. Currently they sit just one point above the Clarets and are the only side in the Championship not to have scored a goal. It would be good if that was still the case at the final whistle today.
Neil Warnock will once again be without Sean Scannell. The youngster is back in training after a back injury that forced him off on the opening day of the season but isn't ready as yet for a return to the side.
One of the summer signings Leandre Griffit could make his debut but is more likely to start the game on the bench. Paul Ifill and Carl Fletcher have been made available for transfer but either or both of them could also be on the bench.
The expected Palace line up is: Julian Speroni, Danny Butterfield, Patrick McCarthy, Matt Lawrence, Clint Hill, John Oster, Tom Soares, Sean Derry, Nick Carle, Lee Hills, James Scowcroft. Subs from: Jose Fonte, Johannes Ertl, Calvin Andrew, Victor Moses, Paul Ifill, Leandre Griffit, Carl Fletcher.
With all attempts at strengthening the squad this week having come to nothing there aren't likely to be many, if any, changes to the Burnley side that was beaten 3-0 by Ipswich last week.
The one position that appears to be up for grabs is one of the central midfield positions which was occupied by Joey Gudjonsson last week with Remco van der Schaaf having played there at Sheffield Wednesday. Either of them could play, but Coyle could give Kevin McDonald his first start for the Clarets.
If so, we could line up: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Kevin McDonald, Chris McCann, Wade Elliott, Chris Eagles, Robbie Blake, Martin Paterson. Subs from: Diego Penny, Christian Kalvenes, Joey Gudjonsson, Alan Mahon, Remco van der Schaaf, Ade Akinbiyi.
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The game was all over and done with in the first ten minutes as Palace cruised into a play off place. On seven minutes Clarke Carlisle was sent off for preventing a goal scoring opportunity with Ben Watson converting the resulting spot kick.
That resulted in a reshuffle with Graham Alexander, who had started in midfield, quickly going back to right back with Michael Duff at right back. For Duff it was a first game since the knee injury sustained in the home game against Palace earlier in the season.
On ten minutes Victor Moses doubled the lead and from then on it was just a case of how many for beleaguered side who already looked to be on their holidays. There was no respite and Tom Soares added a third eight minutes before half time.
Burnley had been close to getting Scott Sinclair on loan from Chelsea but the youngster went to Palace and he joined in with a fourth just past the hour and four minutes later Clinton Morrison scored what proved to be his last goal for Palace to complete the route.
It was the first time we'd conceded five goals in over four years, in fact since the 5-3 defeat to Norwich in April 2004 we hadn't even conceded four. It all left us hoping that we'd be somewhat tighter at the back come the beginning of the 2008/09 season.
The game proved to be the last in Burnley colours for Jon Harley, James O'Connor and loanee Mark Randall who returned to Arsenal and played in the Premier League a week later.
The teams at Palace were;
Crystal Palace: Julian Speroni, Danny Butterfield, Mark Hudson, Jose Fonte, Clint Hill, Shaun Derry (Carl Fletcher 59), Ben Watson, Tom Soares, Scott Sinclair, Clinton Morrison (Sean Scannell 72), Victor Moses (Paul Ifill 32). Subs not used: Tony Craig, James Scowcroft.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott (Alex MacDonald 70), James O'Connor, Graham Alexander, Chris McCann (Alan Mahon 81), Mark Randall (Joey Gudjonsson 45), Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Gabor Kiraly, Stephen Jordan
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
2000/01 | 1 | a | 1-0 | 18,531 | Branch |
| . | WC | h | 2-2 | 5,889 | Cooke Payton(pen) |
| . | WC | a | 1-1 | 5,720 | Cooke - lost on away goals |
| . | 1 | h | 1-2 | 14,973 | Cook |
2001/02 | 1 | h | 1-0 | 14,713 | Cook |
| . | . | a | 2-1 | 18,457 | Ian Moore(2) |
2002/03 | 1 | h | 0-0 | 12,407 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 16,344 | Taylor |
2003/04 | 1 | h | 2-3 | 12,976 | Blake Roche |
| . | . | a | 0-0 | 15,276 | . |
2005/06 | C | a | 0-2 | 20,127 | . |
| . | . | h | 0-0 | 11,449 | . |
2006/07 | C | a | 2-2 | 16,396 | Mahon Lafferty |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 10,659 | Akinbiyi |
2007/08 | C | h | 1-1 | 10,711 | Blake |
| . | . | a | 0-5 | 23,950 | . |