Crystal Palace’s return to the Premier League feels like a blast of fresh air, bringing in principles as well as personalities.
By Henry Winter, Chief Football Correspondent
For those tired of some of the antics in the nation’s leading sporting soap opera, Crystal Palace re-introduce strong, honest characters such as Ian Holloway and Kevin Phillips. They have owners determined to balance the books in a world of escalating wages and agents’ demands. They are an antidote to the creed of greed staining parts of the elite division of English football.
In looking to strengthen his promoted team, Holloway has been horrified by the actions of certain agents and players. “I’ve got principles and I’ll always have them,’’ said the Palace manager. “Everybody has got principles but, principally, they want some money. That’s the truth, isn’t it? ‘Where’s the money?’ Countries are going bust but football’s thriving.’’
Holloway prefers seeing the Premier League’s wealth put to constructive use, invested in places such as Bacon’s College in Rotherhithe, London. “Isn’t it wonderful?’’ he said, admiring the 4G pitches in an inner-city area screaming out for them. “It’s gone back into the community.’’
He finds the excesses of some players reprehensible. “It’s not all about how much the top players get, how ever many squillion a week, not-very-nice people going out and spending God knows what in bars. It’s about being proper people.’’
People such as Phillips, whose nerveless play-off penalty took Palace up in May. Early on, Phillips played non-League, so appreciating his subsequent career even more. “He’s the best professional I’ve ever worked with,’’ said Holloway. “He keeps himself fitter than anyone else. His enthusiasm never wavers whether I pick him or whether I don’t. He’s a fantastic example of what a real footballer should be - and I don’t mean a nice car and shiny earrings.
“If you ring up a club in France, before you know it that club will then have had five or six agents come on to them saying they could get you a deal with Crystal Palace for that player. ‘Give me the mandate, give me the mandate’. Then they’ll ring me up. Every time that’s happened I’ve said: ‘No, I don’t want that player’. I don’t know if I can trust that player if he’s got all these people around him.
“They all want their little cut. Not every agent is the same, and not every deal is the same, but that’s what we’ve found this summer. It’s ‘you’ve got to pay me, I spoke to you three months ago about a player’. There are loopholes in life and clever people exploit them. At the end of the day it’s about the player and what he wants.’’ Holloway thought he had signed Darren Bent. A deal was done, a 9am medical on Thursday planned, but then Fulham stepped in.
“They’re just bigger sharks than us,’’ shrugged Holloway. “We’re sharks in the water, but there are others who are bigger than us.’’
Holloway has been here before, trying to bring players into Blackpool when they were promoted. It’s changed even in that short time. “There are a few more zeros on the end of the deals.’’ He has gambled £6 million of his limited budget on Dwight Gayle from Peterborough United.
“It’s not too bad a gamble when he’s only 20 [now 22] and he scored 20 goals last year, is it? He almost kept Peterborough up. He’s hungry. But I don’t want to build him up too much. When Ian Wright came to Crystal Palace from non-League he ended up playing for England and being Arsenal’s top scorer. Was that a risk?
“I’ve had to earn my living taking risks, so if Dwight Gayle’s a risk then I’m delighted I took it. Luckily I’ve got hot-shot Kev – but he’s 40 now. We want to build a team that will give us a chance to be fourth from bottom.
If we could do that what a fantastic success story that would be - and who knows where we could go after that.’’
We need a lot more people like 'Ollie in the EPL before it implodes and chokes on it's own greed.
