How do you sum up the performance and result?
Well obviously we’re not pleased with the result, that’s clear. I thought the game swung in those couple of minutes either side of half-time when we had the chance to come into the half-time interval two goals to one in the lead with a penalty but we didn’t take the chance. And then as soon as the second half starts they score that goal from the corner kick where unfortunately for us the ball sort of squeezed through. It was sort of a… not a mis-kick but it wasn’t a clean strike that Armstrong was looking for and it found its way through to the far post and Adams did exceptionally well in that tight angle to squeeze the ball over the line. So all of a sudden, instead of maybe looking to go out and control the game with a 2-1 lead, we were 2-1 down. After that I thought the game was a fairly even one. Both teams were posing a threat and in particular we ourselves had chances to get that equaliser. Then towards the end of the game we took the chance to really go for it by sending more attacking players onto the field in the hope that it would produce the equaliser. But as so often happens, it led to us just opening ourselves up that little bit more and giving them the chance to seal the victory.
At this point, are you able to take satisfaction from the fact you’ve been able to guarantee Premier League football for Crystal Palace?
You’ve got to do that, I think. That’s the whole raison-d’etre at the start of a season for a club like ourselves. Right – another Premier League season, it’s not going to be easy. There’s going to be lots of tough games, we’re going to get defeated during the course of the season, it’s not going to be plain sailing by any stretch of the imagination. But we’re going to come through it and make certain that at the end of the season we’re still in this division, planning for the next season in the Premier League. I come out of it with an awful lot of satisfaction from that, but every game unfortunately has its own story and the story when you’ve lost is never a happy story.
When you talk about planning for the future, what is the next step do you feel for Crystal Palace?
Well at the start of next season, no doubt it will be the same as it was this season, making certain that everything that’s done is done in a way that makes certain that the team is not going to find itself in the relegation zone. We haven’t been in the relegation zone for four years now. We were for a few months when I first came to the club, but we’ve not been in it since then. That’s got to be the primary objective. Then you’ve got to hope that you can build on that and then finish higher up the table. So that’s what I’m certain the club will be trying to do.
Away from tonight’s game, Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions. What’s your reaction to that?
It’s a very well deserved championship for them. I think they’ve been outstanding right the way through – even better, if you like, because they didn’t have such a wonderful start this time, did they? So I think they’ve been quite fantastic for such a long period of time. They’ve played brilliant football and I’ve always thought they were going to win it for quite a long time. I don’t think there’s any real excitement to have been had for the last few months.
But of course until such time as you get over the line, I suppose people can always argue football’s a funny game – I’ve heard that a few times.
But in my opinion Man City were going to win the league this year. They certainly have fully deserved to win the league this year. I can do no more than to congratulate Pep Guardiola and all at the club.
A really good, well-taken goal from Christian Benteke. Have you been pleased with his recent performances?
Yes, I’m very pleased with him and for him. He’s not had the easiest of times over the last few years, but certainly this season and in particular this latter part of the season he’s been really very good. He’s scoring goals on a regular basis, which is what you want your centre-forward to do.
It’s just unfortunate that tonight with us having missed the penalty and conceding that goal right at the start of the second half, we couldn’t really profit from him putting us 1-0 up.
Is there anything he's changed from earlier in the season to improve his form?
No, I don’t know what to put it down to, to be frank. Because it’s not as if he’s suddenly started working harder, or trying harder or being more aware of the tactical side of the game in terms of following the consigns we give to players. He’s been doing that for a long period of time now. Nothing has changed in that respect.
It could be quite as simple as when you get yourself a few goals and you lay the criticism to rest that you’re not scoring enough goals, maybe it becomes a little bit easier for you to get the next one.
Do you think you’re given enough credit?
Well, no-one’s ever said jobs should be easy. I take the job on for what it is. Of course, there are times where situations occur that you’d prefer not to have occurred, but you get on with the job that is required, and I must say I think the players have been very good. They’ve stuck very, very well at their task and I think that was evident tonight.
There are players out there who might be uncertain about what the future holds, and there will be players on Sunday when we play Villa who will be uncertain about their futures.
But they’re doing what they’re paid to do. They’re contracted until such time as they get offered a new contract or move on, and all I can expect from them is to go out and be professional and do the job that we ask them to do.
Not the best memory for Luka today, but it was his 150th Premier League appearance today.
It’s unusual for him to miss a penalty, I can only remember him missing one other penalty and that was a long time ago. I was pretty convinced when he stepped up that he would do what Luka always does. A pity for him on his 150th appearances, but I think he and we should be very pleased with those 150 appearances because he’s been quite fantastic, certainly during the four years I’ve been here at the club.
I really can’t fault him in any way. He’s been outstanding on the field of play, he’s good off the field because he’s a good captain. As a result, I can only congratulate him on those 150 appearances, and wish him many more. I’m pretty certain that he’ll be scoring many more penalties and goals in that period of time.
Did he say anything at half-time or full-time about it? Or is it just one of those things that everyone moves on?
Oh, you move on from that. This is part of football. It’s hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands of individual moments that occur – there are so many mistake that happen in a game of football. So many things that happen that maybe don’t receive so much attention because they don’t result in a particular outcome. The player who’s made the mistake isn’t punished for the mistake by the opponents not scoring the goal, etc etc.
We didn’t even discuss that at half-time. Obviously he’s disappointed, but it was never mentioned. And as far as I know, wasn’t mentioned after the game either.
But of course it did have a major effect on the result. Because instead of coming in at 2-1, we came in at 1-1 and then two minutes into the second half, a corner kick and a mishit shot they sneak in and go into the lead 2-1. Suddenly we’re having to send players forward and take chances and open ourselves up a bit more, which eventually led to them getting the third goal which sealed the victory.
Was it one of the strongest squads you’ve had to pick from? Plenty of experience on the bench.
Yeah, there was some experience on there. But of course it’s also a question sometimes now and we can’t deny the fact that there are players on the bench who are unsettled. So in actual fact they might be experienced, but of course there is a question mark as to how much they’re going to be prepared to die for the cause.
Because we can only expect them to behave as human beings. We want the best from them, we expect them to respect their contracts and we expect them always to go out and give what they can give every time we step on the field.
But they are also human beings, so I’m not sure at the moment that we are in as happy a position as Southampton are with their bench.
Southampton limited the ball into Zaha tonight, and when he did get it he picked up a lot of fouls. Is that just a run of the mill game for him now?
I think Wilf’s one of the most fouled players in the league, isn’t he? I think occasionally I see statistics where he’s one of the most fouled players. And he gets fouled of course because he’s very good on the ball and he runs with the ball.
I thought he did well tonight on many occasions. He got us the penalty with a good run in the box. And there were a lot of other good runs he made, not least of all that one where he was hauled down just as he was about to go past the last man and possibly score a goal. So he’s done what he should be doing, in my opinion, he’s done what we would like him to do.
But fouls, unfortunately, are part and parcel of the game of football and you can’t legislate for that. You can’t complain every time a player is not being given the freedom of the park because he’s being fouled. I’m afraid fouls are part and parcel of football. And you have to get up and get on with it.
He did that tonight, I thought, very well. He had one little contretemps I suppose when he was quite obviously fouled at the end by one of the central defenders smashing into his back and he reacted to it. But he’s a human being and I think most people would react to that.
