FIVE Year Plan fanzine editor Robert Sutherland explains why Hollywood scriptwriters would struggle to do justice to the rollercoaster of emotions that is supporting Crystal Palace...
YOU have to be crazy to love the Crystal Palace rollercoaster, but with all the highs and lows, what better entertainment is there?
We laud television shows for their suspense, films for their plots, music for its passion and art for its creativity, but there's only one thing that can truly combine all of those elements into one finely tuned, intensely incredible package – a season at Selhurst Park.
You have the lows – the administration, the relegations, the injuries, the defeats. Oh, the many defeats.
But you also have the highs – the day outside Lloyds Bank in London, the recovery from administration, the amazing escape at Stockport and the memorable draw at Sheffield Wednesday, the play-off wins against Brighton and Watford. And for the heroic return, you need look no further than Glenn Murray finally getting back to match fitness.
By most means, our story is one of context; other clubs might have enjoyed similar highs and lows, but for Palace these seem to fall into place on a regular basis.
Compare our story with that of our opponents last weekend. Their low is that they aren't competing for the league title at the moment.
Even when taking context into account, that doesn't compare with Palace fans having to stare into the ether that is a future without their club.
And that is what provides the remarkable soundtrack to our Premier League adventure.
Our supporters are unified, not because of the excitement that a season (or more) in the top flight brings (let's be honest, the razzmatazz is all a bit false and turgid) but because of what we have faced together.
There's an almost carelessly unashamed sense of joy during games at Selhurst – fans sing because they've seen a reality of there being nothing to sing about.
So there we have it.
The plot, the cast, the soundtrack, the storyline – it's the best Hollywood film that will never be made, the greatest TV series that will never end nor ever be globally appreciated.
But it's a story we all play a part in together.
Crystal Palace – An Unbreakable Spirit.
