Europa League Brighton face a big Thursday night at the Palace
For Brighton fans who have been following the Albion around Europe these past three months, a Thursday night trip to Crystal Palace is going to be a little different to what we have become accustomed to.
From the red wine and seafood of Marseille to the canals of Amsterdam to the Acropolis of Athens to the streets of Croydon covered with dog excrement and washing machines in front gardens.
Police kettling replaces red wine, Heineken and Mythos. A rundown stadium with an away end which is a health and safety death trap instead of the state-of-the-art Johan Cruyff Arena.
And as for the ultras… lol. The Holmesdale Fanatics with their black Primark hoodies are Katie Price’s music career compared to the Taylor Swift of Marseille.
Watching Brighton fans jaunting off around Europe to watch the Seagulls beat some of the most famous teams in the world has hit a very sore spot for a lot of Palace supporters, judging by their reactions on social media.
They have always been a salty lot, even when the Eagles enjoyed the better of the rivalry. Which, let us be honest, has been the case for much of the past 40 years.
There were times when Brighton looked like they were going to get one over Palace, only for that lot to somehow found a way to keep bragging rights.
Finishing above them in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 Championship seasons was rendered meaningless for example, the Eagles becoming the first visiting team to win a league game at the Amex in the former and then winning promotion via the playoffs in the latter.
But now the Albion are the dominant, better team, the despair of Palace fans has deepened. Brighton have not lost against the Eagles since that bizarre night when Palace won 2-1 at the Amex in February 2021 from one shot on target. Peak lockdown PotterBall.
You have to go back to April 2018 for the last time the Eagles saw off the Seagulls at Selhurst. A series of last minute Albion goals sparking total meltdown amongst the home support have made trips to Croydon about as enjoyable as a trip to Croydon can be for Brighton fans in recent years.
Then there is the jealousy over the different way the two clubs are being run. Palace do not seem to have any long term plan, instead content to simply tread water and survive in the Premier League.
Like Graham Potter, Patrick Vieira was a young manager who needed time to transform the playing style and profile of an aging squad.
Whereas Potter got the time he needed to do that at Brighton even through some barren runs of results, Palace panicked after losing 1-0 at the Amex last season and sacked Vieira.
Their answer? Bring back Roy Hodgson. It was the equivalent of Tony Bloom jettisoning Potter in early 2021 and reappointing Chris Hughton.
Hodgson kept the Eagles up of course. Job done. But they then awarded him a new contract when they could have made a summer appointment of another, younger coach to start a rebuild. Like Glow Up Graham, for instance…
Instead, they hilariously stuck with Hodgson for another year, kicking the can on implementing any sort of change in approach down the road until next summer at the earliest.
Brighton kept their nerve with Potter, then looked to the future with Roberto De Zerbi and are reaping the rewards. Palace do not seem to have a clue, beyond reappointing the 76-year-old who they got rid off 18 months earlier.
Because of the European tours, the lack of recent wins over Brighton and the fact the Albion are a club thriving thanks to intelligence in the boardroom, Palace are more desperate for victory than ever.
They want to knock the Albion down a peg or two and who can blame them? That makes this 150th meeting between the clubs in all competitions one of the most interesting.
A Palace win would give the Eagles a little over six weeks to bask in until the return game at the Amex, due to take place at the start of February.
Should the worst happen and the Albion lose at Selhurst, Seagulls supporters can still point to their higher position in the Premier League table and those European nights for solace. Have you ever seen the Palace in the ‘Dam, etc, etc.
A Brighton win in contrast would spark absolute meltdown. Acrimony is already rife around Selhurst, as seen by the wonderful videos shared on social media of Palace fans losing their mind and abusing their players, manager and owners following a 2-0 home defeat to Plucky Little Bournemouth earlier in December.
Palace want their owners gone and replaced by someone with a vision. They want a younger manager who plays better football. They want to finish ninth or above, something they have not achieved in nine Premier League seasons.
They basically want to be Brighton. Some of them will admit it. Others will not, proclaiming that the bubble will burst if Tony Bloom pulls out his money or that it is a mere fluke the Albion are currently on for top half finishes for three seasons in a row.
That those nights in Marseille, Amsterdam and Athens (not sure we have mentioned them enough) are a result of pure luck.
De Zerbi and this Albion team have a chance to silence all that once-and-for-all. A win away at the Palace would further cement their place as the side currently dominating the rivalry and spark an almighty rebellion on the terraces of Selhurst.
A big night awaits. Just a shame it is in Croydon.
