FA Cup – Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points

#4 Crystal Palace’s woeful season ends with Déjà vu for Alan Pardew

Alan Pardew will probably have a right hangover of the morning as media looks at his premature jig in light-hearted comic standing but there was nothing funny in it for the Palace fans and the manager himself on the evening.

The FA Cup loss hurts more, not in the least for the fact that, they were only 12 odd minutes from winning the game but for the fact that Crystal Palace have had a woeful season overall. The Palace side came into the game having finished 15th in the table and just 5 points above the relegation zone.

This was regression for a team that had finished tenth last season and was looking to break into European spots this season. Alan Pardew knew the FA Cup would’ve turned their season around from the abysmal to the excellent. Alas, it was not to be!

This wasn’t the first time manager Alan Pardew has had to face the ignominy of being a loser in the final of the FA Cup. It was in his days as a player with Crystal Palace that he faced similar heartbreak and more recently in the 2006 FA Cup final as West Ham manager as his side lost to Liverpool on penalties then.

As a player for Crystal Palace, who did Alan Pardew’s team bow out to in the 1990 FA Cup final? Manchester United. Déjà vu much?

Well, at least Alan has his dancing skills intact.