2003/04

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Did Millwall have to play any qualifiers or did they go straight into the groups?
Edit: completely forgot this was before the Europa league and was the uefa cup.
 
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First season where I followed every game. Kyle and Stewart were like a budget Quinn and Phillips.

Quality was all down the left side with Arca & Downing and then Mccartney and Arca after Downing returned to Boro. Sean Thornton occasionally popped with some moments of quality.

Reminds me a bit of our first season in League One with the semi-final and playoff defeats.
 
From our perspective, if anything encapsulated how mental it can be being a Palace fan, this was it.

Appointed Steve Kember as manager in the summer, promoted out of the coaching ranks. Steve is a life long Palace fan, was caretaker when we performed a miraculous escape to avoid relegation to the third tier in 2001, and practically begged SJ for the job.

Couple months in, we got humped 5-0 at Wigan live on Sky and were rooted in the bottom three. One memorable game from that run was a freezing, horrible night at home to Crewe - we lost 3-0 in fog so thick you couldn't see a thing! The whole ground begging the ref to "fog it off".

Kit Symonds took over as caretaker and managed to start to turn the tide - I remember an excellent win at Reading just before Dowie took over.
We didn't hit the ground running immediately, but once we did we didn't slow down. Thumped you lot at home 3-0, beat the Hamsters at Selhurst, an incredible 6-4 victory v Stoke, then on the last day were in the playoffs, two points ahead of Wigan. Wigan were beating West Ham while we lost at Coventry, and it looked like that was that - but then news came through that Brian Deane had scored a 94th minute goal for West Ham that got us in the playoffs!


The atmosphere against you guys at Selhurst was absolutely f***ing electric and one of the best I've ever heard at Selhurst. When AJ - who scored 32 goals that season, having been given to us as a makeweight when Birmingham signed Clinton Morrison - saw his shoot bobble over Poom, the roof completely came off.

Me and my dad had our car window broken into at Cardiff during the game so it was a freezing journey back to London after the final, and the fuckers even nicked my GameBoy! But was well worth it - a properly batshit season, and the first time I'd seen us win promotion.
Oh and yes it was a foul. 100% :lol:
 
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Gucci Massive said:
Kyle was like Quinny in his prime compared to Wyke. He scored a canny few IIRC.
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aye he seemed to learn the 'step a yard back from the defender when the cross comes over, take it down on the chest then lash it" technique from quinny - not quite as effective but he did score a couple from it iirc
 
Stormo said:
Bit of a mixed bag this season. Overall disappointment though.
Highlight includes the fa cup semi v Milwall. Only we could blow that opportunity.
Results were mixed in the league. Finishing third. I actually think we did well to finish third after the players who left in the summer. Play off heartache v Palace though.

Shite like Whitley, Breen and Robinson came in. Out went Phillips (£3m!!!) Schwarz, Reyna, Thome, McCann, Sorensen, Craddock, Kilbane and Gray.
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Breen was exceptional for a season and a half at that level.

TBF Reid had amassed an average squad of about 60 pro players. It meant we could loan out Mhyre and still have Poom and Alnwick, then Ingham as pro keepers and we had loads of players who had played at a higher level.

We were still left with Myhre, Poom, Wright, Williams, Babb, Bjorklund, McCartney, Thornton, Arca, Oster, Piper, McAteer, Stewart, Proctor, Kyle, butler, with one or two kids on the fringes like Leadbitter, Clark, Alnwick, Brown.

He also brought in Healy, Breen, Whitley, Smith and a few loans. We finished where we should have tbf, probably a bit weak at centre half and options in centre midfield weren't great.
 
Fitzgerald said:
Good season for us mags iirc. A solid 5th place and more european football secured but then hounded Sir Bobby out :oops:
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At least you have the good grace to be embarrassed about it
But you had a good season - you looked good against most teams until you played inter but they had a very good team - seem to recall recoba (?) being outstanding
Paninaro said:
At least you have the good grace to be embarrassed about it
But you had a good season - you looked good against most teams until you played inter but they had a very good team - seem to recall recoba (?) being outstanding
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Edit think I’m thinking of the season after
Was 03/04 when you got to SF ? Monaco maybe ?
 
that semi final in the cup was guttering. Millwall were awful, we had so many chances and were wasteful, they kicked likes of Arca constantly was unbelievable. Was in Stretford end when Oster hit the bar down the other end, Kyle having a chance in the second half, sure Mccartney ended up on the right cut inside and dragged it wide or something. Didnt Tommy Smith score in every game apart from the semi final in the cup?

The Play off semi was shit also, again a team full of grafters who just got us into the play offs. Strange season really
 
Paninaro said:
At least you have the good grace to be embarrassed about it
But you had a good season - you looked good against most teams until you played inter but they had a very good team - seem to recall recoba (?) being outstanding

Edit think I’m thinking of the season after
Was 03/04 when you got to SF ? Monaco maybe ?
Click to expand...
02/03 was when they played Inter, Barcelona and Juventus. They drew with Inter away and beat Juventus at home to be fair. 03/04 they lost in the qualifiers to Partizan Belgrade.

To be fair to them as well, there were definite signs Robson was losing control of the dressing room. He treated certain players like sons and they completely took the piss out of him, Dyer in particular. They finished the season poorly and it was a bit of a damp squib, so I could understand the idea of replacing him before it went pear shape. But typically a lot of Mags thought they had a god given right to the Champions League and hounded him. I remember them setting up a website 'Hitzfelt4Toon' with lists of the best golf clubs in Northumberland because they wanted to get Otmar Hitzfelt in, just like the way they went on with the Saudis :lol:

Shepherd then announced (behind his back) that Robson was staying but it would be his last season and he lost all authority. Kieron Dyer refused to play right wing for them on the opening day and there were rumours that the press had a photo of him sticking his fingers up at Robson behind his back but the press agreed not to publish it. Dont know how true that was but it seemed common knowledge amongst the Mags at the time. Was shameful the way they treated him even if it possibly was time for him to go.
 
Definitely Maybe said:
02/03 was when they played Inter, Barcelona and Juventus. They drew with Inter away and beat Juventus at home to be fair. 03/04 they lost in the qualifiers to Partizan Belgrade.

To be fair to them as well, there were definite signs Robson was losing control of the dressing room. He treated certain players like sons and they completely took the piss out of him, Dyer in particular. They finished the season poorly and it was a bit of a damp squib, so I could understand the idea of replacing him before it went pear shape. But typically a lot of Mags thought they had a god given right to the Champions League and hounded him. I remember them setting up a website 'Hitzfelt4Toon' with lists of the best golf clubs in Northumberland because they wanted to get Otmar Hitzfelt in, just like the way they went on with the Saudis :lol:

Shepherd then announced (behind his back) that Robson was staying but it would be his last season and he lost all authority. Kieron Dyer refused to play right wing for them on the opening day and there were rumours that the press had a photo of him sticking his fingers up at Robson behind his back but the press agreed not to publish it. Dont know how true that was but it seemed common knowledge amongst the Mags at the time. Was shameful the way they treated him even if it possibly was time for him to go.
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Ah yes some of that is coming back to me
Just
Definitely Maybe said:
02/03 was when they played Inter, Barcelona and Juventus. They drew with Inter away and beat Juventus at home to be fair. 03/04 they lost in the qualifiers to Partizan Belgrade.

To be fair to them as well, there were definite signs Robson was losing control of the dressing room. He treated certain players like sons and they completely took the piss out of him, Dyer in particular. They finished the season poorly and it was a bit of a damp squib, so I could understand the idea of replacing him before it went pear shape. But typically a lot of Mags thought they had a god given right to the Champions League and hounded him. I remember them setting up a website 'Hitzfelt4Toon' with lists of the best golf clubs in Northumberland because they wanted to get Otmar Hitzfelt in, just like the way they went on with the Saudis :lol:

Shepherd then announced (behind his back) that Robson was staying but it would be his last season and he lost all authority. Kieron Dyer refused to play right wing for them on the opening day and there were rumours that the press had a photo of him sticking his fingers up at Robson behind his back but the press agreed not to publish it. Dont know how true that was but it seemed common knowledge amongst the Mags at the time. Was shameful the way they treated him even if it possibly was time for him to go.
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Yes mate coming back to me now
Remember them getting beat off inter 4-1 at home - recoba scored late on and think crespo/ vieri played also - but that aside they had some pretty good CL results that season
 
Stormo said:
Bit of a mixed bag this season. Overall disappointment though.
Highlight includes the fa cup semi v Milwall. Only we could blow that opportunity.
Results were mixed in the league. Finishing third. I actually think we did well to finish third after the players who left in the summer. Play off heartache v Palace though.

Shite like Whitley, Breen and Robinson came in. Out went Phillips (£3m!!!) Schwarz, Reyna, Thome, McCann, Sorensen, Craddock, Kilbane and Gray.
Click to expand...
Pooooom at Derby was the biggest highlight for me.
Never knew anyone could jump that high
 
Paninaro said:
At least you have the good grace to be embarrassed about it
But you had a good season - you looked good against most teams until you played inter but they had a very good team - seem to recall recoba (?) being outstanding

Edit think I’m thinking of the season after
Was 03/04 when you got to SF ? Monaco maybe ?
Click to expand...
Marseille in the semi. Drogba scored twice.
 
Paninaro said:
At least you have the good grace to be embarrassed about it
But you had a good season - you looked good against most teams until you played inter but they had a very good team - seem to recall recoba (?) being outstanding

Edit think I’m thinking of the season after
Was 03/04 when you got to SF ? Monaco maybe ?
Click to expand...
Marseille and prime Drogba
 
Was it Sheff Utd we beat 1-0 in the FA Cup, Tommy Smith. I was convinced at the final whistle it was our year. Young and stupid what can I say!
 
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