Hello hello and welcome back to our little nostalgic corner of the internet. If you’re new around here, this save sees us manage three clubs at once, with the ultimate aim of getting two of them to meet in the Champions League final. So far, Crystal Palace have been by far the strongest of the three and reach the business end of season 4 established as one of the top sides in Europe. Nice and Go Ahead Eagles, however, have not managed to qualify for European competition as yet (Nice began the 97/98 season in the Cup Winners Cup but that was nothing to do with me). This time though, it could all change. Everybody has a lot to play for as we join the action in January 2001. Palace are in everything, whilst Nice and GAE are jostling for a top 6 spot in their respective leagues that would surely mean a brush with the second tier elite next season. Let’s football!

Crystal Palace and Liverpool have a rich recent history in the FA Cup but not today. This 4th round clash takes an age to come to life but a ten minute treble salvo sends us through to the last 16.

Back in the bread and butter of Premier League life, Sheffield United are sent packing. Title charge back on.

Ivan Zamorano is having a bit of a late career bloom. This hat trick puts Nice through to the next round of the French Cup.

He repeats the trick 5 days later. 6 goals in a week for the man who wore 1+9.

This is a shame for Peter Ndlovu fans everywhere. Just can’t catch a break this bloke, no pun intended.

The Pointless Cup semi final is over 2 legs and Leicester have always been a bit of a nuisance side to us. We lead against 10 men but that last gasp equaliser will make for a tricky second leg.

Into the last 8 of the FA Cup wit ha routine win over Blackburn.

It’s hardly a packed card, we would be very heavy favourites if betting existed in this game.

Thankfully that tricky second leg is anything but. We lose captain JC for a few weeks but we have a trip to Wembley to console ourselves with.

Book it in the diary.

A quick trip back to France after a South London dominated section of the update to marvel at Nice dismantling the soon to be former champions. Trygger has absolutely found his spot up front.

Palace win the game in hand comfortably.

12 games to go and the top 3 are separated by goal difference only!

This…was poor. Maybe one game too many but we didn’t recover from that early double salvo.

Go Ahead turn in one of their best performances to put their wheels back on the wagon after a fairly average few weeks. Trinita shields the defence and the difference without him is always noticeable.

Palace do well in Milan to escape with a draw. The quadruple is still on!

A white hot day of FA Cup action sees us edge Derby 1-0 and set up a semi final with Leicester, again.

A proper ding dong clash with Leeds eventually swings our way. Living on our nerves a bit in the title run in.

Highlighted by this very late collapse against Liverpool. Lads. Howay man.

Look at this though! Feyenoord are absolutely battered by our incredibly random team with Natigol back in the goals.

As I said earlier, it hasn’t been great over in Holland but the table is ridiculously tight, a win like that means we have 6 games to keep it together and get ourselves into Europe.

This win for Nice pushes us into the top 5.

See!

I didn’t expect this after the very tight first leg but a strong second half sees us past Milan.

Worthy of the shock defeat graphic.

Err it doesn’t bode well that Newcastle just battered us at home when I’d consider them weaker than Barcelona and Juventus.

Barcelona it is, smashing.

I’ve signed Erik Nevland on deadline day. We needed some younger back up for the dynamic duo and at £3m, it’s a risk free acquisition that will allow Vialli to retire.

We’ve won the Pointless Cup. Roar.

A result like this for Nice makes me think it’s finally going to happen for them. I’ll save the plaudits for now.

A draw is probably a better result for Barcelona than us but we’re still in with a shot.

Zamorano scores four in a half to get us on the verge in France.

Palace are in the FA Cup final! These boys keep digging deep.

Sheff Wed in the final, again we should be winning.

A title decider? I hope not, as we fall to defeat in London. We were poor, to be fair.

I thought GAE might have blown it but Gary Wilmot scores a tremendously late winner to keep our hopes alive.

4 games left…

BIG WIN! An Easter Monday to remember.

Easter Wednesday, which isn’t a thing but it might become one, will be fondly remembered by those of a Crystal Palace persuasion as Bjorkan scores the only goal in a mad 1-0 win in the Nou Camp.

Napoli then to face Juventus. What can possibly go wrong?

The squad is on the bones of its arse, admittedly my decision to loan out 11 players is looking a little foolish.

Nice beat fellow European chasers Monaco to all but secure a UEFA Cup spot.

Ooooh Gary Wilmot! This point against champions Ajax might not be enough, but then again it might be vital. Could go either way. They had 10 men for a long time but they’re a lot better than us.

Palace again win their game in hand.

It’s tense…we’ve dropped Everton since the last table check (and I mean dropped, where’ve they gone?!) and crucially it’s still in our hands.

The Eagles had to win this away at AZ and we did! We will take this fight to the final day.

Groningen on the final day, who knows if 6th will even be enough.

This was a huge test on a bank holiday Monday but we pass it thanks to Tim Flowers suffering a rush of blood when Blackburn were on top.

EAAAAGGGGGGLLLLEEEEESSSSSSSSS! That is the icing on the cake.

FIFTH! That must do it, surely.

Palace leave it late but the quadruple dream remains alive.

All in our own hands. Which is great, except…

Both of our strikers are out. And we’re playing Man Utd…

Nevermind. Nevland is a great replacement and he is partnered by Padovano, who has enjoyed a thoroughly decent end of the season.

Arsenal drew at Barnsley anyway, so all that fun for nothing. CHAMPIONS!

Ledezma returns just in time for the FA Cup final, which is good because Nevland is cup tied on this and the Champions League final. Andy Hinchcliffe will have a lot to say about this on too many TV commentaries years from now.

This is the Juventus side we face in the Champions League final. These 11 stand between Crystal Palace and the Quadruple.

Things looked bleak when Zidane gave Juve the lead but the unlikely figure of Matthew Wicks heads us level and Jensen scores again a few minutes later. The Chaaaaaaammmmpppionnnssss

The season concludes in France with Nice costing Marseille the league title. Oops.

5th for them too.

Let’s take a look at the squads before we finish. Firstly, a shout out to this guy who Nice loaned in when Chrismousse left (and basically never played for Bordeaux…who gave us Ricardinho and £800k in exchange.)

The Nice squad is probably a little light with the above loanee back with his parent club and Dan Brown back to Palace. Still, considering where I was with this team, one of my greater achievements getting this lot into Europe.

Two absolute hot shots up top made a big difference.

Palace have an exceptionally young squad but you can see why I moved for Nevland. Outside of the front 2, there’s just not loads of goals. Emmers continues to defy age and I need to decide whether to persist with Jensen in there when I rotate or finally find somebody else.

The Go Ahead squad (minus Splinter who has gone back to Palace after his loan spell) is such an odd mix, but it somehow works with the talent at the top end of the pitch. Wilmot’s 24 in 36 was a big reason for our success.

Right, as usual I have judged the pacing of this season appallingly so as we approach 1500 words, I’m going to leave you in peace to enjoy the rest of your day or weekend. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week for our European tours!