Here we are back again for part 18(!) of this multi club experiment that is gathering momentum, finally. This week we tie up the loose ends of season 4 and then waltz rapidly into season 5. This time of year sees Strictly start, meaning 2 hours a week where I will zone out and play Champ. I imagine Josh Widdicombe will wish he was doing the same. Anyway, here’s the awards where Froylan is impressing the journalists again.

Valderrama played only a handful of times but I like to think he was a calming, well permed presence in the dressing room.

Sadly all the money we’d earned has been spent on the new Carlos Valderrama stand, leaving us without a single penny but presumably with the capability to earn more, especially with the UEFA Cup revenue to rake in.

This is Tony Adams. Thankfully he’s not old enough to drive yet and he’s joined the ranks at Nice.

Confirmation we are in Europe but in the preliminary round. Just how poor is Holland’s coefficient? Never mind, we get to go to Wales.

Oh I forgot the non-EU rule would now be in play in the UEFA Cup, it isn’t an issue in the domestic calendar. That’s going to be tricky.

This is a decent signing for Nice, rejecting a move back home and coming to join the Eagles on their own European tour.

Take that, Welsh minnows. Wilmot is of course Welsh too.

I can rotate the entire squad and even the Micker scores, despite Eddie the Pope’s red card.

That will be a horrible tie against Copenhagen. The Scandinavian sides are like Goldberg after a few seasons. Nice have Hungarian opposition, which I’m less concerned about.

The fixture list is already looking congested. Pints cup well into September, first game of the season well delayed too.

Another signing for Nice, he can’t head but he does everything else quite well.

And a new sub keeper for Palace. He may even displace Richard Wright occasionally.

The Charity Shield was going swimmingly well but the last 15 minutes was a bit edgy. Still, a wins a win.

It’s a near disaster for Go Ahead but like I always say, we start playing when we’re 3-0 down. Natigol’s double gives us something to play for in Denmark.

Nice earn themselves a night off in Hungary.

Palace up and running in the new league season.

As are Nice, who for the first time in ages have quite a settled team.

This is horrible. Trinita is 36 going on 37 and absolutely class.

MIRACLE. Those 2 consolation goals really come good for us in Copenhagen.

Job done in Hungary.

Not the worst Champions League draw.

And a reasonable pair of UEFA Cup ties.

The form continues to be good for Nice. Zamorano has been a revelation.

Meanwhile the Pints Cup may have been a scheduling nightmare coupled with being drawn with 3 real teams, but we’re through with a game to spare. Seriously though, to not get a single non-league side NEVER happens.

This is annoying as he has big club release. Luckily, I bid £4m with Palace, everybody else drops out the bidding and the deal is cancelled. Phew.

A disappointing defeat for the Champions of everything.

A positive result in Portugal for Nice should help us get through. Trygger will miss two weeks.

We batter Tblisi and just can’t score but then eventually Gary Wilmot grabs what will hopefully be a vital goal.

The Swiss champs are no match for Palace.

Go Ahead continue to defy the odds with some eye catching wins.

That’s a good draw. We should win that.

I don’t know what’s going on at Palace. The wheels are coming off. Coventry aren’t particularly good but we are no match for them for long spells of this game. Sigh.

We go from 2-0 up to 3-2 down and then win 4-3 anyway. Never dull with GAE.

I went into the clash with Tblisi thinking, it won’t be 0-0, we always score, and after 77 minutes I had a big Georgian egg on my face. Melgarejo rams in the winner and we’re off to round 3.

Nice will also be there, despite being pegged back to 3-3 on the night and being a goal from elimination. Trygger settles matters.

We’re all off to Norway for round 3. Sadly not the right way around for us to hire one big BeefCo plane but GAE in particular will fancy their chances of getting through…despite what I said earlier about Scandinavian teams.

Another disappointing result for Palace, this time in Brugge. I mean it’ll do in the context of the group but we should be winning such games.

Just 2 games in, the Marseille double header to come. Nice also play them in the French League Cup, so we’ll be sick of the sight of them before long.

Let’s check in with the tables as we bring this week to a halt. Palace sit a lowly 7th, having conceded an absurd amount of goals for Champions League winners.

There’s not loads wrong with the squad, Ledezma is only out for another week or so. Hopefully it’s just a phase.

Nice are incredible. The squad are all performing extremely well, a team that is better than the sum of its parts. Ricardinho has been an incredible pick up on part exchange and has just been called into the Brazil squad. Arnau is in the Spain squad too. There’s a lot to like.

Top of the pile too! A long way to go though.

Go Ahead, as usual, are one big injury away from disaster. The squad and bench looks a bit of a mess here as I have the aforementioned EU issues in the UEFA Cup and with Mans and Trinita out and Lukassen cup tied, old Micker gets to warm the bench quite often on a Tuesday night. Still, things are decent but the three unhappy you can see there all want to move to a bigger club. The two centre halves are great and Wilmot (Hughes) has been outstanding. Palace will have to continue outbidding potential suitors.

100% record in the league but the schedule will catch up with such a thread bare squad eventually. Golsteyn is the Gullit regen and he, like Trinita, has 20 injury proneness so getting him through match by match is the real challenge. Once he inevitably gets crocked it’s Eddie Pope time.

There we are then, on a day where club football goes on holiday for the best part of three weeks we conclude part 18. I think you’ll agree it leaves things intriguingly poised for part 19, I hope to see you back here next week. Toodles for now!