Good morning! We are one week into the International break, so congratulations on seeing that off. Just under two weeks to go…

Back in the world that matters to us, CM9798, it’s Autumn 2001. I wanted to bring to your attention three of my favourites lads. Trinita was signed because, crucially, he was willing to and since we changed the formation in 1999, he’s been absolutely class. He’s broken a leg, but he’ll be back around Christmas. Ricardinho is playing the best football of his life after I took a punt on him in exchange for the big club release clause of Chrismousse. Finally, Marc Emmers has generally got better with age but maybe it is finally catching up with him. How do you replace the irreplaceable?

Totally coincidentally, Emmers breaks the deadlock in a tight game at Bolton.

Then Ricardinho snatches the win for Nice!

Trinita is on the treatment table so he can’t complete an unlikely hat-trick but club legend Tammer can.

No thanks, I don’t want Keith Gillespie.

The unbeaten run is over for GAE. A narrow defeat at Willem II but we’ll bounce back.

It’s a similar hard luck story for Nice, downed at home to PSG.

Groningen are this seasons surprise package and they sit 2nd in the table before they visit us. Hopefully that’s the end of that dream.

That leads us into the UEFA Cup and our double date with Norwegian opposition. We are filthy but somehow win with 9.

Nice have a lovely time on the road, Zamorano in particular, but both ties are in the balance for the return leg.

Palace are having another one of those spells. This defeat leaves us in serious danger of not getting through in the Champions League with 3 games to go.

The Dutch want me – Palace version of me. No thanks.

Huge win for Nice! Zamorano is getting on for a goal a game on average this season.

This might yet prove to be a vital point. We are second best to Feyenoord throughout but a late, late penalty snatches a draw.

That’s an awful draw for Palace, not what we need.

Everton are the pace setters again but we pull ourselves together to win and hopefully kick ourselves back into form.

That man Zamorano again. Four more. Some boy.

Vitesse are always in and around the top 5 and once again have too much for us.

This got a bit hairy towards the end but at 3-1 up with half an hour to go I was able to rest a few and hope it would be fine. It just about was.

Nice also through, the UEFA Cup has been a welcome side story.

A rough draw for our French contingent but Go Ahead will have every chance of getting through. Real Madrid vs Bayern in the UEFA Cup…

Palace are mad. This win is great for the goal difference.

Winning our group is very unlikely from here but we could still be one of the best two runners up. We will have to win in Marseille though.

£2m for the Rush regen who has just not fired at all.

A rare blip for Nice, losing the lead away at Nimes. It’s been a very competent season so I can’t be mad.

Baudry Roberts is going to have to go back to the salon. SEVEN MONTHS for goodness sake.

We succeed where Palace failed and knock Marseille out of the Coupe.

That feels winnable.

More woe for Palace. A rare home loss.

Whilst Nice can’t repeat their success against the Champions elect.

More grit shown from the Go Ahead crew, Leandro in the Dutch league hardly feels fair.

UEFA Cup Tuesday now and a big win in Edinburgh should see the GAE into the last 8.

For Nice though, this might be the end of the road. We’ll have to win in Seville.

Palace keep their hopes alive with a fairly routine win.

With that vital win bagged, we now enter this ridiculous period of time which will go a long way to deciding if our season is a success or not.

Part 1 is navigated, a gritty away win at Ewood. No time to celebrate though, we have 48 hours until we kick off in Japan.

Whilst Palace board their flight, Go Ahead are booking their place in the next round of the Dutch Cup. One of our easier days out.

That’s winnable as well. The Pints Cup has rarely been kind to us but maybe this is our year.

An easy win, just call us World Champions.

Sadly though our defence of the Pointless Cup is over. Defeat at the hands of Barry Ferguson.

More rough times as an early lead is quickly wiped out in Amsterdam.

Palace’s big day in the Champions League is just around the corner so being able to sub a few key men off early against Forest is ideal preparation.

Sadly, the European dream is over for Nice. That first minute goal gave us a lot of hope but it was soon extinguished.

Go Ahead will…go ahead to the quarter finals. A tame encounter on the night sees us turn 2-0 into 3-0 and no more.

We will get to avenge Nice…or let them double down on BeefCo victims. Betis might be about to make a very unpowerful enemy.

The big night for Palace where a win will see us get out of jail free. Bakayoko has it sorted in the first 5 minutes. Both centre halves play a 9, you have to love it.

Confirmation of the great escape.

You’d have to say, that’s one of the better draws. Although Nantes have somehow won Ligue 1 twice in this save.

This lad is back, ready for a big second half of the season (until he gets injured again)

He gets to watch us ease past MVV from the bench.

Though he does manage 20 minutes as we knack NAC. Wilmot marking his return from suspensions in all competitions with a timely double. Ndlovu is starting to be very useful also.

With the winter break here for Go Ahead and Nice, let’s call this weeks recap there. Still time to look at the tables where Palace are somehow back at the top, despite losing 4 games already.

As usual I’ve overdone the loans, so much so that with injuries and suspensions we’ve got two keepers, two centre halves and Father Phil on the bench. Never change.

Over in Holland, it’s looking quite bright. We’ve somehow ended up with a reasonable balance where we don’t concede bags of goals but we don’t score at a prolific rate anymore either. I don’t really know why but it’s working, no complaints here.

Everybody who is showing as unhappy wants to move to a bigger club. Palace will be ready to bid if necessary. It’ll be a miracle if I can get this lot into the Champions League before another rebuild.

Nice have hit the buffers a little bit. Ricardinho and Baudry Roberts have been injured but as you can see, Ricky is back now so hopefully we are better on the other side of the winter break.

We’re still second, which is impressive. Marseille are imperious in the league even if two BeefCo sides have beaten them this season. Trygger was subject of a bid from Ajax, but Palace have stepped in offering double his asking price which will see off any other bidders for now at least. The deal will mysteriously be cancelled.

There we have it then, another large update and we’re at Christmas 2001. There’s a fair chance of at least two sides being in the Champions League next season, as it stands, which means we’re getting ever closer to achieving the BeefCo dream. Join me next week where we’ll bash through some more. Toodles for now!