Good day to you! We’ve had a great week looking back at 29 years of CM9798, thank you to all of the Blog squad for contributing this week and throughout my time running this site, and of course to you all for reading and putting up with my general nonsense.

Speaking of nonsense, we’re back with the Multi-club save today and it’s Christmas time. All three clubs are in the right area, Palace are a consistent juggernaut of the English and European game but Nice and Go Ahead are having to fight tooth and nail for every opportunity. We’ll get into the games shortly but I’d like to draw your attention to three absolute bargains who have been pillars of success across the BEEFCO group.

A strong start as Go Ahead play theur last game before a few weeks off for Santa. It’s always a possibility, unfortunately.

Palace bring in Boxing Day with a narrow but always necessary victory.

Two days later it’s our bogey team but this time we have too much for Everton.

For Go Ahead, the need to bring in some reinforcements is because Trinita and Golsteyn, the current incumbents of the defensive midfield positions, are very prone to injury. Also, Trinita is 37. Mariano Juan played in the league with Ajax, and for £600k, I’m happy with that.

Palace march on in the Pointless Cup thanks to a late winner from the best £100k I ever spent.

However, this is a disaster. It’s transfer deadline time in Holland so their bid for Trygger (which can’t be rejected due to big club release) goes through before I can stop it with a bid from Palace, which is what I have been doing for most of the last season or so. Bugger. He’ll be a huge loss, £7m is nowhere near enough and worst of all, he’s gone to a BEEFCO rival. Ffs.

His absence is compounded with a difficult exit in the Coupe de la Ligue. Never rains but it pours.

This is a good comeback though, with Robert Dunn charged with the task of stepping up to the plate.

Six of the best for Go Ahead! Ikpeba is really something else. I did consider selling him to Nice, logically one of the many forwards of GAE could make the switch, but I’m not going to derail their season. I need one of them to get into the Champions League again.

To be fair, Nice are managing just fine at the moment. Baudry Roberts, Ricardinho, Dunn and Zamorano is a good front 4.

Palace progress in the FA Cup with a narrow win.

Nothing narrow about GAE at the moment. Another goal glut, this time at Roda.

Dunn’s at it again too, his first half hat-trick and the Djorkaeff regen put Lorient to the sword. Long way back to Brisbane Road for them.

Huge game over in Holland to kick off February as Trygger and his new pals visit. Obviously he scores and we should really win but we have to settle for a draw. We’ve come a long way, it has to be said.

I mean this madness is what we are competing with.

Nice just about advance in the cup but our cutting edge is massively reduced.

As shown when we blunder a one goal lead against Marseille. That’s going to cost us.

Palace take one step closer towards the Pointless Cup final.

Whilst it’s more misery for Nice, this time conceding a late equaliser. I can feel my blood boiling with this lot again.

Lovely Palace calm me down with a hard fought win in the FA Cup. A quadruple is still on.

Go Ahead are a goal scoring machine. Sparta were the early pace setters but we’ve chopped down them to size.

It’s not convincing but the Sheffield United low block nearly works. Thankfully Bakayoko and that 2-1 win in Sheffield see us through.

I think this is the Bebeto regen. He hasn’t played in 3 seasons at PSG but I’m desperate.

Good debut.

An awful day for Palace as well. It’s not been a vintage week.

Den Haag are bottom of the table so being 2-0 down with 20 minutes to go is mind boggling and infuriating. That said, I know we very rarely fail to score and my faith is justified with a fantastic late show to get the points.

It’s a cup exit for Nice though. Zamorano has 2 disallowed, which does little to improve my mood. The board are down to “Pleased” which is a bit harsh. We have the Champions League next week, divvies.

More fury as Palace fail to win at Leicester.

Remember this guy? I loaned him for Nice last season from Dortmund. He was available for £1.6m and some rival clubs bid for him, I wanted him in the BEEFCO so he’s been stockpiled at Palace. Look forward to your loan move next year.

Leeds are 17th so this should have been easy but such is the way the game is playing out for us at the moment, it’s anything but. Bakayoko steals the points despite big JC’s red card.

I mean…yeah. This sums it up really. Too many goalkeepers who can’t catch a cold. Thankfully we have one of the best attacks in the league so conceding 5 doesn’t really matter. Not very often you get 8.

The GAE sit 3rd. Three goals a game score, almost two goals a game conceded. But really in the title race with 8 games to go.

You can see where the goals come from. We have the UEFA Cup next, the non-EU thing is rarely a problem for us but there will be some rotation on Tuesday.

Palace are top but it’s not as easy as it should have been. Some careless results along the way.

It is a lovely squad though. The elusive Emmers replacement has still not happened.

For Nice, well it’s almost game over. There’s still 11 games to go but we have to make up 8 points to get into the Champions League places. I don’t know what Nimes are doing there. The window is closed, so what we have is what we’ll have to build on.

Zamorano is 36 and we are relying a lot on him. I hate you, Trygger. We had a good thing going.

Nice did of course draw Crystal Palace in the Champions League so that’s a disaster. I could throw it in favour of Nice in the hope we can scam a way into the final and win it but with this team I just can’t see it. That would leave us relying on GAE or Nice finishing in the top 2 to get into next season’s competition. I’d say Nice have next to no chance, as it stands.

Much to ponder then as we head into the season finale next week. First time in a while I got a little agitated at the game because we were so close and now I feel like we’ve come down the mountain a fair way. Still, it’s not a total disaster and Nice are at least flush with cash. I’m also knackered after a busy week, so time for some fresh eyes next week.

If you haven’t already, do have a go at the quiz to commemorate another year of CM9798, but otherwise, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week.