FanView: Severe Mismanagement Is Stopping Crystal Palace From Reaching Full Potential

Even the most pessimistic of Eagles fans couldn't have predicted that not only would Crystal Palace be rooted to the bottom of the table coming into the Christmas period, but that they would fail to score a single league goal in their first seven games and would sack Frank De Boer after just four games.

A farce for a talented squad full of proven Premier League players, including Yohan Cabaye, Wilfred Zaha, Christian Benteke and Andros Townsend to name a few. It's a team capable of big things, and with the amount of experience and ability in the squad the club should be aiming for a Europa League place.

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Sadly, mismanagement has cost the club dearly. After Steve Parish took over as chairman following the Eagles financial troubles in 2010, Palace have gone through a staggering nine full time managers since, none of which have lasted more than 23 months. 

Quite simply, mismanagement from the owners means they are struggling to see the bigger picture, and with such a quality squad is just surviving really all their aiming for? It shouldn't be.

Under Alan Pardew, the club looked to moving in the right direction. Fifth place at the halfway point of the 2015/16 season (Pardew's first full season), the club's campaign slumped badly and they ended up settling up for 15th and losing the FA Cup final to Manchester United.

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It was a huge step in the right direction, and maybe with the right amount of backing and additions to the squad's depth the club could have looked at building for the future and becoming a top half heavyweight that they are set up to be. But no. By Christmas, Pardew was sacked and since the club have been through three managers in under a year.

The club have continually looked like they are about to finally break the barrier of challenging the European places, until the plug is pulled and another manager is given the boot. The board, mainly Parish, simply don't seem to look to the future, and hiring 70-year-old Roy Hodgson is just the latest example of that.

The mismanagement from failing to see the bigger picture has led to their predicament today, and relegation would be the club's own fault. All the potential would have gone down the drain, the star players they currently have will more than likely leave and the dark days of 2009/10 would likely return.

If Hodgson does manage the near-impossible job of keeping the Eagles up, Steve Parish must look for a younger permanent manager with a view for the future and someone than work with the excellent players they posses to get them in the top half.