Jason Puncheon fits in perfectly with the CPFC rollercoaster

Article by e-Crystal Palace Correspondent Darryl Murdoch

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On Saturday Crystal Palace were beaten 1-0 by 9th placed Southampton at Selhurst Park. No shame I'm that some would say. After all The Saints won by the same scoreline at Anfield earlier this season. However the manner in which Palace conceded, and particularly the mistake made by Eagles winger Jason Puncheon has led some supporters to question not only the players place in the starting line up but whether Palace can stay up. The story of Jason Puncheon's first season as a Palace player has been somewhat similar to the club's recent history... It's fair to say that it's been a roller coaster!

Footballers are usually either loved or hated. Every club has heroes, players who perform brilliantly and earn legendary status at clubs. This sort of player is universally loved for obvious reasons, for Palace, think Glenn Murray, who's 30 league goals fired us to the playoffs last season. There are some players who, despite not having the most ability or scoring important goals who are loved anyway - a Peter Ramage type you could say. There are some just aren't good enough, players who you know shouldn't be anywhere near the first team, but nonetheless can't be disliked - some like say, Calvin Andrew. Then there are players like Jason Puncheon, who divide opinion almost right down the middle!

One week the messages boards are full of threads slating him, the next they're praising him - hell, one week there were two threads, one above the other on the BBS (cpfc.org for the uninitiated) entitled "Puncheon is awful!" And "Puncheon is fantastic!". Now the second thread may have been started in jest and the title supposed to be ironic, but reading through you will see there is just as many who rate him and those who don't!

A Palace supporter as a child, Puncheon has had more clubs than most, and was always going to have work hard to win over the Eagles fanbase considering he once scored a hat trick against as, and for Millwall of all teams! Arriving originally on loan from Southampton and making his debut away at Stoke, Puncheon's early displays in red and blue (and black) were pretty decent without being spectacular. In fact he had failed to score for Palace in his first 16 appearances up until the visit of Norwich on New Years Day.

In that game, 'Punch' opened his Palace account, from the penalty spot just before the break to equalise for the Eagles. All was going well. Until the next time he had a penalty that is, at White Hart Lane. What happened next has been replayed and commented on so many times that it barely seems worth adding to, but for those who've been hibernating for a couple of months - he missed. Badly.

In the aftermath some ill advised tweets in response to comments from former Palace boss Neil Warnock about that penalty, which subsequently cost him a few quid, added to the problems. Many took to message boards claiming he missed deliberately and that he should never be allowed to play again. What is it with football fans and over reactions? To most football fans around the country, Jason Puncheon would be remembered for one of the worst spot kicks since Diana Ross, to Crystal Palace fans he could, and if we stay up should be remembered for the way he bounced back.

"People bounce back, Rolf Harris, Dennis Hopper, there are others. I'm one of them." Alan Partridge said that infamously. Or perhaps "famously" either way, it's true. Jason Puncheon can be added to that list. In the next home game against Stoke and then against Hull he found he back of the net for the Eagles as back to back 1-0 home wins moved Tony Pulis's side away from the bottom three. The character showed, by the player to bounce back from being the centre of football fans ridicule was admirable - there is no reason why he can't do that after his latest set back which led to Jay Rodriguez's winner for Southampton last Saturday and Palace look to further move away from the red line. Whatever your view of Jason Puncheon, it's fair to say the ups and downs he's had in his first season at Selhurst are all to familiar to Palace as a club over the last few years!

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