Dear Oliver,
Long before your time at the club, there was a phrase placed up high at the training ground: “Winning is everything.” A backdrop to many team photos, had those words ever carried truth, it would mean all those squads possessed nothing.
Being a Palace fan has never been about chasing victory. Whether someone became infatuated with Selhurst through proximity, by blood or was captured by the club from overseas, Palace has been about community.
The previous decade had been a story of the underdog, of resilience and Premier League survival – against the odds and, perhaps, financial realities. A badge to wear with pride, with season upon season of players and coaches to maintain that legacy and spirit.
The danger with that mindset is that you can begin to accept the status quo or your limitations, which is where you entered the narrative.
The past two and a half seasons came with a belief that competing with the best shouldn’t be a rare event, but something driven towards every week, across all competitions.
It would be remiss of me not to speak of Wembley. Three visits, three victories. The FA Cup final is a memory we will hold for a lifetime. A sea of euphoria and tears, carrying the weight of past cup heartbreaks, and the spirit of loved ones who never made it there to see it.
In life, just as in football, progression is never linear, and stories don’t last forever. For a season, fans ventured across Europe as a team battled their way into more uncharted territory and yet another final. Descending upon Leipzig by any means necessary, for a final chapter in this particular tale.
Winning may not be everything, but if you spend a lifetime never expecting it, it only tastes sweeter when it arrives.
On Wednesday, I got to travel to eastern Germany with my father. He first entered Selhurst Park over 65 years ago. At home, my brother watched us lift the trophy with his three-day-old son in his arms.
We once spoke of generational pain when it came to Crystal Palace in big moments. It is now generational joy.
To quote a friend and fellow fan, we are living our best Palace life, and we can thank you for that.
Alles gute, Oliver.
Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast, external