"Such is the inheritance of manager Dougie Freedman, who must be wondering what on earth he has walked into, having surrendered the sanctity of Crystal Palace, whom he had taken towards promotion. While the non-footballing sides of the club have been cut away – the director of communications Mark Alderton left last summer – Freedman has sought to meld together his own players, hired on austerity salaries, with those on anachronistic pay. He is one of the few managers who can feel blessed that six of his players are out of contract this summer. Freedman, who helped to establish the Palace youth system that produced Wilfried Zaha, Nathaniel Clyne and Johnny Williams, has revealed his disappointment with the youth system he has inherited."