The thrashing at Forest seemed to really knock the stuffing out of the team and I'm sure we started getting a load of injuries plus Eric Young being out suspended, for couple of sending offs.

Coppell had had enough of Gray and transfer listed him. He actually publicly said he couldn’t have one person in the squad causing such a bad atmosphere. All the reports and articles on the fall out will follow on this thread when they happen, so stay tuned.

I seem to recall Gray’s mum died suddenly the season before I think. You could see in his demeanour that it really affected him and I think once Wright left he was all over the place mentally.

Rumbelows Cup 3rd rd replay

PALACE 1. Thomas
BIRMINGHAM C 1. Gleghorn

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/DC49C58...A9D0467.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/EAC6727...F58D6F2.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/AC973EC...FDFA373.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/159BA34...D00C963.md.jpg

N FOREST 5. Sheringham 2. Pearce. Gemmil. Woan
PALACE 1. Thomas

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/7F576E3...3836D25.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/70CBAD9...0DE77C0.md.jpg



https://s10.gifyu.com/images/EBE221F...A367F77.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/2864923...3AACC77.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/A554299...974A13F.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/672971D...1015794.md.jpg

Phenomenal that we were still in 5th even after this defeat.

So many issues yet still up in the pack.

I've said for 30 years that this one season (between Liverpool's and United's dynasties) was our one chance to win the League. Leeds showed it could be done. It absolutely could have been done if the same spirit of the 90-91 dressing room had remained through 1991-92

There was a game around this period when Clough subbed a player against us, but didn't replace him... Or did I make that up?

That was the season before in the FA Cup in the second replay when they beat us 3-0 at their place.

Of course. Thanks!

Yeh, they just made do with a 5-1 thrashing at this stage!!!

Couldn't see it mentioned above but Coppell actually offered his resignation after the Forest game. Ron didn't even give it the time of day and told him to carry on. I occasionally wonder what would have happened if he'd left at this point rather than summer 93.

Would Alan Smith have been promoted to manager?

Would it have been an outsider?

Would we ultimately have fared better in the medium term than we actually did?

Week ending 23 November 1991 was a busy one in the charts, with five new entries into the top ten:

Black Or White by Michael Jackson - This was his big comeback single after a few years of inertia following the phenomenal success of the Bad album. He roped in some celebrity big guns to increase the chances of commercial success, Slash on guitar and flavour of the month Macauley Culkin in the video. It's a poor song but inevitably it went all the way to number one.

Activ-8 (Come With Me) by Altern-8 - One of those dance acts which churned out a few bangers around this era and then disappeared. I was surprised to note that this track got as high as number three on the charts, don't remember it being as big a hit as that.

Killer by Seal - This was a cynical way of building momentum for Seal's solo career, taking the Adamski track of 18 months previously on which he had provided the guest vocal, giving it a minimal makeover and re-releasing it under his own name. It worked though.

Playing With Knives by Bizarre Inc - They put out some good dance tunes as well around this time but I'm ashamed to say I don't remember this one at all - will have to look it up on YouTube.

When A Man Loves A Woman by Michael Bolton - One of those covers which leads you to ask the simple question 'why?'. The mulleted Bolton was never going to even come close to doing justice to a song that Percy Sledge had built his legend on. And he was further hampered by a weak and bland musical arrangement which heavily diluted the power of the track. A massive fail artistically, but Bolton had a loyal following within the 'ladies of a certain age' demographic and they supported it enough to propel it to number eight.

Obviously, unanswerable, but I doubt it. We were desperately unlucky to go down the following season; and we came back up as champions. I'm not sure anyone else would have done much better.

ZDS Area Qtr final

QPR 2. Bardsley. Wilkins
PALACE 3. Thomas. Gabbiadini. Young

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/FB9D26E...5A0B706.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/F8C3850...E14D817.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/4549E3D...3107756.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/8D40C45...E4654D6.md.jpg

Well remembered Grim Reaper

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/72A2918...E11B19E.md.jpg

https://s10.gifyu.com/images/318163B...75A816F.md.jpg

Ooh, I think I was one of the 4492 there. I seem to remember us being 3-0 up - Ninja scoring from close range in front of us - & us holding on at the end.

I agree in the main. But Sir Steve did tell the Palace echo that he lost focus in his final season... Maybe going at this point would have allowed him, and us to regroup etc.. That said the key was always replacing Wright and that was bodged which allowed this downward trajectory to gain steam.

PALACE 1. Mortimer
MAN UTD 3. Webb. McClair. Kanchelskis

https://s8.gifyu.com/images/169DDE80...BC5E31F.md.jpg

https://s8.gifyu.com/images/7291D426...B5AECD8.md.jpg


https://s8.gifyu.com/images/8DAC72F6...900CFA7.md.jpg

https://s8.gifyu.com/images/72D2407B...49FF239.md.jpg

https://s8.gifyu.com/images/57F9FFCE...8D5C06A.md.jpg

https://s8.gifyu.com/images/50374577...8874131.md.jpg

Remember watching this standing in the Holmesdale with two mates who were United fans, trying desperately to be magnanimous but feeling sick as a pig inside.

I think what hurt was the gap that was clearly developing between the two clubs. It was only 6 months earlier, we’d thrashed them and finished above them in the league and felt it was us in the ascendency; but that wild dream that we could be a force alongside the other mighty names in English football, was fast dying on the vine.

It was obvious to all, that this Man U side were beginning to click with the emergence of an amazing young talent, and about to reclaim their crown as the best in the country within the next few seasons. Damn that Mark Hughes equaliser at Wembley 18 months earlier.

Very scary wankers that day

Out of interest; the season before after 18 games we were on 36pts, which would’ve had us in third in 91/92, just 3pts behind top spot.