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keddy 5:50 Wed May 30
The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Watched the game on Saturday and Villa definitely deserved to lose with their approach, but Palace came out with a similar attitude in 2004, nicked a goal and held on. I remember watching it in Thailand, but it wasn't live and they put it on at 2 in the morning or something. (I managed to avoid the live score and result) The game was so bad that with 20 minutes to go, a fast forward sign came up on screen, and suddenly, there was only 5 minutes to go! Once the final whistle went, seeing those Larey Palace players celebrating, felt pretty bad. There was a kind of sinking feeling for some time afterwards. Another year in this division. Anyway, it seems Villa are going to have to sell their best players to balance the books and the loan players are off. We had to sell Carrick, but it never got that bad financially for us, as we went up the following year, of course. Right, so what are your memories of that day? Were we a bit unlucky or were we too nervous on the day? Were we in better shape to go back up than Villa are now for the next season?

keddy 7:39 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Some great stories here. i suppose the massive let down in 2004 made the following year all the sweeter, but it was still a struggle to get into the play-offs. it's strange how so many big clubs find it hard to get back up, despite spending millions and having parachute money. Villa are going into their third year down there, and have to make up a 40 million deficit or so to balance the books.

E12Hammer 4:46 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

I remember the drive back being the quietest, and seemingly longest, I've ever had. Car full of people, not a word was spoken. Utter dejection.

mallard 4:36 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Even at half-time, there was that weird atmosphere in the concourse that we were in trouble.
Even the goal was shit, a shot from that bald headed bloke who ended up at Everton was poorly saved by Bywater into the path of
Shipperly.

My worst away day which was made up, the following year, by my favourite away day v Preston

WSM Hammer 4:25 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Can't remember much of the game - just remembering the shit feeling of losing a week or so after my favourite ever game attended - the Ipswich 2nd leg

Manip 4:00 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

It was Bank Holiday Monday i believe. 6.30hrs to get home, no pubs open upon return, work next day.

Singing about Iain Dowie being an ugly cunt is a vague recollection also.

The whole day was GRIM.

gph 3:57 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

BTW, I got the ticket off defjam at face value, and the one from Huffers at below face value - it was an upgrade on the one I thought I was getting, but he refused to take the difference in price.

Both gents.

dicksie3 3:44 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Losing the game didn't even cross my mind. I think that we all just arrogantly believed that we'd win by simply turning-up.

I think that, after the game, it's the lowest that I'd ever felt supporting the club as I honestly thought that things would just get worse and worse from there.

gph 2:40 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

I blame defjam.

He sold me a ticket that didn't work.

The next year, Huffers sold me one that did.

Westham67 2:37 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Paragraphs please

bruuuno 12:14 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

I think we were all too confident, players fans, everyone

daveyg 11:42 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Was in a bar in Sydney,Darling Harbour. Went to the loo as the game was pretty dire. Heard a roar as a goal went in,but it wasn't a West Ham roar. I knew it wasn't ours.

Sarge 11:32 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Was on holiday in marbs

Watched it in linekers Puerto banus

10 mins before kick off a hen party from Croydon came in .

Horrible horrible afternoon.

East Auckland Hammer 1:04 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

I remember watching the 2004 final in a random pub in Acton.....what a shithouse day that was.

The longer the game went on the less likely to score we looked.

We could have still been playing it now and it would still be 0-1.

gank 12:49 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Never seen a driver shit it so much as when they lorded it overtaking us then stopped in traffic next to us. A few pies thrown, then everyone out to batter them and the cunt is weaving through stationary traffic like an ambulance with us all chasing on foot.

Except Defjam. He stayed on just laughing.

BRANDED 12:24 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

I was at the match in Cardiff. Worst game ever.

SteveJacko 12:22 Thu May 31
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

I’d have been 12. Remember going round my mates house cause we didn’t have such luxuries as sky tv. Watching that fat cunt Shipperly wheeling away after scoring. One of my earliest days of disappointment following us that I can remember clearly enough.

SDKFZ 222 11:29 Wed May 30
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

If we had gone up that season then we’d have been totally smashed the following season. It was one of the poorest squads that I’d ever seen play for us. As disappointing as it was at the time, the extra season in the Championship did us a favour and we also improved the squad.

The funny thing about that day was the return journey along the motorway. The Palace fans were giving it large in their coaches as they passed us but our coaches pulled into the same service station as theirs on the way back. They absolutely s**t themselves as we all pulled in! 😂😂

Sven Roeder 9:10 Wed May 30
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

We were awful and got beaten by a goal by Neil Shipperley who had a bigger arse than Serena Williams.
We played them at Easter at Selhurst and lost 1-0 with 10 men for most of the match (David Connolly off due to Palace playacting) but we absolutely hammered them so I was sure we’d win.
Can remember Pardew taking off forwards when we were losing and Carrick being chopped down late for a stonewall pen.
Graham Poll said later he thought it was a pen but that we didn’t appeal enough.
This was 2 years before he gave a Croatian 3 yellow cards.

North Bank 8:50 Wed May 30
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

Melville and Dailly at centre back and a right footed Mullins at left back against their best player Routledge was a start to our defeat, as was an aging Lomas plodding arund the centre of the pitch

I stayed in Cardiff for this, ended up in a pub on the outskirts and ended up playing darts with some of the soul crew

Also met Dowie in the service station the following morning, he was decent about it and said we'd go up the following season as "we're a good side" I know it's not a popular opinion on here but I think Pardew did well getting us up and then to a Cup Final and Europe

keddy 8:40 Wed May 30
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

hammerforever

At least you only saw the 70 minutes. Horrible match. It was definitely one of the lowest I've ever felt after a match. At least,Palace went down the following season with us passing them on the way up.

hammerforever 8:08 Wed May 30
Re: The 2004 and 2018 Play-off Finals

I remember that final so well but not for the match. I got on a club coach with my son about 8 oclock, one of about 10 coaches. All was fine for the first third of the journey then the traffic started to build up and we slowed to about 20 mph. At about halfway we stopped at a service station for over a bloody hour while the other coaches were all leaving. By the time we started again the traffic was horrendous.
The outcome was that we arrived in Cardiff at 3.10 and the driver told us to get off the coach and run to the stadium as it would be quicker! Got there with 20 minutes gone, completely sober and bloody knackered.
Then that dreadful game was the final straw.

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