I'VE been critical of the club over the last month or so, not from a playing perspective but from an administrative side, and it's perhaps time to try and get a more level-headed perspective.
The criticism stems from a number of matters I've taken issue with, as an outsider. I'll be honest, I didn't like the way the club allowed Neteller to break news stories to Palace supporters, and I'm still not a fan of the use of Sportslobster.
Let me explain. I think it's clear the club are looking to promote both their main sponsor and their secondary sponsor as much as they can.
There can be no issue whatsoever with wanting organisations that have given the club vast sums of money to gain some additional exposure from the club. But why not just explain it like that?
The news of Neil Warnock's arrival at the club was announced through Neteller's Twitter account.
Little explanation was given prior to the announcement, nor was it followed by an official announcement through the club until later that day.
Why not explain that the club would like supporters to engage with their sponsors a little more, and as a result, the club are delighted to allow Neteller to break the news?
Instead, the news was surrounded by confusion and frustration.
As far as Sportslobster is concerned, a little explanation about the value they provide (or perhaps the advantage that using it gives the club and its fans) might encourage further engagement with supporters.
The club have worked tirelessly over the last few years to gain a following on social Twitter and Facebook - the addition of Sportslobster into the mix adds a further step that many fans don't see a great deal of value in.
Why not try and make it a more attractive proposition? Why not give supporters a pitch to understand why it's better than what they already have?
These two issues led to further cynicism from me. The lack of detail behind the move to allow Neteller to make announcements and Sportslobster to become the social media platform of choice meant that, when the season tickets needed to be changed because of a barcode issue, I immediately focused on the inclusion of the Neteller logo on the new season ticket cards.
It was wrong of me to do so - from looking at the new barcodes, there were clearly some problems with them, and some supporters had complained about being able to gain access to the stadium.
Additionally, I'd assumed a conspiracy when the final three contestants for the 'Face of Palace' competition were announced.
I'm still perplexed at the omission of Alex White, but I'd assumed it was due to Kirsty Shelts being a shoe-in for the role.
I was wrong; Chris Grierson, an actual Palace fan, won the role and I hope he makes a success of it.
It's very easy to be cynical. It's easier to be so when there's a lack of information available. I tend to have a balanced view and I pride myself on it - but in this case, I haven't been balanced.
It's good to look at everything with a critical eye, but perhaps a little silly to jump to conclusions.
Better communication from the club on the whole could make that jump a little less of an obvious one to make. I'll try harder to be a little more balanced, however.
