Could Edgar the Eagle actually happen? (From Your Local Guardian)

Could Edgar the Eagle actually happen?

11:12am Friday 20th August 2010

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“A friend of a mate who knows Edgar Davids mentioned he wants to play football again; he lives in London and is talking to Crystal Palace.”

If you heard it down the pub you’d laugh it off as the drunken ramblings of a madman but amazingly it seems we are deep into negotiations with Dutch legend, Edgar Davids.

Brilliant then, cue the sale of thousands of Palace branded orange sunglasses and massive press interest in goings on at SE25.

But then I remembered this is Palace, and when I looked back over the years of disappointment I decided that there was no way this would happen.

To me it had shades (no pun intended) of the whole furore surrounding P-Diddy’s supposed interest in buying the club which, although exciting at first, soon became embarrassing.

So, resigned to defeat I began to look at the positives of missing out on snaring a true legend of the game.

For starters, he hasn’t played a game in more than two seasons which is a huge problem for a player looking to step straight into Championship football, even if he has been training with Ajax.

Secondly, I wasn’t sure if it felt right to be embarking on such a high-profile and risky deal so soon after all the promises of fiscal responsibility and building for the future.

Finally, and most importantly, I feared that this episode could become a little bit embarrassing for the club if after all this build up Davids played two games, decided it wasn’t for him and went back to his charity work.

But then I realised something; I’m a Palace fan and this is the sort of thing that makes it such a joy to follow this old club.

And the negatives didn’t seem as important when compared to the potential positives that could come from this deal.

Steve Parish is a canny operator when it comes to marketing and he will have done his sums.

Excitement is already at fever pitch among the Palace faithful and the chance to see a player of Davids’ stature at Selhurst could add thousands to the gates.

Also, any contract offer would seem to be a casual pay-as-you-play deal which would minimise any financial risk and embarrassment for the club.

You also have to remember that Davids was always a quality player and despite his age and long absence from the game could be well suited to life in the second tier once he has adapted; after all he is nicknamed ‘the pitbull’.

Then there is the impact Davids’ presence could have on the young players.

Just think of what they could learn from training every day with a player who’s experienced what he has in the game.

Especially if the rumours are true and the Dutchman is looking to get involved with some coaching at Palace in order to earn his badges.

So now I find myself carried away in the moment, sweating over the completion of the move and hoping to see him introduced to the crowd on Saturday.

Yes it could all fall flat on its face, it probably will, but that slim chance of it not doing is so intoxicating that you just have to forget about logic and think of what it could mean for the club that not long ago was on the verge of extinction.

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