45+2 min: The Wharton radar lets him down again, as the first half closes disappointingly for Palace. Tottenham picked at the set-piece weakness that Palace have had, the fifth conceded in three games.

45 min: Four minutes added on, with Selhurst going quiet aside from the contingent from north London/Herts.

43 min: Archie Gray is 19, though we have heard much about him, as son of Andy Gray (not that one), and grandson of Frankie Gray, and great-nephew of Eddie Gray. Leeds royalty, though it’s odd to hear him described as English when all those forebears played for Scotland.

41 min: Tottenham’s Muani wants a handball after his run is stopped by a Guehi challenge. No penalty given, and correctly. A corner will have to do.

40 min: Mitchell’s ball into the box is dangerous and Bentancur clears. He needed to, Palace sense a goal before half-time and Will Hughes fires wide. Oliver Glasner is frustrated that went wide though Hughes, for such a fine player, is no goalscorer.

38 min: Steve Hudson gets in touch: “You mentioned Derby County in the terrible pitches conversation - the Baseball Ground was absolutely shocking for most of every season - only in October and April was it not two inches deep in mud. Surely the worst pitch. Wasn’t it undersoil heating that changed it all, so that the grass carried on growing all year, repairing wear and tear?”

Yes, I recall they used to import different grass, too, from Australia and South Africa.

36 min: Porro blams a shot wide and then claps, presumably as encouragement, rather than self-praise. Spurs have been rotten, in truth.

35 min: Spurs try to play out from the back, and that presents a chance to Wharton, on his favoured left foot but this time he can’t deliver any magic.

34 min: David Bowen gets in touch: “I’ve just spotted Djed Spence is wearing odd coloured boots. The right a vibrant orange, the left an energetic lime green. What are your thoughts/feelings/emotions on such a development?”

I’m OK with it, as long as they fit.

33 min: No Spurs attacks since that flurry around the disallowed goal.

31 min: Jefferson Lerma, standing in among the defence, has a problem. The cupboard is bare and him going off would mean a reshuffle. He’s soon enough back amid the fray.

29 min: The Spurs fans make themselves heard. Long trip home on the Windrush Line or via Victoria for them. Devenny, who has been lively among the sloth, has an effort. Wharton, such a classy player, is trying his best to set up something. He’s a stroller in the finest tradition. The modern game is no place for a stroller, you’d think, but he has real class, plays in his own time.

27 min: Will Hughes and Kolo Muani bring da ruckus after a dispute over a free-kick. It got heated, but not for long. Palace get the free-kick, from which LaCroix, sweetie, heads over to Mateta, who nods over. That counts as a big miss.

26 min: The game’s entertainment levels have not been high despite a couple of incidents. Perhaps it needs a pitch like the old Baseball Ground.

24 min: Richard Hirst Jeremy Boyce is back in touch: “Yeah, footie actually stopped in 1992, the pitches were part and parcel of all that legendary footie we love to watch on YouTube archives. We were treated to players making a mockery of the conditions to produce unreal skills and great action. I refer the honourable Gentleman to Derby County 1971/72, Champions of England, playing on the most unplayable surface anywhere winning the title with a bunch of no-nonsense defenders (McFarland, Hennessey...) then a skillful midfield and attack (Gemmill, Hector, Hinton, Durban, McGovern, O’Hare) that skipped over the filth and racked up the goals.”

Pitches were still bad in the 1990s, with Old Trafford bad, as was Stamford Bridge in the early 2000s. Selhurst was no snooker baize, either.

23 min: Archie Gray is now booked, for manhandling Wharton when the Palace man had beaten him with a drop of the shoulder.

22 min: You might say officialdom has been harsh on Spurs for the goal ruled out but not for the early Danso decision. It looked a foul, and if it’s a foul then…

21 min: Now Palace go close, and it’s Mateta, from a Wharton pass, who lashes wide. Kevin Danso is struggling with him.

20 min: Richarlison, who was barely involved until that “goal”, goes on a run into the box and is eventually crowded out.

19 min: The first bit of quality from Tottenham and they are denied by a marginal – if correct – call.

16 min: No Tottenham attacks of note as yet. But here’s one…

14 min: Maxence Lacroix has played the most games of anyone this season, and he seems happy to pass the ball around the back. Spurs’ forwards are doing little to press and chase.

13 min: All Palace on the attack. Mateta has a sniff of a chance when Devenny tries to force his way through but an offside flag stops the move.

12 min: Long ball to Kudus, who seems recovered, but there’s jeers as Bergvall losess the ball. Up in the stand, Chris Richards looks on. He’s expected to be back soon, good news as that looked a nasty injury he suffered against Arsenal.

10 min: Mateta spins and turns, this time failing to find a teammate but he looks on his game. Spurs beware. They also have worries that Mohamed Kudus has a back problem. They’ve not been at it, at all.

8 min: Palace look lively, full of spring on the break. Mateta is sent away by Tyrick Mitchell but Spurs are back in numbers this time.

6 min: There’s a few contenders for the kick but the wall is hit when Pino smashes low. That was a waster.

5 min: Mateta sends Devenny away and Danso is struggling, and clips the Palace player. That resulted in a yellow, and VAR rules that’s the correct decision. No Dogso, you see. Palace must settle for a free-kick.

4 min: Djed Spence and Marc Guehi get into a tussle. Guehi seems set to see out the season at Palace, though he is able to sign a pre-contract from Thursday, 1 Jan.

2 min: There’s a drum beat audible but Selhurst sounds quiet; most grounds this weekend have. The festive fare can have a draining effect.

Glad All Over plays, signifying a Palace game is on its way. Odd that the Dave Clark Five were known as the “Tottenham sound”.

It’s a cold day in London, and Selhurst awaits the teams, who are both in the tunnel and will enter the pitch from the corner.

Richard Hirst gets in touch: “Watching the video of John Robertson in the piece you linked to I was reminded not only of his ability but also of the state of the pitches. It really was a different game then: maybe football did begin in 1992!”

So does Jeremy Boyce: “Looking forward to the match and I’m almost certain that Palace will have benefited from a few days to rest tired legs after their hectic pre-festive schedule. So what will Glasner’s team talk consist of ? Mostly “Lads, it’s Tottenham” I would think. Frankly, I’m beginning to wonder if Franck’s decision to take the ill-fated manager’s job at the cheese shop won’t turn out to have been as ill-judged as Graham Potter’s when he swallowed the devil’s shilling and moved from a great career at a smaller club to ignominy and ridicule at a bigger one. And then another. Spurs aren’t in crisis, yet. But defeat today would leave them small goal difference and points away from the Postecoglou vortex of the drop zone.

“A win for Palace would leapfrog them back to the Europe places, where of course they already are. As are Spurs. Who will be there next year ? Glasner, a much-touted one day “Big-Club” boss would be well advised to read the tea leaves and everything else possible before deciding anything should such an offer materialise. 3 - 1 Palace then....”

Here’s an obituary of one of British football’s very best players.

Last time out, both teams coming off a defeat:

Palace had that disappointing loss in the Carabao Cup to Arsenal this week, from which Oliver Glasner makes four changes. Dean Henderson has the gloves, while Nathaniel Clyne starts in defence and Will Hughes and Justin Devenny play in midfield.

Suspension robs Spurs of Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero for their red cards against Liverpool, as Richarlison and Kevin Danso come in.

The benches:

Palace: Benitez, Nketiah, Uche, Esse, Canvot, Sosa, Rodney, Benamar, Drakes-Thomas.
Tottenham: Kinsky, Dragusin, Joao Palhinha, Tel, Johnson, Takai, Odobert,
Davies, Scarlett.

The referee is Jarred Gillett (Australia)

It’s been a golden year for Crystal Palace. This is their last of 2025.

That Thomas Frank is under pressure is no secret. Though he is a tough character and pulls few punches.

At Brøndby, I didn’t win the first eight games and then we were unbeaten in nine,” he said. “At Brentford, we lost eight out of 10 games and then we were unbeaten in 10. So I am convinced we will see a similar pattern here. I’m not in doubt of that. Because I know how to make a competitive team. We will make a very competitive team here, as well.