Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson spoke in his pre-match press conference today, where he discussed the rivalry between the Eagles and tomorrow’s opponent Brighton & Hove Albion.
He addressed what he described as a “derby game,” emphasising that its significance to Palace supporters affects the players.
He said: “It’s a derby game really, that’s how we and our supporters regard it. I think that rivalry was fiercest years ago, of course there has been quite some time where the two teams had not been in the same division. It was renewed with a vengeance last year when Brighton came up and are doing very, very well.
“I suppose that people from the outside need to reaslise that we regard this as a very, very important fixture and one which means a lot to our fans. You’re affected by it, the way the fans feel, that’s what derbies do.
“They fire everybody up because we’re so much more aware of what it means to the people who follow us every week. The bragging rights that the fans take with them when they go to their work-place is important. I’m pretty sure that Chris Hughton will, like myself, revert to the fact that it’s a very important Premier League game with three points at stake.”
