KG Shines as Palace Bring Touch of Continental Flair to the Circus Top that is the Valley!

A cold, crisp, early autumnal Friday night was given a real continental atmosphere from the terraces as an exuberant and passionate away support understood the importance of the first South London derby of the season. Palace’s first trip to the Valley since a 1 – 0 defeat in 2009 was lit up from the terraces with echoes of fire crackers and the pungent aroma of red and blue smoke that drifted across the sky, warming the cold night air. The message from the Palace support was clear they were up for the challenge.

The Palace team responded to the noise and colour coming from the terraces very much on the front foot and attacking from the off.  Palace made one change from the line up against Sheffield Wednesday with Kagisho Dikgacoi replacing Andre Moritz in midfield after recovering from injury after the international break. In the first ten minutes Garvan and Jedinak were commanding opening up space on the flanks for Bolassi and Zaha to torment Charlton. Palace’s degree of control was based on work rate, pressing, tracking back and generally keeping a good team shape. Freedman understands the crucial importance of the derby games in South London football and again he impressed this onto the team and the players responded. Jonathan Parr led a focussed defence and inspired by the atmosphere they kept a clean sheet for the first time this season as with Speroni behind him his understanding with Blake and Delaney continued to develop.

The game flowed in an open fashion and Charlton came into it indeed the game could have gone differently because despite having the early chances and the run of the game Palace could have been on the back foot if Bradley Wright-Phillips headed finish from a free kick not been disallowed for offside. Towards the end of the first half a Johnny Jackson free kick went narrowly wide and Jan Kermorgant forced a good save from Speroni as his shot went narrowly over. Yet Palace’s running and movement especially from Glenn Murray meant they pressed very well and for large periods were good at keeping the ball as they fed off the electricity coming from the crowd.

Freedman is unbeaten since taking over in South London Derby clashes and victory on Friday night meant he completed the set with away victories at Brighton Millwall and now Charlton. The result was important to keep the momentum of the previous victory against Sheffield Wednesday and having not won away all year and having lost seven of the last nine meetings against Charlton a shift in fortunes was equally important. The result relieved the pressure on Freedman showing he understood the importance of the fixture recognising its significance and his ability to get results when it matters.

The key moment of the game came on 49 minutes four minutes into the second half when KG Dikgacoi brilliantly dispatched a chest trap volley into the net on the half turn. Charlton failed to clear a Wilf Zaha corner and when the cross was flicked on by Garvan and touched to KG by Murray he turned dispatching the volley into the net past Ben Hamer giving the keeper no chance. The South African had been in Brazil on international duty and Freedman wondered whether he had picked up some samba skills because the Scott said he had not picked up the technique from him. The goal sent the travelling fans into raptures and was met by more fire crackers as the continental atmosphere from the terraces clearly inspired the team.

What followed was an inspired victory built on hard work, pressing, keeping a shape, and penetration based around the disciplined running and tireless work rate of Glenn Murray. Yet defensive perspiration and element of good fortune and a change of luck was still required. The goal from Wright-Phillips was ruled out for offside because Darcy Blake’s slip was not seen by the linesman and in the last ten minutes Jedinak headed off the line following a fantastic save from Julian Speroni. Then in stoppage time goalkeeper Ben Hamer had a header again cleared off the line when he came up for a corner. What followed was the final whistle sparking scenes of delirious celebration at the Jimmy Seed end of the ground as palace recorded their first win at the Valley in the league since 1968.

A foot note to my own season so far watching Palace away from home. The fact my train home from Waterloo after the game broke down for three hours and left me stranded at Mortlake station at 01:30 with network rail picking up the tab for a taxi the rest of the way home gave me time to reflect upon Palace’s own travails on the road this calendar year. On the away trip to Bristol the roads were gridlocked by a bomb scare and the journey was delayed for two hours. Not sure of the relevance of this is but we lost 4 – 1 in Bristol but the most daunting and outwardly complicated away day, to Boro, turned out to be the most straightforward with the best performance prior to winning at Charlton.

I guess this shows things can turn around when you least expect it because of footballs propensity to surprise. No doubt an interesting and exciting season experience will continue against a reinvigorated Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

 

 

      

 

   

 

Brilliant Bolassi Sparks Magic Murray as Eagles Stalk Owls and Finally Fly!

Palace got off the mark in the league on Saturday finally recording their first win of the season at home to Sheffield Wednesday, thanks to a brace from Glenn Murray on his return from injury. The big difference came with the home debut of ex Bristol City winger Yannick Bolassi who connected wonderfully in terms of an understanding with Wilf Zaha. Indeed management worked wonders with Zaha to keep him at the club by the end of the transfer window. It took a mere thirty seconds for Glenn Murray to slot home a Bolassi cross from the right who himself was played in by another influential Brazilian home debutant Andre Moritz. The instant understanding struck up between Zaha, Bolassi and Moritz is an exciting prospect for Crystal Palace going forward in terms of attacking football.

Other useful contributions included the home debuts of defender Darcy Blake as well as Damian Delaney signed as a free agent on deadline day following his release by Ipswich Town. Another useful impact substitute was striker David Goodwillie signed from Blackburn Rovers at the same time and he played the support role to Murray cleverly as a second half replacement for Moritz. The link up play between Wilf Zaha and Yannick Bolassi illustrated a fantastic understanding that cut through Wednesday at will, shown by the goal scored after just thirty seconds when Murray slotted home what is thought to be the fastest goal ever scored at Selhurst Park. The arrival of Darcy Blake and Damian Delaney solidified Palace’s defence and Julian Speroni made two or three excellent saves to rescue the team when the backline was breached, illustrating a return to form.

This appeared a more stable Palace performance with some of Freedman’s transfer window signings showing early signs of promise in terms of moulding together into a strong unit. The half time substitution of Blake who was replaced by Dean Moxey illustrated some of the old defensive frailties in the Palace backline were returning. On 55 minutes Wednesday bundled in an equaliser after Antonio connected with a corner. Following this Freedman responded with positive changes and the introductions of Jonathan Williams and Palace’s new number nine, until January at least, David Goodwillie. This was done with the intention of pressing Wednesday back to re-establish the lead that was so desperately needed.

What followed was one of the strangest incidents of a referee losing control of a game I have ever seen. I maintain the episode nearly worked against Palace with the score at 1 – 1, and I agree with Wednesday boss Dave Jones it changed the atmosphere in the stadium and in the crowd and ultimately cost Wednesday dearly.  Zaha’s trickery in the box led to the referee awarding a penalty kick. Straightforward enough until Chris Kirkland the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper frogmarched a delegation of diplomats from Sheffield, namely his defence to the linesman dragging the referee with them. The Wednesday backline harangued the officials forcing them into a mind change that removed the offer of a penalty to Palace and somehow led to a Wednesday free kick. When this decision was explained to Palace representatives chaos ensued for about five minutes with ugly scenes akin to a bear pit on and off the field that illustrated the referee had lost control.

Fortunately this incident did not ultimately influence the result as on the field Palace kept their nerve and it did not affect the attacking flow of the game as Freedman’s side remained offensively dominant. On 83 minutes the breakthrough came. Played through by the superb seventeen year old pocket rocket Jonny Williams, Zaha skimmed his marker and crossed for Murray to superbly convert the centre and smash the ball past the now pantomime villain Kirkland into the back of the Sheffield Wednesday net. Palace won the match 2 – 1 deservedly getting their first three points of the season ending Dave Jones’s eighteen match unbeaten start as Wednesday boss in the process.

It was seen as a result to reward fan loyalty by Palace boss Freedman, rather than as a sign of relief at ending a poor run of form. The manager now faces the international break with Palace in a healthier state. The first points of the season are on the board and the squad is in place and the task that lies ahead for the team is now clear. The management now have the international break to put across their ideas and push up the league.

Having seen games away in Bristol, Middlesbrough, and Preston without reward prior to the international break the Palace faithful no doubt felt the reward of victory against Wednesday at the weekend. Now enjoyment can be taken from watching England under Hodgson in the World Cup Qualifiers with relief points are on the board. Many fans may even be excited by the prospects of new signings Moritz, Bolassi and co linking up with Zaha to give Charlton the run around at the Valley on Friday week. Indeed that match televised on Sky is the first of this seasons highly anticipated South London Derbies. No better time for Palace's season to truely get started.        

 

Preston (LC2); Palace Still Under Siege as Cup Magic Fails to Bring any Relief!

2012 is not proving fun on the road for Palace. Even our old friend the League Cup in its new guise as the Capital One Cup failed to offer a spark and indeed deserted Palace on Tuesday night. The competition responsible for so many good nights last time around, giving Dougie the opportunity to blood youngsters, this year served up a painful dose of reality as for the second time in a week, this time in Preston Palace were hammered 4 – 1.

Goals from Nicky Wroe (2), Alpo Sodje and Jefferey Monakana put Palace to the sword with Aaron Wilbraham responding for Palace at 2 – 0 down with his first goal for the club, not enough to prevent a 4 – 1 humiliation. A second defensive capitulation in a week left Palace embarrassed to lower league opposition and with plenty of food for thought. With time in the transfer window rapidly running out, the trip to the Valley to play Charlton in a televised match on 14^th September is flashing like a warning beacon for all to see with the very futures of Dougie Freedman and Lennie Lawrence at the football club coming into sharp focus especially off the back of a poor performance or another capitulation.

My own view however is one should at least give Dougie Freedman time to work with the squad between now and January and build on a togetherness and team spirit that served us so well last season. Very little now can be done to change the makeup of the squad. It is Dougie’s squad and nothing can be gained in the short term from making a change and stopping Freedman from working with the team. I just wish something could be done the fitness and conditioning of the team.

Being positive Palace were competitive at Middlesbrough in the league last Saturday and the return of Jonny Williams to the first team at Preston must have been the bright spot of the night to those Eagles fans that travelled (which I confess this time to not actually being amongst) and can only be a good thing. Three of the next four matches are at home and will have the Selhurst crowd behind the team so despite not being easy games the team can pick up points and move up the table. If we can use the remainder of the transfer window to find a striker then hopefully we as supporters can lift the mood on the pitch to pull through the difficult challenges ahead by evoking the spirit of 2010 just in time for the visit of Sheffield Wednesday.

 

Palace Still Pointless as Dougie Makes His Move in the Market!

Pitch black. 4:45AM. Feeling fatigued I gather myself with thoughts of what are going to be a long series of train journeys hopefully punctuated by the boost of our first three points of the season on Teesside Vs Middlesbrough. Conservatively a six hundred mile round trip to Teesside awaited and judging by the fortunes of my Reading supporting friends we were at least (un)lucky enough to get the match on. Buoyed by the signings on Friday of Bristol City’s Yannick Bolassi, Darcy Blake from Cardiff and Brazilian Andre Moritz, the question on my mind at the start of the journey was could this be a start of a change in our fortunes?

As outer London, Peterborough, the Midlands and York shot by on the train to Darlington going through to Middlesbrough past a varied rural, urban, and industrial landscape I had one major hope of an improved performance and a reaction to the heavy defeat suffered in Bristol on Tuesday night. This was my first visit to the Riverside and an impressive modern structure awaited my arrival. A similar design but on a bigger scale to Derby County’s Pride Park, the stadiums large capacity made it look positively cavernous with a Championship attendance of a mere 18,000 people inside it. It struck me as I wondered around outside before kick off if Middlesbrough are struggling to get back into the Premier League with such a great stadium just how competitive the Championship actually is and just how difficult it can be to compete given the financial realities Crystal Palace have to face up to and operate within.

To the match and a competitive opening 42 minutes followed. Darcy Blake made a difference in defence tightening things up at the back and Yannick Bolassi looked eager, exciting and full of energy running on the wing. The Brazilian Moritz was on the bench. In the first half Middlesbrough tried to gain control of possession in midfield, pressurising Garvan and Jedinak and neutralising Wilf Zaha. This tactic gained its first reward on 42 minutes when Hines flick header off a corner found the net to give Middlesbrough a 1 – 0 half time lead. In the second half poor defending from a free kick led to a second Boro goal and a poor excuse to play some sixties music following a goal from Zamamma. (Where’s 'Zamamma’ gone in case you were interested, irony I think.) At 2 – 0 down Palace started to play, a penalty won and converted by Jermaine Easter halved the deficit to 2 – 1 and at this point the introduction of Brazilian Moritz linked up play and for twenty minutes or so and the Boro were on the back foot and Palace’s endeavour was creating chances without ever quite breaking through.

This was a far improved performance from Bristol without actually getting a result. With twenty minutes or so left Jermaine Easter went off injured and the young, raw and hungry talents of Kwesi Appaih were on show in a cameo appearance that nearly brought its own rewards and towards the end Palace were unlucky not to knick a draw. If you are going to go down to a defeat a long way from home Palace did it in the proper fashion showing endeavour and trying, still in with a chance of getting something from the game right until the end despite eventually losing 2 – 1.

The return journey from Middlesbrough back home was long, but uneventful and after crossing London from Kings Cross I was home soon after eleven in time to catch the end of Match of the Day. My overwhelming feeling on the days football was resigned frustration because despite positive moves in the transfer market that may not yet be over thanks to the room for manoeuvre given to the club by the transfer of Victor Moses, I still feel Dougie Freedman may be up against it however he eventually plays his cards. The reality of football to me is I support Palace regardless but it is increasingly difficult to compete in what is becoming a harshly money orientated industry. Yet one only hopes the passion of the fans, owners, and management alike unites to pull in the same direction to get us through difficult times on the pitch.

The distractions of the Capital One Cup second round await and an away tie Vs Preston North End on Tuesday night and I will give brief mention to the tie ahead of my next blog post and the visit of the Owls of Sheffield Wednesday at Selhurst at the weekend. Forgiven as I am sure we all are for condemning them to their fate in 2010.  

 

 

  

Brutal Bristol Off Mark As Eagles Crash!

Sometimes when writing about the club you love and are passionate about, raw hard facts and honesty should stand above emotion and sentiment. After a 4 – 1 thrashing where Bristol City played Palace off the park in the cold light of day series reflection would be sensible. City took their chances and on the night they were impressively clinical but were never really tested and their fans would readily admit they probably learned little about their team this season in terms of being put under any pressure.

After the Watford match I wrote Watford will give many teams in the Championship a game this season and there is no need for panic. Freedman’s got a plan. Now I am honestly not sure. Ipswich beat Watford on Tuesday and Bristol City after losing on opening weekend virtually just had to wait for errors to score four easy goals, my conclusion therefore is the two results shed more light on the problems for Crystal Palace than any supposed chances in the league for Bristol City or Watford. Each of the four goals conceded at Ashton Gate resulted from individual errors and a lack of cohesion as a team especially in defence. This is alarming as it has been in defence that has been such a pillar of strength in the teams battle for results over the past few seasons.

There can be no doubt that Paddy McCarthy’s leadership qualities and defensive influence is being missed due to injury, in the meantime the defence looks makeshift and fearful. With Zaha in the team the team does make chances but there remains questions over ever having the possibility to convert those chances if the team play in the fashion they did on Tuesday making dreadful defensive errors. Freedman’s status as my hero and a club legend will never be questioned and is not in doubt, yet there is a reality that has to be acknowledged and indeed facts must stand above sentiment in football. The last victory for Palace in the league came in March at home to Barnsley, we are yet to win away in the league in 2012, and Palace currently have won 1 game in the last 23. These issues have to be acknowledged, it is very well asking for time to adjust but after watching in Bristol I fear Freedman is out of his depth.

What happened in preseason in terms of transfer policy and fitness conditioning in relation to early injuries picked up by McCarthy, Murray and Easter? The departures of Clyne, Scannell and Ambrose must have generated some income and there can be no doubt the influence of Ambrose and importance of Clyne need replacing and the owners say they have increased the funds available for transfers. Yet 10 days before the transfer window closes the squad is threadbare and apart from talented youngsters who the manager seems suddenly reluctant to play is lacking strength in depth. Hopefully Dougie will turn it around and as much as I hope he does the lack of wins is worrying and is a sequence that needs breaking. The Cup run enjoyable as it was masked poor league form and bad results that has continued into this season.

There is plenty of time to turn this around and though it is no means a crisis yet people need to be honest. Everyone understands how crucial it is not to overstretch financially given our very recent past but why can we not attract players to the club within a set budget if the money is there? After being in Bristol I fear for freedman because even only two games in the same difficulties with the team remain.

I fear in the short term at least things may not work out for Freedman and this is an illustration of how my heart as a Palace fan is breaking, split by the reality of results and performances despite desperately wanting Freedman to succeed personally because he is my great Palace hero. In conclusion this draws me back to my main point there can be no room for sentiment in football.

My plans for Middlesbrough are in place, a long way and a challenging journey no doubt. Unsure I will travel back having witnessed three points for Palace but no doubt it will be fun. It is Palace so always travel in hope rather than expectation.     

 

Season 2012/13 : Zola’s budding Watford shine as Palace youngsters wilt in the heat!

Football returned to Selhurst on Saturday with the visit of Watford who themselves under new management and ownership of the Italian Pozzo Family and Gianfranco Zola, would prove to be a somewhat unknown proposition and indeed a tricky opponent come the end of the day. A long preseason was replaced by competitive football following an extended break thanks to the euphoria of the London 2012 Olympics. The sunshine was ready to mark the event with the game being played in soaring temperatures against the backdrop of the hottest day of the year.

A reasonable preseason where we recorded victories against Aldershot, Swindon Town, Dulwich Hamlets, was followed by victory against Exeter City in the League Cup. These were countered by defeats to Margate, Welling Utd, and Reading, however most of the talk focussed on Dougie Freedman’s transfer policy. The arrivals of Joel Ward from Portsmouth, Aaron Martin on loan from Southampton and Aaron Wilbraham from Norwich City as well as the permanent return of Peter Ramage from QPR was countered by the extended transfer saga of Nathanial  Clyne to Southampton and the departures of Sean Scannell to Huddersfield, Darren Ambrose to Birmingham and Anthony Gardner to Sheffield Wednesday.

The main discussion point revolved around the firepower upfront with the lack of a goal scorer to support Murray and Easter upfront and feed off the pace and creativity of Wilf Zaha and Jonathan Williams. Yet the reality is the transfer window is not yet closed and Freedman will be well aware of the squads’ weaknesses and where it could be strengthened. He also has the ability to work within tight financial realities without risking the clubs future, but still has the ability to put together a young and hungry squad capable of fighting in the Championship.

The Watford match saw debuts for Ward, Ramage, and Martin in defence and Wilbraham up front as McCarthy, Williams, Easter, and Murray were all missing due to knocks. A solid first half saw Palace go in 2 – 1 up at halftime thanks to a brace from the forgotten man of the team in Owen Garvan who will need to step out of Ambrose’s shadow following his departure to Birmingham if Palace are to progress. The story of the game was defensive uncertainty with three first half headers in the box spurned by Watford, at that point a warning of things to come.

Watford’s first half equaliser was a Julian Speroni mistake and indeed Julian did not have a great game on Saturday but when you consider the number of points he has earned and rescued for Palace in his time at the club one should not be too critical. This was reflected by the noise from the Holmesdale and the chants and songs of encouragement that rained down in support of him. The reality of the situation is no one would be more annoyed or frustrated and desperate to put the situation right then Jules himself because that is just the mark of the professional he is. He may well get the opportunity to put things right against Bristol City on Tuesday.

The atritional nature of the weather played its part in the second half and the style with which Watford held the ball and passed it around and through Palace in an energy sapping fashion to palace in a fashion introduced by Zola should be admired. The reality remained Palace gifted Watford their most potent opportunities by defensive errors, a lack of concentration and an inability to cope well with the hot conditions. Two goals in the last four minutes for Watford meant they won the game 3 – 2 with the second Watford goal another Speroni error and the winner a defensive mistake that compounded Palace’s inability to close out the match.

Although the lack of concentration must have been a frustration to the manager he rightfully focussed on group responsibility and team ethic rather than individual blame but there can be little doubt the fans biggest frustration was the lack of potent striking options to capitalise on Zaha’s creativity to put the ball in the net and convert chances to goals. Long term this may only be solved from above with the owners finding options from outside the club in the transfer market but due to the financial realities of the club this may not be an easy option. It may be business elsewhere though and the transfer of ex Palace starlet Victor Moses from Wigan to Chelsea that helps the situation along. However the problem is solved it is clear another striker is more than needed. In the meantime I believe Dougie Freedman has the ability to maximise his options to get the best out of a young dynamic hard working and unpredictable squad starting away to Bristol City on Tuesday.

It is a long season and although it is frustrating to lose 3 – 2 to Zola’s budding Watford team lessons can be learned. Creativity is abundant in this Palace side, Speroni will return to form and if we learn lessons defensively with the return of McCarthy the team will be a harder unit to breakdown and add something going forward the team could be in business. Watford played a very impressive brand of football and many Championship sides will struggle against them. There is no need for panic as the manager has a clear pathway that has led to steady improvements and progress in the eighteen months he has been in charge.

Two difficult away games lie ahead in a week against Bristol City and then a long trip follows up to Middlesbrough. Pick up points now and things could look different when the transfer window closes and the team returns to Selhurst on September 1^st.    

  

Return of the Blog: Vs Reading

I am back off the Canadian rock that is Newfoundland and so is my Palace Blog, as Palace’s away fixtures wrap up for the season against champions elect (now champions) Reading. It was not a bad game either, as Palace showed their battling qualities and power to adapt in adversity to fight for a 2-2 draw. Indeed the last time Reading dropped points apart from Vs Peterborough was back in October at Selhurst in a goalless draw which illustrates what a good run Reading have been on to secure the championship. This shows what a good performance it was by Palace to avoid defeat twice, especially at the Madstad where freedman showed tactical competence and squad knowledge as he played a makeshift defence as three of Palace’s back five, including the goalkeeper were changed inside the first half an hour of the match.

Reading were caught out inside the first twenty minutes by the pace of Wilf Zaha and the holdup play of Glenn Murray as a sweeping Palace attack gave the visitors a shock lead inside the opening quarter of an hour. Indeed Palace seemed energised by the exuberance of young academy players such as OKeefe and De Silva anchored by quality play from Norwegian Johnathan Parr who helped McCarthy and Moxey marshal Matthew Parsons through the game after injury to Paul McShane. Reading came back into the game and were clinical in conditions of driving rain which made the playing service slick for fast flowing football. A goal from defender Kaspars Gorkss tied the game as he nodded home a header in a goalmouth scramble following a flick from Mikele Leigertwood .

Just before half time Reading centre forward Jason Roberts was sent off for a flailing arm at Johnathan Parr’s face which drew a straight red card from referee Andy D’Urso firing up the home fans going into the break. Andy D’Urso was criticised by Reading fans but from my position in the stand the red card was justified because Roberts led with his arm, making contact with Parr’s face and to his credit Parr got straight back up without making a meal of it. Despite this the home fans jeered Parr for the remainder of the contest yet this seemed to prove an inspiration as he drove Palace forward for the rest of the match.

Into the second half and Palace’s substitute keeper Lewis Price was in action as Julian Speroni was forced off in the first half with a suspected broken hand. After saving a free kick  from Ian Harte and being accidently challenged in the followup by Noel Hunt he was forced off after awkwardly catching a corner. Price played very well, and after coming to prominence this season in the League Cup he continued his good form, making a number of good saves and communicating well with his back four. Yet on 55 minutes in form reading striker Adam Le Fondra headed in a cross from the right to, at that point put Reading in touching distance of the title even without Middlesbrough’s help.

Palace kept fighting though and for large periods after going behind were competent in possession using the pace of Zaha to play around Reading and even though Reading were the side heading for the Premiership the class of Wilf Zaha showed them up somewhat and as the best player on the pitch supported by the holdup play of Glenn Murray kept Palace in the game. With fifteen minutes to go Murray scored his first goal of 2012 to deservedly draw Palace level with a fantastic volley from the corner of the eighteen yard box into the far bottom corner of the net.

Credit to both sides for producing a quality and entertaining draw in wet conditions and indeed both managers have a lot to be proud of this campaign. Brian McDermott  can reflect on the title (delivered by Southampton’s subsequent defeat to Middlesbrough) and promotion. Dougie Freedman can also reflect proudly on a campaign on the road that has witnessed cup victory at Old Trafford against the Champions of England, as well as league victories away against bitter rivals Brighton and Millwall helping to secure mid-table security in the Championship.

So next week the season comes to an end with great hope going into 2013 turning full circle closing almost appropriately against Cardiff City at Selhurst Park. Cardiff have their entire season riding on the result needing to avoid defeat to definitely pip Middlesbrough to the final Playoff place. Yet the Bluebirds were the team that broke the hearts of every Eagles fan and our dreams of Wembley back in February. Can Dougie’s exciting and sometimes potent mix of youth and experience return the favour by extinguishing Cardiff’s promotion Dream? That depends a little on Watford Vs Middlesbrough yet one thing is certain this storyline has all the ingredients for a potent finish!