Crystal Palace managed to secure the signing of the former West Brom and Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips on a season-long loan deal from Blackpool. The striker has now said that he wants to repay the faith of the manager Ian Holloway, who has now linked up with him for the second time. Holloway was responsible for bringing him to Blackpool last season. The striker proved to be an immensely valuable addition to the team last season, as he scored 17 goals and helped the team reached the play-offs final. They almost made it into the Premier league in the first attempt.
However, this season has been extremely tough for the 38-year-old who has had to cope with the loss of Holloway. The manager left Blackpool to join Crystal Palace midway through the season. Now, he has worked a deal with his former employers to bring Phillips to the club. The 38-year-old has also scored just two goals in 19 appearances for Blackpool this season. Phillips has said that he cannot be more grateful for Holloway because he could not see any future at Blackpool. He has said that the club wanted him to leave as they looked to bring in someone younger. Phillips is one of the experienced players in the championship.
“I don’t want to let him down. He’s brought me here and I want to repay the faith he has shown in me. There was not a lot of people out there willing to take a chance – not just now, but at the beginning of last season as well. I managed to repay him [at Blackpool] last season with 17 goals and we nearly did it in the play-off final. I don’t want to let him down from now until the end of the season. Every time I pull on a Palace shirt or a training kit I will give 100 percent,” said Phillips.