VIEIRA WANTS TO REACH MAGIC 50 MARK

BY DAVID SNEYD

PATRICK VIEIRA has challenged Crystal Palace to

make history by celebrating turning 50 in style.

The Eagles have never hit the half-century points mark in the Premier League and have finished in the top 10 just once in 12 attempts, stretching back to the inaugural campaign in 1992/93.

They suffered relegation under manager Steve Coppell with 49 points in that 42-game term and it took until 2015 for Palace to finish 10th, falling short of 50 by just two points.

Vieira’s side host Liverpool at Selhurst Park today, with 24 points from 21 games, well in the mix for another top 10.

But if they maintain their current accumulation, they will miss out on the milestone. “I don’t go into statistics on points and positions, but that should be a really good challenge for the players because the club and fans deserve something to be excited about,” said Vieira (left).

“If we could finish 10th or higher, it would be fantastic.

“Our objective at the moment is developing ourselves as a team to play well and to allow ourselves to win football matches.

“When you are looking at the table, anything can happen. In the Premier League, it is difficult to win football matches and when you go into that moment when you don’t win, things can change really quickly.

“We are focusing on playing a good game of football to allow ourselves more chance of winning football matches. That is the focus and, of course, the table is really important.

“For us, the way of seeing it is that how well you play, the better chance you have of winning matches.

“We have to focus on the way we want to play the game.

“That is, for me, the most important. If we play well, we will be OK in the table. If we don’t play well enough, then