2003–04 Crystal Palace F.C. season 2003–04 Crystal Palace F.C. season During the 2003–04 English football season, Crystal Palace competed in the Football League First Division. Crystal Palace started the season on the right foot, winning their first three games to top the table, but that was as good as it got under manager Steve Kember and, after a 5–0 defeat at newly promoted Wigan Athletic in November saw the club in 20th place, Kember was sacked (chairman Simon Jordan had previously declared that Kember would have a "job for life" at Palace). Kit Symons stepped up as caretaker until Northern Irishman and former Palace striker
2003–04 Stoke City F.C. season 2003–04 Stoke City F.C. season The 2003–04 season was Stoke City's 97th season in the Football League and the 37th in the second tier. With Stoke being successful in avoiding relegation manager Tony Pulis could begin making alterations to his squad for the 2003–04 season. A number of ins and outs followed but after a good start Stoke won just five of their first 21 matches and it seemed that another fight against relegation would be required. But after a win against West Ham United in December Stoke went nine matches unbeaten and pulled themselves away from relegation trouble. Their