CRYSTAL Palace manager Dougie Freedman is adamant he will not risk the club’s financial future to achieve his long-term aims.

The Eagles finished the campaign with a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park on Saturday, having secured their Championship status a week earlier with a point at Hull.

It ended another season marred by relegation worries and although Freedman is determined to be challenging at the right end of the table next time round, he has assured fans he will not risk plunging the club back into administration to get there.

The manager said: “The aim is to keep on raising the bar and we will see where that gets us.

“I know how this club works and if we rush it, we will fall down into administration again, so small processes are needed to take the club forward.

“I think if the fans can see us moving in the right direction and in the right way, they will get behind us and it will create a snowball effect with momentum.

“That is the way this club has always had success, Steve Coppell did it that way.

“We’re not a Liverpool, Manchester United or Queens Park Rangers who will go and spend millions, we will do it the Crystal Palace way, which I believe is the right way to do it and the way I want to do it.

“I want to work within the club from top to bottom to learn the trade.

“To me the best way to do that is to look to the academy.

“I would like to build a team here that is young and enthusiastic with the right mixture of experienced players.”

After steering the club to safety, Freedman must now face the next challenge of his first full summer in charge with all the possible changes it brings within the squad. As well as a host of loan players returning to their clubs, the boss will have to deal with speculation over his most valuable assets and persuade out of contract stars like Neil Danns to stay.

But just as he dealt with the relegation pressures, Freedman has revealed a clear plan of what he wants from his squad and how he will achieve it.

He explained: “We will be sitting down with everyone on Monday and see where their hearts are at, that is the most important thing for this club.

“I know the players here are fully committed and, to be fair, for the last four months the players have shown that commitment, “I need to know that is there from the players for the long term and the future and we will get the answers and move on from there.”

Freedman added: “I will speak to them as a group and individually and look at those out of contract and see who I feel needs a contract extension.

“I will be explaining my thinking to them and hopefully they buy into that.

“If they don’t, they move on and I’ll get someone else in who does.”

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