“I want to sound, even written on paper, brutally honest,” Neil Emblen says, emphasising his point several times during a lengthy conversation.
While he only played for Crystal Palace on 15 occasions, Emblen has a lot to say about his seven months in SE25. After all, he hasn’t spoken about it on record for over 20 years.
With an uncle holding a Season Ticket at Palace, Emblen was born and raised in Bromley, beginning his career just an hour away from Selhurst Park with Tonbridge Angels. His professional journey took off in south London, too, when Millwall’s Pat Van Den Hauwe had his house burgled the night before a match and Emblen, aged 22 and with only non-league experience behind him, received his professional debut against Tranmere Rovers.