Roy Hodgson would have been thankful for the winter break, after watching his Crystal Palace side pick up their first three points of the new decade, defeating a toothless Newcastle United team who did not offer much of a threat to Palace for most of the game.
A stunning Patrick Van-Aanholt free-kick saw Palace take a giant leap towards securing another campaign in the Premier League, with this being the Eagles' best point return after 27 games in the club's Premier League history.
However, the mood around Selhurst Park suggests it has been a season that has left much to be desired by Palace fans alike, with the belief that some investment into the ageing Squad would have been the breath of fresh air the Club desperately needs.
Why the mood has been rather sour recently
Roy's side travel down the A23 on Saturday looking for their first win against the south coast rivals in almost two years. A win for Palace could change the outlook on the entire season. After starting especially well and being 9th in the League after Boxing Day, there was a hope that with the January transfer window on the horizon the Board would finally look to invest into the Squad.
However, yet again, Hodgson was not backed, and the only first-team signing was Cenk Tosun, signed on an initial six-month loan with an option to buy.
This left much frustration amongst the Eagles' faithful, as the board failed to bring in much-needed full-back competition, and were ineffective in attempts to bring down the average age of the Squad.
This, coupled with injures, has left Palace looking over their shoulders in recent weeks, and in turn, they have dropped down the table significantly due to the League being so tight this Season.
In addition, there has become a disconnect from the board, with Steve Parish and the American investors Joshua Harris and David Blitzer growing apart from any sort of communication with the Eagles' fan base. Leaving fans in the dark about the lack of spending, and with no further developments on stadium and training ground upgrades, this has left a number of Palace fans extremely irritated with the Board.
A win against Brighton could see Palace looking up the table.
Palace have not won at the Amex since the playoff Semi-final in 2013. Should Hodgeson's men finally break the losing streak come Saturday, this could go some way into turning a somewhat mediocre season into one where fans can start dreaming again about sneaking into a Europa League spot.
A win against Graham Potter's Seagulls could see Palace climb to 11th if results should fall in their favour, however, bragging rights would mean more to the South London side than League position come Saturday evening.
Furthermore, a win would certainly secure Crystal Palace's place in the Premier League next season, and in recent season, once Palace are safe Roy Hodgson tends to take the reins of the team and allows the team's attacking ability to flourish with free-flowing football.
A summer rebuild is needed.
With it looking more and more likely to be Wilfried Zaha's last couple of months in the red and blue of Palace, there is an expectancy that a massive squad overhaul is demanded.
Against Everton before the winter break, Palace fielded their oldest ever starting XI in the Club's history and came away looking bereft of all ideas, as the Eagles were comfortably beaten by the Toffees.
This highlighted the need to bring the Squad age down dramatically, with Steve Parish and American investors Joshua Harris and David Blitzer needing to get the cheque book out for Hodgeson after starving him from most funds during his time as manager.
The club needs to add much-needed firepower, since Palace are the only team in the Premier League this Season yet to score more than 2 goals in a fixture.
Roy Hodgson is also yet to sign a new contract, so the sooner a plan for the future is made the better as this will allow the South London club to start preparing for next season, and to try and break the stagnation that is currently overshadowing the club.