The attacking midfielder joined in January 2008 on a three-and-a-half-year contract for a fee of £600,000 rising to £850,000 should Palace gain promotion to the Premier League.

Danns was at home-city club Liverpool as a schoolboy but opted to sign trainee forms at Blackburn, where he went on to appear in seven first team games including three in the top flight.

He spent time on loan at Blackpool and Hartlepool during 2003/04 and the following season joined Colchester on a temporary deal that was made permanent after bagging four goals in 13 appearances.

It was in Essex where his career took off, with 28 goals in 87 games earning him a half-million pound move to Birmingham in June 2006.

Danns' chances at St Andrew's were limited to 11 starts in 18 months, but he still managed to net three goals, including a crucial last-minute equaliser against Luton in December 2006.

Unfortunately for Danns, the 2007/08 season was a major disappointment after a long term injury kept him out for entire campaign and the beginning of the 08/09.

However, he returned to football in January 2009 and quickly established himself as a mainstay in the side, eventually makig 23 appearances before the season's end.

Last season he was one of the first names on the team sheet and played in all but four league games. 

He suffered heartbreak in the penultimate game of the season when a rush of blood to the head saw him sent off against West Brom.

The dismissal meant that he would miss the final game of the season, away to Sheffield Wednesday.