Monthly Archives: March 2007

Remembering happier days at The Hawthorns

Reverse Jinx, , , , ,

West Brom beat us again

Tomorrow night we visit West Bromwich Albion. They’re a team with very realistic promotion ambitions, and as they’re coming off a 1-0 defeat to their bitter rivals Wolves we’re likely to face a very good team with a point to prove.

We haven’t won at West Brom in over a decade. It’s a far cry from when we used to go there and despatch the home team with unlikely contributions like “meatball headers” and full-backs scoring first half hat-tricks. A return to those days tomorrow night would be very pleasant indeed.

This is where the official site would tell you that we’re 9/2 to win with Eaglesbet. However I wouldn’t recommend that to you, as I don’t think it is the likely outcome (c’mon, reverse jinx – work!).

Strange days indeed

Ben Watson, ITV, Leicester City

A 2-0 win over Leicester City yesterday helped to give us a total of ten points out of the last twelve. After hearing the result I logged onto the BBS and saw there was a great debate about the booing of Ben Watson prior to him scoring our second goal from the penalty spot.

Booing our own players? Before they take a penalty for us? Even the often maligned Shaun Derry garnered support before stepping up to the spot at Sunderland in the play-offs three years ago.

And we can’t deny it happened. Plenty of Palace fans reported hearing it, along with ITV’s Championship highlights show. It’s little wonder why the young players we bring through head elsewhere when they get the opportunity.

Ron Noades pulls a Mark Twain

Holmesdale Online, Ron Noades

A rumour on the Holmesdale Online last night took on a life of it’s own, and before you could say “statement” it seemed as if everyone of a red and blue persuasion was contemplating the passing of former chairman Ron Noades.However, rumours of his death have been greatly exaggerated. He’s alive and seemingly well, and allowing fans to consider the positives and negatives of his ownership of the club, and subsequently Selhurst Park.

I was always in the slightly anti-Noades section. There were instances where he should have invested more in the club (summer of 1991), instances where he didn’t appear to be running the club very well (towards the end of the 1994/95 season) and of course the one occasion where he was just an embarrassment to the club (we all know what that was). And that was all before we realised he’d quietly slipped the stadium away from the club and effectively into his private possession.

Which isn’t to say that it was all bad with Noades. He was chairman for the most successful period of our history, and when he sold to Goldberg we were established as a lower Premiership/upper First Division club. Also you could easily agree with his assertion that his keeping the ground assured Palace of a place to play when Goldberg and Venables were spending us into administration.

Somehow talking about Palace and the 1990s wouldn’t quite be the same if we were suddenly talking about Ron Noades in the past tense. Now he’s no longer taking any further money in rent from us I’m happy to wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement in charge of his golf clubs. Fore!

Zzzzzzzzz fest at Turf Moor

First Hand View, , ,

Well I’m glad I made that trip. Pretty much a stinker of a game, which ended as a 1-1 draw. Probably a fair result at the end of the day.

After a slow start we took the lead after fifteen minutes, with Clinton Morrison chasing down Gabor Kiraly’s clearance and heading over the out-of-position Coyne. With Coyne continuing to struggle (palming the ball to Scowcroft, punching the ball arguably outside his area and slicing a clearance) we really could have been out of sight before Ade Akinbiyi’s inevitable goal against us, and while Steve Cotterill can justifiably say that Burnley “did enough to win the game” he should remember how shaky his defence looked early on (typically we gave Coyne little to do in the second half).

To be honest I was expecting the worst against a team without a win in their last fifteen games. At the start of the second half we almost invited them to pile lots of pressure on us, and we only really started to come into the game again with the introduction of Ben Watson as a substitute.

In a perplexing manner, Peter Taylor said following the game that “Burnley away is a difficult game and I’m pleased with an away point.” I agree. I hate playing away at a team which hasn’t won once in their last fifteen games, and played the first thirty minutes like they were already on their summer holidays. If Burnley away is a difficult game what does that make West Brom away – Mission Impossible?

Clinton Morrison’s goal was his 94th for the club, and his third in the last two games. I’d say this begins the 100 goal countdown in earnest!

Lots of plaudits for Burnley’s catering as well. Mmm, Meat and Potato pies, mmm…

Burnley 1-1 Crystal Palace [BBC Sport]