June 28 2006

Selhurst Park

Jamesey received an interesting letter from the marketing supremo of CPFC.

Dated June 23 last, and entitled "You can now have £75 cashback on season 2006/07", a recent communication showed the two faces of our club and its chairman.

Obviously a business run by a self-made young millionaire for six years would be expected to be sharp in the marketing area.

The letter kicks off by commenting that I had often ordered my season ticket early to enjoy a favourable deal. Well, somebody noticed.

As "a supporter who clearly values special offers" it goes on to tell me that excellent discounts for buying right up to 2010 are available.

Well, of course, I have to use thrift and cunning to finance my international playboy pensioner lifestyle.

When I showed the letter to Mrs J, she perceptively pointed out that people of my age and dubious health should be wary of long-term plans and financial commitments.

She was, of course, right and having been reminded of my own mortality I stowed my chequebook away again.

However, if you've got the money and are thinking ahead it is a remarkably good deal, particularly when you would be paying peanuts (in my case as a senior concessionary) for Premiership matches.

And that leads me neatly into the second phase of the communication which proceeds into an implied anti-Dowie polemic.

It pontificates about the "disappointment" of last season and how "the club has reacted in the most positive way and installed a manager at the helm who, not only has a proven track record at all levels, including international management, but became a Palace legend through his playing days at Selhurst Park in the late 70s."

To paraphrase the rest of it, Peter Taylor is expected to create a legacy that no other Palace manager has been able to achieve since the Premiership started. Hmmm.

It finishes by attempting to make me feel guilty at not buying hundreds of poundsworth of future season tickets and thus jeopardising the future success of CPFC.

So, there we are. Iain Dowie was a know-nothing upstart and Steve Coppell's magnificent four seasons in the top tier count for sweet FA?

And while I am in warlike mode, can I point out some inaccuracies in the document. I rarely criticise on the factual front because this column has, believe it or not, been known to contain minor inconsistencies.

The title of the letter was stupid. I had already bought my 06-07 season ticket in January and no cash savings were offered whatsoever.

Peter Taylor is not a Palace legend. He was superb player but three seasons a Palace legend do not make and he was here in the mid 70s, going to Tottenham in 76, not the late 70s.

Let's leave it there for now and wish Peter luck in our Premiership quest. It's obviously either that or the boot for him in May 07.

Email Jamesey with your comments to Jevans3704@aol.com

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