March 30 2007

Simon Jordan

Jamesey ponders the contradictory messages emanating from our never-less-than-entertaining chairman, Simon Jordan.

Going into hospital for a minor operation can be rather like the old builder's cliché... you start off removing an old fireplace and end up putting in new drains.

Checking into St George's Hospital, Tooting, south-west London, for an overnight routine procedure last weekend, I ended up being transferred to a different collection of sawbones, and to top it all managed to catch a dose of a virulent super-virus rampaging through the wards.

Result: I left St George's after five days feeling far worse than when I went in.

Anyway, enough of all that.

While I was in the stockade, our chairman has been hogging the sports page headlines again with his revelations in FHM magazine.

The content of the article has been well covered by members on the message boards and there are some most amusing revelations about Francis, Dowie, etc.

These revelations don't, incidentally, give one the impression that SJ is a man overflowing with the milk of human kindness.

But then you would hardly expect that in someone who built up a multi-million pound business from nothing by his early 30s and, to CPFC's great good fortune in my view, decided to spend some of his hard-earned spondulicks on a boyhood dream and buy his beloved football club.

But all the media hoo-hah is in stark contrast to a personal letter (which I am sure most pre-paid season card holders recieved) which awaited me on my front doormat.

Signed "Simon" the letter thanks me for my committed support of CPFC and offers me a card for 2008-09 for the same price as next season.

Well, we are all used to Simon's nifty, and usually good-value, offers on long-term deals but at this point the letter moves into uncharacteristic territory.

Says Simon: "I believe that over these 7 years you have developed a trust and belief in myself, not always agreeing with what I do or say, but understanding that my motivations are always for the betterment of the club."

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Later Simon reveals that: "I have developed a newer trait which is patience and I believe that Peter can achieve this for us [return to Premiership]."

I have myself had a right go at Peter Taylor at times this season but, yes, a little patience makes a lot more sense than yet another manager through the door.

Some of our fine crop of youngsters are mentioned by name (Grabban, Spence, Fray, etc) and "these players really want to play for Palace and have the passion for the club we have," he goes on.

Well, as a gnarled old veteran, I am not naive enough to fall for everything I read in a sales letter but I am impressed by the new maturity shown by our chairman.

Let's hope that this is more the true face of Simon rather than the outspoken and often arrogant figure portrayed in the media.

Then we might have a really bright future.

Email Jamesey with your comments to Jevans3704@aol.com

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