August 6 2007

Andy Johnson

Crystal Palace achieved a creditable 0-0 draw in the last of the summer friendies. Jamesey gives the low-down.

The heat usually arrives for our August friendlies and Saturday (Aug 4) was no exception.

On a sweltering afternoon, the players perspired in heat-stroke conditions and made it as entertaining a game as could be expected in the circumstances.

At the Anderlecht game (July 31) I hadn't noticed how much weight Shefki Kuqi had shed. He looked positively wraith-like compared with the somewhat rotund Finn/Albanian of last season.

It was a great pleasure to see Andrew Johnson back in south London again and, as we would expect, he was given loud and enthusiastic appreciation from both sets of supporters.

Another ironic situation which the game throws up constantly was to see AJ and Clinton Morrison as opposing strikers.

A few seasons ago, AJ came to us as a makeweight player in a big-money deal taking Clinton to Birmingham City.

But now, AJ is the £8.6m, England international and Premiership player, while Clinton, quite frankly, struggles at times to look like an adequate CCC performer.

As always with friendly fixtures, it is difficult to draw many conclusions as to what to expect when we visit Southampton on Aug 11. Let's hope Peter Taylor has seen something constructive...

Victor Moses, our youthful prodigy, was greeted with massive enthusiasm by Eagles supporters but found it difficult to get into the game.

My top player was AJ who, until subbed, increasingly harried the Palace defence with the speed and agility with which we are all too familiar.

Nostalgia Corner: It was great to see two colossal ex-Palace servants on the pitch at half-time although I couldn't quite fathom the commercial reasons why they were there.

Nigel Martyn and Chris Coleman will always be welcome at Selhurst as far as this writer is concerned. Both men made enormous contributions to the club's cause in the 1990s.

I believe Chris Coleman is now to manage in Spain but I am not sure what Nigel Maryn has planned.

Whatever and wherever, they do and go, lots of luck and good wishes to Nige and Cookie...