June 17 2010

Crystal Palace

The appointment of a new manager is not exactly a novelty for Eagles supporters in the past 10 years, says Jamesey.

It was only three months ago that I was typing the words "Welcome, Paul Hart" into my computer for this column. Now another name is inserted into the template.

George Burley has a rather more impressive CV than Paul Hart on the face of it. He performed wonders with Ipswich Town getting them to punch way above their weight for several seasons.

He had a worrying tendency to fall out with his bosses so he and Simon would have been the duo from Hades, one might think. But, hurrah, Simon is no longer with us and by the eminently sensible overtures of the CPFC 2010 consortium, there seems to be no strong reasons for argument.

It was, of course, his tenure as Scotland manager where the wheels really came off the chariot. George won only three out of fourteen games as Sweaties boss and was sacked last November.

He has been out of work until the news broke today (June 17) that he had been appointed new manager at Crystal Palace Football Club.

And. almost certainly to the full support of most sane Palace fans, our beloved Dougie Freedman remains as Number Two. That's two Jocks together so there should be no communications problems.

It is probably unfair to compare George with Paul Hart who was brought in to do an urgent rescue job and, to be fair, delivered the goods by keeping us in the second tier of English football culminating in that nerve-jangling last minute survival game against Sheffield Wednesday.

Most of us will, I think, expect a prettier footballing policy from the new man. He has always appeared to want to play the game in the right way, a luxury the former gaffer couldn't always enjoy.

I love the World Cup more as every four years go by. I have been indulging in an orgy of football viewing in the past week - well at my age, an orgy of anything else is not really on the menu.

OK, some of the games have been disappointing but how wonderful it is to have the opportunity to see all the spectacles unfolding in a faraway land.

Obviously the great majority of HOL members will be rooting for "Ingerland" and that rather disappointing result against the USA very much stuck in the craw. But there are still two not-too-demanding games yet to see us progress into the next stage.

My second favourite team by adoption, Greece, astounded everybody by winning the Euro Nations Cup in 2004. Since then it's been downhill all the way.

Some of the happiest football memories in my life were in watching World Cup 06 and Euro 04 and 08 in the tavernas of the Greek islands.

As I write, Greece have beaten Nigeria 2-1 and my little darlings now have a ghost of a chance of moving on in the competition although the might of Argentina awaits.

Lord Byron said it all a couple of centuries ago - "For what is left the poet here? For Greeks a blush - for Greece a tear."

Email Jamesey with your comments to jevans3704@aol.com

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