I've got it bad and that ain't good
Crystal Palace 0 Burnley 0
Report by Whitto
This game between two very poor sides ended goalless, much to the surprise of most of the supporters who witnessed an uninspiring relegation battle. In Crystal Palace's Julian Gray and the Clarets' Robbie Blake we had a small chink of talent amongst the mediocrity on show, but even the ability of these two failed to ever raise the game from just above the level of dross.
It is difficult to pinpoint where Palace have gone wrong recently. They have a large squad of experienced pros, and some excellent youngsters - particularly impressive is the young midfielder Routledge, a player who appears to have a big and exciting future ahead of him. Perhaps Palace's decline can be pinpointed to a series of poor financial deals, which removed any stability as the ownership of the club changed hands. Now Palace find themselves in the unenviable position of having the dictatorial Simon Jordan in control, and the future remains uncertain. It appears that Mr Jordan doesn't believe that there is a better manager in the League than himself at present. This of course is unfortunate, as, in Iain Dowie, Palace appear to have a fine prospect in the field of management - having worked miracles on a financial shoestring at Oldham, he now moves into the firing line at Selhurst Park. It remains to be seen whether Mr Jordan will allow him to manage the team - or perhaps once again he will decide he is the best man for the job. Either way, this is unfortunate for the Palace fans.
For many a year I have harboured a dislike for Palace fans. They had an imperious attitude towards the First Division, believing the old chestnut that they belonged in the Premiership. (This, of course, was incorrect, as was the assumption made by some Wimbledon fans when they finally succumbed to the inevitable relegation. Such comments as "Well, if we have to go to those sort of places for a season, so be it, but it will only be one season" - this sort of attitude wins absolutely no friends within the football-supporting fraternity, and indeed if they continue in their current vein they will not be playing at "those sort of places" for much longer.)
Palace fans for a while had the same sort of attitude, and in truth, as founder members of the League, it can be said that they are now reaping what they sow. They didn't envisage the position they find themselves in now when they forgot about the little guys back in 1992: back then it was all about the chosen few, and the unlucky majority were forced to sit at the window watching as the lucky ones feasted at the television table.
Of course, Palace are not the only fans who had this sort of attitude. Indeed, some of the worst culprits are ourselves. During the dark days of the Fourth Division, we were despised by many because of our superior attitude. During our first ever Fourth Division game, I clearly remember the Longside in its chorus of "going up, going up" as we took a three-nil lead over Northampton. We weren't quite so chipper when Northampton scored two goals and we were hanging on at the end.
Sadly, our attitude never really changed throughout our stay in the Division. We always had an attitude that we were far too good for our humble surroundings, fully forgetting that you are only as good as the Division you are in, and that having a nice ground and decent support is not a passport to glory. In truth, this attitude probably had a bearing on our length of stay in the doldrums; teams and their support were always desperate to beat the self-styled 'big boys'.
We have returned now to our rightful place. We don't belong in the Premier League, that is a fact, but there is nothing to say that we cannot get there. It is laughable for people to say that we are punching above our weight in this Division: we most certainly are not. Ambition has to be a mainstay of all football clubs; sadly, for many this is replaced by complacency and arrogance. Palace believed they belonged in the Premier League, and they were wrong. They are similar to the majority of clubs in the land - they aspire to be in the Premier League, and this is different. Personally, I believe Palace fans have supported their club terrifically well when you consider the things that they have had to put up with. They still get the crowds, and have a decent (if ageing) ground.
Yet today we found ourselves in this dire relegation scrap. The first thing that struck me was the clash between our away kit and the Palace home kit. I am amazed that the referee allowed it to continue - at times it was difficult to make out who was who as the gloom descended over SE25.
Burnley started with Camara restored to the side after McEveley's unlucky injury; Chadwick started, and Blake and Ian Moore were up front. Palace threatened occasionally during the first period, but, unusually, the Burnley defence remained calm and kept them at bay. Dowie made one strange decision, keeping the inept Shipperley in the starting line-up whilst the dangerous Freedman remained on the bench.
Perhaps Burnley's new-found steel at the back can be linked to the fact that Graham 'Jinxed' Branch is not in the heart of defence. I have always had a great deal of time for Branch - and, indeed, I have refused to blame him for the catastrophe after catastrophe that he has produced since the beginning of the season, preferring to blame Ternent's propensity for playing players out of position. Sadly, his misguided attack on the supporters just before New Year means the gloves are off, Graham. I find it outrageous that he can have a go at the supporters for booing and showing their displeasure. He (and the majority of the players, and the manager) have had an easy ride so far as I am concerned. We have ceremoniously slid down the table, thanks in many instances to mistakes by Branch and Jensen, amongst others - yet he has the cheek to criticise. In the Burnley Express, he stated that "Every mistake I've made this season, they've either scored..." So stop making bloody mistakes, then! You are a professional footballer: stop whinging and get on with it.
As it turned out, we didn't have any of those mistakes to be punished while he was sat on the bench; perhaps we have found his best position at last.
Palace continued to press, with the impressive Gray giving powder-puff Roche a real roasting (thankfully not the kind preferred by certain Premiership footballers). Indeed, Roche today proved that we have two mediocre right backs to add to our mediocre left back. Oh joy!
After half time, Burnley came into the game a little more. Robbie Blake tested Myhre, who really showed what the art of goalkeeping is all about. He constantly took the pressure off his defence by collecting high balls time and again. If only our satsuma-shirted keeper at the other end could do the same! To be fair to Jensen, he did make a couple of telling interceptions and indeed a couple of timely saves: this was one of his better games.
This game is a start for Ternent, but whether he can turn it around is debatable. Rumours from the dressing-room that he is paranoid that the players don't like him, and prefer Ellis, come from a good source. In fact, he is allegedly said to break up any gathering where players and Ellis are talking, such is his degree of paranoia. And what do we make of the training ground bust-up with David May? Once again I have it on good authority that his paranoia is well-founded, and that the players allegedly can't stand the sight of him. Everybody knows that there are training ground bust-ups at football clubs - it happens, and is a fact of life - but when the manager is said to have head-butted a player, it is truly disgraceful. It surely would make any other manager's position untenable. A punch is a punch; the head-butt is a coward's weapon.
To compound the saga, after refusing to resign, the manager is supported by the Chairman in his actions. I would like to remind Mr Kilby that had this occurred on the terraces or in the stands, there would have been life bans. What's the difference? Burnley FC has been seen to condone violence. I very much doubt whether Harry Potts would have stooped so low as to head-butt one of his players.
Having read the Burnley Express whilst in the north, I was delighted to see their writer Chris Boden saying that Stan is the man for the job and he can get us out of it. This is hilarious when you consider that the Express daren't say anything bad about the Club or its manager for fear of being banned and having to stick the exploits of Padiham FC on the back pages. It would be difficult to find a more Club-friendly newspaper, and it is ludicrous for them to continue reporting as though all in the garden is rosy. Perhaps a little impartiality is needed; then we would maybe get balanced articles and not the drivel that is currently written about the situation.
Talking of drivel, the publicity-mad Chief Executive must be well and truly off the pace. What on earth has he changed the goalscoring celebration for? He has quite obviously no idea about atmospheres at football. Regardless of your feelings on music at football, it cannot be denied that 'Tom Hark' at least engendered an atmosphere when we scored; how likely is some dirgy Proclaimers dross to do the same? Ditto the announcer on the pitch: this is what we love to criticise other clubs for doing. Now, with the Prince of Darkness (with his blue and white halved shirt under his jacket - your secret is safe with me, Mr E) at the helm, we are becoming a laughable parody of all that is wrong in football. If you want to cut costs, Mr Edmundson, you know where to start. Please stop the gimmicks, and try to do something that will benefit the Club and its supporters.
By now the game was end to end, without any real chances at either end. Freedman came on for Shipperley and immediately, Palace threatened. Burnley had a couple of chances - May's excellent header was pushed away by Myhre, and McGregor had a shot drift just over - but even the introduction of the ineffective Little and jinxed Branch could not buy the Clarets a goal. Indeed, towards the end we were hanging on. Roche was continually skinned by Gray; and the pacy winger managed to get in a couple of wicked crosses, which somehow avoided all touches as they flashed across the six-yard box. We also survived a close penalty shout as Roche appeared to handle while grounded. But in the end, as the whistle blew, a point apiece was a fair result.
Relegation stares us in the face, and, with the news that Ternent is after Facey again, it looks like he is already planning for Division Two. As for Palace, they will survive. They have far too much quality to go down - and, most importantly, they have a talented manager.
Burnley: Jensen, Roche, May, McGregor, Camara, Chadwick (Little, 52), Chaplow (Branch, 79), Grant, Weller, Blake, Ian Moore.
Subs not used: Alan Moore, West, Pilkington.
Referee: A G Wiley (Burntwood).
Attendance: 15,276.
Whitto's Man of the Match: Robbie Blake / David May.
As with all articles on the site, the views expressed in the match reports section are those of the individual contributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Burnley FC London Supporters' Club.
