May 19 2005

Simon Jordan

Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan expects the Eagles to win the Championship next season and make a swift return to the Premiership after Sunday's relegation at the Valley, by Stuart Pink.

The Eagles were eight minutes away from achieving what boss IAIN DOWIE described earlier this season as "a miracle" by staying in the top flight, but Jonathan Fortune's late header broke Palace's hearts as a draw was not good enough following West Brom's win against Portsmouth.

But Eagles owner Jordan has come out firing following Sunday's disappointment and makes no bones about what he expects next year.

Jordan said: "I don't expect us to be in the Championship very long. I expect to win the league and I'll give the manager the means to do that.

"I want to come up as champions and put to bed the memory of this season."

Jordan is also confident about keeping his much-coveted manager, who has impressed many this campaign with his passionate and astute managerial style and nearly keeping the Eagles up on a shoe-string budget.

Jordan said: "I've been seriously loyal to IAIN and expect the same from him.

"He is a good manager and he has a job to do here, and he wants to see the club be successful."

DOWIE is not the only individual Jordan is confident of keeping, as the Palace chairman also indicated that 21-goal striker Andrew Johnson will not be leaving the club in the summer.

Jordan said: "He's our player. I paid for him and he will have to be prised from my dead hand before he leaves here.

"He will be playing for Crystal Palace next season because his goals are going to help us win the league.

"The money we could get for him is irrelevant. I don't care what it is.

"I don't care if it is £6m, £7m, £8m, £9m or whatever. I'm not selling him. This boy is part of a unit that will get us back in the Premiership."

IAIN DOWIE was not quite as bashful on the subject of keeping his top goal scorer and his other stars, preferring to analyse the situation when the players return from their summer holidays.

DOWIE said: "It's not the time to talk about that. Andy signed a four-year deal. Wayne's out of contract, he's one we'd have liked to keep but it might be much more difficult to do that now.

"What we've got to do is reflect, take our time and not make silly statements.

"If we believe in each other and our abilities we've got a chance of rebuilding this club and that's important.

"I've learned a lot of lessons I'll be looking at myself and what I can do better next time."