March 27 2003

Big Screen

Tuesday's Brighton beamback night at Selhurst Park was an interesting experiment, according to Jamesey

Well, it was first for me. I have never before mustered at a football ground, along with thousands (?) of fellow supporters, to holler and gesticulate at a giant TV screen 150 yards away.

Mind you, most of the hollering and gesticulating was in sheer frustration as we were well outplayed by Steve Coppell's Brighton side.

Four points out of six in our last two outings (Walsall at home on Saturday was the other) and both were totally cretinous performances.

(Please don't let Tommy Black take any more penalties.) Or am I just getting ungrateful in my dotage? I can remember times when four points out of six would have been manna from heaven.

Anyhow, back to the beamback experience. After a couple of snifters in the Selhurst Arms with "Geoff Thomas" (many thanks for the financial advice, John!!), we made our way to the Holmesdale upper tier to join the claret-and-blue throng.

The Red-and-Blue Bar was heaving with the faithful. But whatever happened to Simon Jordan's pledge to serve cheaper beer than that available outside the ground? Another forgotten promise, I think.

And, on the subject of SJ, do Jordan-watchers feel that the absence of micro-typesize ravings - otherwise known as the chairman's comments - in the last two programmes mark a distancing of the man from CPFC?

All in all, I thought beamback night was a great idea although I have to remind myself that my £5 concessionary entrance fee makes it more attractive to me than the average punter stumping up £12 at the turnstiles.

Finally, Trevor Francis has developed an uncanny ability to make me spit venom over the past 18 months. His comments on what a good side Brighton were in Wednesday's Daily Telegraph totally enraged me.

Instead of pontificating about how Brighton were too good to go down, why doesn't he concentrate on making Palace look like a decent team again?

A few weeks ago the play-offs looked like a genuine probability. Now the very thought is a bad joke.

Email Jamesey with any of your comments to Jevans3704@aol.com

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