October 2 2003

Crystal Palace

Whatever the circumstances, two points from a possible 18 is not good enough, and at 5pm at Carrow Road on Saturday, chairman Simon Jordan was stood in the centre-circle telling his management team just that.

What was said during the 20 minute conversation may never come out, but the body language spoke volumes.

Kember stood stone-faced with arms crossed and Terry Bullivant uncomfortably shuffled from foot to foot, as Jordan wildly gesticulated how he wants the team to play.

The chairman’s frustration that Palace have slipped from 1st to 16th is understandable and shared by everyone connected with the club.

But the wisdom of dressing down your manager in public, while the story-hungry press wait for Kember’s comments is dubious to say the least.

When Kember then issued his now customary refusal to do a press conference, it was inevitable that Jordan’s apparent tantrum would grab the Sunday headlines.

Unlike Premiership managers, Kember does not have to speak to the press, and I for one have no problem with that, because he always makes time for us locals and you the paying local spectator.

But whether intentional or not, the high-profile summit led to predictable and unfair speculation that Kember’s position might be under threat after just 11 games.

That cannot be the case! The chairman will have seen first hand how unlucky Kember’s men have been - conceding last minute goals and suffering shocking decisions like Huckerby’s Pires-style tumble.

Palace are playing well against some of the division’s top teams but not getting results. If Shipperley can shake off his current lethargy and add to his solitary strike, and Popovic returns to stabilise the defence, then a winning run is surely round the corner.

A left wing-back would certainly help, and bringing Gray back in from the cold is a step in the right direction.

But should a Premiership club come knocking, Gray would disappear leaving the same problem. Shouldn't Kember be backed to fill that void permanently??