May 7 2006

Iain Dowie

The Hornets almost certainly ended Palace's promotion dreams with a 0-3 victory at Selhurst on Saturday (May 6). Jamesey ruminates.

The balloons and bunting were out with a vengeance for the first leg of our play-off encounter with Watford...but the air of festivity was short-lived.

I have to admit that I found it hard to fathom what the fiesta-like trappings were all about.

We got what I personally expected...a nervous and patchy game between two teams who, on the day, looked very much like "Premiership, you're 'avin' a larf" models.

It would be easy to vent ones spleen on Iain Dowie and the usual suspects, but your genial scribe will, as ever, only make a couple of mild comments.

First, why does Ben Watson continue to take all the dead-ball situations? He is awful at corner-kicks and little better with free-kicks but, game after game, he continues to make a total hash of most of them.

Many supporters in my vicinity were entreating the Almighy to force Iain Dowie to reshuffle his Cabinet, Blair-style, and give all the dead-ball kicks to Michael Hughes, Jobi McAnuff, or anybody at all, please, please?

Second, I haven't seen many teams that find it so difficult to find a player wearing a similar shirt from throw-ins. It can't be that difficult but we do it, or more to the point, don't do it, all the time.

Nearly enough said. Mr Dowie and his staff are professional football operatives and I am a mere columnist on an unofficial website. They must know more than me, mustn't they?

Well, I forced Mrs J to curtail our Spring break in Dublin because, at the time, I didn't know whether we'd be playing Friday night or Saturday lunchtime.

Bejasus, to think I could have had more time sampling the Guinness in Kehoe's pub, off Grafton Street, and not have had to witness such a disappointing affair.

But duty called, Ryanair obliged and Palace flopped.

We only need a 0-4 win on Tuesday at Vicarage Road - an aptly named arena for a miracle...

Email Jamesey with any comments to Jevans3704@aol.com