April 5 2009

Loftus Road

Jamesey trekked to west London to see Palace earn a point from an uninspiring 0-0 draw with Queens Park Rangers.

I couldn't really raise enough enthusiasm to write a column after our tedious 0-0 draw at home to Reading (Mar 21).

But I have forced myself to the keyboard after a similar dose of goalless action at Loftus Road which, I have to say, looks spick and span these days compared with our peeling and crumbling museum piece at Selhurst.

I did notice many Palace supporters of a more generous build having problems fitting into their seats in the School Upper Stand and can only think that the obesity time-bomb is arriving to hit even our abstemious and moderation-loving fans.

I have probably visited QPR's stadium more times than any other away club in the league and the walk through Shepherd's Bush to the ground has become quite a familiar routine.

I don't like repeating myself but after knocking out my Veteran View for eight years now, it is sometimes difficult not to do so.

I know there were a few isolated bits of nastiness after the game on Saturday but I have always regarded the Hoops as west London's mirror of ourselves.

We are both small, family-style clubs with passionate supporters who, most of the time, don't look for trouble or smash up rival teams' stadia.

Several times we have both managed to ascend the slippery ladder to the top tier and usually slid back down again fairly quickly.

Personally I feel no particular antagonism towards the Rangers and, as long Palace are not affected, am usually pleased to see them performing well.

However, in a fiercely contested London derby all nostalgia is shelved and, unlike ourselves, the R's still have an outside chance of making the play-offs this season.

Two of our old boys started the game in the blue and white hoops in the form of Mikele Leigertwood and Wayne Routledge, the latter registering nearly as high on the boo-ometer as Steve Bruce did in his Selhurst Park returns with Birmingham City.

More expert football analysts than myself will, no doubt, comment on the game but, to my eyes, we were outplayed, especially in the first half, and only the inspired keeping of Julian Speroni, once more stopped us shipping a couple of goals.

It was amusing to see QPR manager Paulo Sousa having a Warnockesque moment and getting himself sent to the stands for shouting the odds over an incident involving Claude Davis and a Hoops player's nose.

Two home games face us in the coming week and, once more, two tasty Euro-games on ITV on Tuesday (Apr 7) could tempt those of little fibre to stay at home and enjoy the top-level skills of Man U and Arsenal for free in their living rooms.

But not me, I hasten to add. I will be at my post for Coventry, come hell or high water. Duty is duty...

Email Jamesey with your comments to jevans3704@aol.com

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