March 13 2011

Loftus Road

Jamesey took his well-worn path to Shepherd's Bush to see Palace defeated 2-1 by Queens Park Rangers.

What a mixed day.

The Eagles, with only one away victory all season, were matched against the high-flying Hoops who look almost certain to be in the Loadsadosh League next season unless their agent-connected misdeeds result in a massive points deduction.

In my old age, I enjoy sitting down to watch a football game and, as this is impossible in the away area these days, I bought a ticket in the Ellerslie Road stand.

For once, Loftus Road was sold out with a gate of 18,000-plus and a large Eagles contingent in the School End was in fine voice and overpowered the rather subdued Rangers support from the word go.

I was seated next to a large, shaven-headed gentleman who cordially asked me what I had thought of the Leicester game. I had to confess this was only my second visit to the ground in two years.

"You're Palace, aren't you?" he said, and I waited for the invective to commence.

"It's all right. I was brought up in Norwood and could have been Palace or Millwall myself but my folks moved over here when I was a kid."

He asked my opinion on some of the Palace players' strengths and weaknesses and gave me a quick run-down of the Hoops team pluses and minuses.

How civilised this is, I suddenly thought. Even though I had to be discreet about my allegiance, it was so refreshing to be able to have a good conversation seated next to a supporter of the opposition side.

Good heavens, it was like being at almost any other kind of sporting occasion with the exception of football where we have to be kept apart unless we tear each others' entrails out.

Of course, being in the enemy trenches is not all sweetness and light and someone immediately behind me spent most of the game nearly fracturing my earholes, bellowing "You're going down, you monkey c***s" in the general direction of the School End.

The Eagles started off strongly but the Rs gradually controlled the game especially with their fast wing play which seemed to be too much for our defenders to cope with and their first goal from Heidar Helguson, was no great surprise.

But James Vaughan's clever equaliser, against the run of play, saw us at 1-1 as the half-time whistle blew - something as excellent as it was unexpected from this spectator's viewpoint.

Well, I had enjoyed the sanity with my new-found QPR pal, now came the stupidity.

Rightly or wrongly the Hoops were awarded a penalty and Paddy McCarthy was given his marching orders and again Heidar Helguson did the business.

Rs keeper Paddy Kenny had the temerity to express his pleasure at being 2-1 up and was treated to a salvo of bottles and other objects from the travelling supporters behind him.

Whatever the excuse, there is no justification for throwing missiles at players and behaviour of a Millwallian mode seems to be on the increase from our away contingent.

As I write, I don't know whether a fine will be imposed as a result of all this.

After more than a half century of supporting Palace, home and away, I used to be proud of our general behaviour. I don't know whether violence is now so endemic in our society that it his filtered through to what used to be a caring and good-natured family football club. I profoundly regret the way things are going.

In all fairness, I thought the 2-1 result was flattering to the Eagles and, but for Vaughan's equaliser which injected a measure of confidence into the team, we could have got a right battering.

Now, just like last season, we face a grim struggle for survival in the second division. Fingers crossed...

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