Source: Daily_Mail
LEO'S LONDON: Simon Jordan may have ruffled a few feathers, but the game will be duller without him
When Simon Jordan eventually leaves football there won't be a queue of people bidding him a fond farewell.[LNB]It is fair to say the Crystal Palace chairman didn't come into the game to make friends and will leave having acquired a few enemies.[LNB]But whether his club's financial problems push him or he jumps into a sale on his way out, the landscape will be less interesting without him.[LNB] Jordan: Life hasn't been dull with Palace chairman around[LNB]In the decade that he has owned Palace, life has seldom been boring.[LNB]Most of it has been spent in the Championship, but there have been play-offs - and one dramatic promotion to the Premier League.[LNB]There was one relegation from the top flight too, of course, and managers - Neil Warnock is the eighth excluding caretakers - have come and gone with some regularity.[LNB]Along the way there have been many players - good (Andy Johnson), bad (Ade Akinbiyi) and overweight (Jamie Pollock and Neil Ruddock) - innumerable outbursts and some pretty strong personal attacks.[LNB] More from Leo Spall... LEO'S LONDON: Florent Malouda will get nowhere with his Frank talking - Lampard is Mr Chelsea06/01/10 LEO'S LONDON: Super Cesc proved he is Arsenal through and through30/12/09 LEO'S LONDON: Harry's handling of Christmas bash has been spot on22/12/09 LEO'S LONDON: It's time the FA came down hard on the likes of Benoit Assou-Ekotto 16/12/09 LEO'S LONDON: Forget Beckham, Milner and Wright-Phillips... Aaron Lennon is the right choice for England09/12/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE There have been challenges to authority, legal actions and a stand against the behaviour of some agents.[LNB]Jordan once said that Palace were the football club equivalent of a Fast Show character - 'a little bit tasty, a little bit 'whooar', a little bit 'wayyy'' - and that is how his stewardship has been.[LNB]Inevitably, that is not to everyone's liking and Jordan has sometimes deserved to be called the names he has.[LNB]He is a complicated and image conscious man who frequently has strong opinions.[LNB]I know I am not alone in having endured the odd foul-mouthed rant from Jordan when we have fallen out.[LNB]But he is an owner who threw himself and his money into the club and tried to make Palace upwardly mobile.[LNB]The amounts and methods can be argued over, but Jordan is an entrepreneur brought up locally who wanted to bring back the good times by sensible means after saving them from extinction.[LNB]The way things are now, with debts piling up and various bills not being paid on time, including the wages, suggests that ultimately he will fail.[LNB]But the man who used a third party to take Palace out of administration 10 years ago before revealing himself as the ultimate buyer loves to keep a secret and has been awfully quiet of late.[LNB]We just have to hope that he has got another one up his sleeve which would give Palace - and him - the reasonable legacy he craves to go with the fascinating one he is leaving behind.[LNB] Arsene Wenger re-signing Sol Campbell for Arsenal breaks all the Frenchman's rules.[LNB]At 35 years old, he is way over the manager's limit for an outfield player.[LNB] Capmbell: Back at Arsenal [LNB]The defender is also the first player Wenger has brought back to the club in his 14-year reign.[LNB]But at least it confirms there is one popular rule that he is finally prepared to observe: Arsenal's defence must contain anyone but Philippe Senderos.[LNB] Harry Redknapp, officially at least, has to sell before he buys in this transfer window.[LNB]If he is going to improve his already impressive Tottenham team he is going to have to be at the top of his wheeling and dealing game.[LNB]So alarm bells should be ringing for any Spurs fans who still worship Robbie Keane.[LNB]'Please God, he'll still be here in February,' said Redknapp last week.[LNB] Keane on a sale? Spurs boss Harry Redknapp says it would need a £50m bid for him to consider selling his striker[LNB]'Robbie's here. He is the captain and very important to us, unless someone comes up with £50m or something for him.'[LNB]Sound familiar? Try Redknapp, then West Ham manager, apparently insistent on keeping the team's prized young player Rio Ferdinand after Leeds had bid £10m for him.[LNB]'David O'Leary has £30million to spend in the summer and he wants to give me £10million for Rio Ferdinand,' said Redknapp in April 2000.[LNB]'But the day we sell Rio and our other young players is the day when this club starts to die.'[LNB]A few weeks later: 'If and when Rio does leave he'll be going to one of the top Italian or Spanish clubs.'[LNB]Then, 'If Barcelona knock on the door we've got real problems because I couldn't say 'no' to the boy. But why should we sell him to Leeds? He's better off here.'[LNB]In November 2000, Ferdinand finally joined Leeds United for a then British record fee of £18m, 80 per cent higher than the original offer.[LNB]The transfer window has been introduced since and maybe there isn't time for such a lengthy haggling process to be repeated, but it sounds like the starting gun has been fired on a deal.[LNB] West Ham guilty over Carling Cup riots but FA hand Millwall a reprieveNow for a Sol revival! Wenger backs Campbell to lead Arsenal in title bidSandro agrees £6.5m move to Spurs but Brazilians try to delay doing deal[LNB] [LNB]
