October 8 2003

Julian Gray

STEVE KEMBER told the Guardian in August that he hoped: "Julian doesn't end up with egg on his face."

In his emotional interview with the Sunday People, it looked very much like chairman Simon Jordan was cracking some shells.

Gray has returned to Palace for one reason - he has no choice - no Premiership team would stump up the £500,000 Palace paid for him three years ago. And if Jordan wants to recoup that amount - having paid for the

player's gradual and hardly whole-hearted development - he has to keep paying his £4,000 a week wages.

It is an unhappy marriage which could run and run like SE25's own soap opera.

The question is whether any club will pay that kind of money for someone playing reserve team football. Charlton, Leeds and cash-rich Blackburn wouldn't for a first team star, despite impressive trials at each club.

In today's financial climate it would appear Gray is not worth the risk.

The majority of Palace fans seem to understand and support the chairman's

stance that Gray is a "big-time Charlie" and unfit to wear the Palace shirt after such disloyalty - but is he cutting off his nose to spite his face?

Until Black's promising display on Saturday, Palace have been crying out for a left sided wing back, with Gary Borrowdale and Jamie Smith failing to sufficiently fill the void.

In fairness the chairman suggested he would leave Gray's first team selection to his manager but in today's Guardian KEMBER has admirably backed his chairman.

Barring a change of heart, KEMBER will exile Gray to the reserves and hope a club comes in for him. But in the meantime no one wins. Charlton and Leeds both offered around £250,000, so would it not be worth cutting the

losses as with Akinbiyi, to allow the club and Gray to move on?

After the international break, Palace kick off three successive home games against Derby County Rotherham and Ipswich with the visit of the Rams on Tuesday October 14.

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