Good afternoon ladies and gents, girls and boys, and welcome back to The Home of Football in Kent for the second time in a week. Football seems to be a bit like waiting for a bus at the moment, one doesn't come for ages then three or four come together, and in our case the boys have had to deal with travelling to two of the furthest away fixtures in the calendar, with Accrington and Hartlepool, and the obvious tiredness caused by arriving back in the South in the early hours of the morning.

Whilst it's true they get the day after off to rest, it still disrupts your sleep pattern as most of us will know and therefore the backroom staff will be working flat out to help the team to recover quickly in preparation for their next challenge, that challenge today being a contest between ourselves and our friends from the Midlands, Walsall. On behalf of everyone at the Club, I'd like to welcome all connected to our guests and it's especially nice to welcome back Darren Byfield who enjoyed a successful spell here at Priestfield just a few years ago.

After a somewhat difficult week last week, both physically and emotionally, we probably could have done without playing a side such as Colchester last Saturday, who are not only pushing for a top two finish, but are also a big, strong, physical and direct footballing side, with a team of players to suit. It was all the more pleasing therefore to witness how the team coped, battled and matched our opponents man for man and as a result of a great deal of endeavour and hard work we ended up sharing the points.

It was never going to be a classic but I thought the team did remarkably well under the circumstances and it was good to see the new signings come into the team and make their mark. It was also good to see Andy Bartram back from injury and undoubtedly he and the team will get stronger as they play more games, especially with injured players back in training who will soon be challenging for places.

The long trip to Hartlepool on Tuesday night was also always going to be difficult but again the team applied themselves really well and got their just rewards with a great Simeon goal after about 78 minutes only to be undone by a thirty yard strike by Hartlepool with eight minutes to go. Bit frustrating for the team and the 78 fans that made the long journey on a Tuesday night, (79 if you include Peter Lloyd) but there is no doubt the lads are edging closer to that first away win of the season that has remarkably eluded them thus far.

It was maybe symbolic, and of course a fine gesture of the teams thanks to the loyal travelling souls, that they all removed their shirts at the final whistle and threwthem into our fans, and although I have no doubt the Captain will be telling me when I discuss it with him that a new away strip will bring the required change in away fortune, it did send me scampering for the Company regulations book, the section about Club property, which of course I'll be obliged to bring to his attention and deal with as appropriate. And as for the kit man, he needs to start thinking about delivering milk again for allowing it to happen. Give a man responsibility and.........!

On a more serious note, this week saw yet another Football League Club go into administration with Crystal Palace allegedly having debts of over £30m in the Championship, with stories circulating within the football inner circle of third party charges being held over players contracts, stadium held in the control of separate administrators unconnected to the administrators of the Club, Inland revenue pursuing a winding up order in the High Court for unpaid taxes and other tales of woe that should send shivers down the spine of, not only Palace fans, but every football fan in the Country.

It feels like football is in a self destruct mode with no one having the answer, ability or maybe more significantly the will to stop the madness. Realistically we, as Chairman, have the answers and the ability to solve the problems, (and I know some of you may laugh at that) but do we have the will? The problem lies in the fact that in my near fifteenyears as your Chairman I have yet to come across a Chairman, or Board of Directors, that wants anything more than to win that next game, to get up that league table, to get that play off place, to make that trip to Wembley, to get near to a taste of that top division and to hold that fat cheque for some £60m or more, that is supposed to represent eternal salvation for his or her football Club and caps a lifetime of effort and justification, and vindication for all the pain that has been sufferedin all those years before.

We're all fans and we all want to win always, and each one of us is as guilty as each other, if guilty is indeed the right word, but of course the price we pay, as a Chairman, is that if we don't control our souls and more importantly our cash, often at the expense of the wrath of the fans and some pretty unpleasant experiences, then the road to salvation can often lead to the road to disaster, although it seems like going into administration for many Clubs has not been such a disaster !!.

I'm not preaching the answer because I don't have it, as myself and our good Board of Directors will continue to explore every opportunity to bring in more and better players to assist the Manager in achieving his, and our own goals in taking the Club forward safely and swiftly and within sensible budgets, but trust me, it's not easy as Simon Jordan is no doubt finding out right now. It's a thin line we walk between managing our hearts and managing our brains.

Today, however, the problems of Crystal Palace are their own and we must focus on the challenge of gaining maximum points in our battle with Walsall. We know what is expected of everyone both on and off the pitch and if we all do our jobs, then that's all that can be asked.

Welcome to my good friend Mousa Abu Aisha from The Middle East and I hope you all enjoy the game

Up The Gills
Paul D P Scally
Chairman