Is king Jordan soon to leave the Palace?

Master and Commander: Simon Jordan (left) and Neil Warnock's time together may soon come to an end if the Palace owner gets an offer for the club

Andrew Hodgson

13 April 2012

The message was bullish, the tone as fiery as the bright red jacket he sported at his inaugural press conference.

"This club has the greatest opportunity since it was branded the 'Team of the Eighties'," wrote Simon Jordan in his first programme notes as Crystal Palace owner in August 2000.

"I will be relentless in my pursuit of excellence from performances on the pitch to the quality of the hot dogs."

Today, Jordan's grand ambitions remain largely unfulfilled.

The club are still in the Championship, renting Selhurst Park from a mysterious third party and struggling to stop top-flight predators snapping up their young talent.

Now Jordan has had enough. He is seeking a buyer, meaning tomorrow's League curtainraiser against Watford could mark the start of his final season in charge. While Jordan's legacy remains dubious, he will be missed. More than 400 Palace fans have signed an internet petition demanding a U-turn, their admiration fuelled by the memories of how he saved the club following the ruinous reign of Mark Goldberg.

"He's done well," said Neil Witherow, editor of webzine Palace Echo. "He has kept the club on an even keel. And he has continued to develop the youth academy, which is probably his greatest legacy."

Jordan has become a standardbearer for football's poor relations, railing against the FA, players' agents and, prompted by the loss of John Bostock to Tottenham, the rights of smaller clubs to proper compensation when they lose young talent.

He is also one of footballs most generous chairmen when dealing with his squad.

Striker Dougie Freedman said: "Five years ago, he asked if he could pay bonuses at the end of the season, rather than every month, which made some of the lads dubious. We didn't have a great season but he still paid more generous bonuses than he should have."

Jordan's capacity to surprise also extends to his treatment of former managers, many of whom have remained friends after their sackings.

He attended the wedding of Trevor Francis's son, regularly enjoys dinner with Steve Bruce and was also close to current boss Neil Warnock before appointing him last summer.

Many in football would struggle to recognise this benevolent figure. Jordan's belligerence has made him enemies, with Birmingham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold, Iain Dowie and Ron Noades - whose Altonwood company was Jordan's Selhurst Park landlord for five years - chief among them.

Noades is critical of Jordan's failure to secure the long-term future of Selhurst Park.

The 40-year-old claimed to have bought the stadium's freehold from Noades for £12m in October 2006, but it subsequently emerged the company Jordan used to buy it - Selhurst Park Limited - was backed by property firm Rock Investments.

Palace now rent Selhurst on a 25-year lease and Noades claims the club's failure to own and redevelop their ground will damage their chances of attracting new investment.

"Whoever buys the club must buy the freehold," he said. "It's pointless trying to establish the club in the Premier League with an old 26,000-capacity stadium - you can't compete.

"But I don't think Jordan's done anything of consequence to Selhurst since he arrived. I hope he sells up but I'm not sure he will.

"In my 17 years at Palace only one person tried to buy it. For some reason, people just aren't interested."

With the global credit crunch taking hold and Palace still far from cementing their Premier League status, Noades could be right. Jordan may be ready to bid farewell to football but he might find walking away harder than he thinks.

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