Dowie and Johnson move on, but will Jordan?

Iain Dowie was unveiled at The Valley as their new manager, being one of a four-man team to make up a new management system at Charlton Athletic. Andy Johnson has passed a medical with Everton and completes a £8.6m move to Goodison Park, to be announced tomorrow. Crystal Palace Football Club are due to witness two main members of their cause for promotion joining two independent Premiership clubs. The thought I perceive at first was that either one of those two left because they heard the other was leaving. The media stated Dowie and Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan possibly fell out over not gaining promotion after being beaten comprehensively at their own ground by eventual play-off winners Watford. Then again, with the added fact that the media had built up Johnson's international prospects as Sven Goran-Eriksson contemplated his final squad members. Johnson may have decided he wanted to leave Palace to play in the Premiership to enhance his selection chances. Dowie announced he would be leaving Palace on account of his desire to be nearer to family and a yearning for a new challenge.

At the unveiling, it appeared Dowie certainly took on a challenge in taking over at Charlton and then received confirmation of another challenge, from Jordan. While the former Northern Ireland international contemplated new horizons elsewhere in South East London, again, a man attempted to enter the conference and serve a legal writ on Dowie on behalf of Crystal Palace Football Club, effectively on the instructions of Jordan. The man was prevented from serving the writ, instead he was, what I would call, ushered out through the door, not violently at all. Later on, a Sky Sports reporter interviewed the man briefly, who confirmed seeking to serve the writ on Dowie for the reason provided in the writ, that Dowie provided 'fraudulent representations' to Jordan before leaving Selhurst Park. This refers to a conversation between Dowie and Jordan where Dowie cited reasons for leaving, reasons which Jordan said, during a telephone conversation with Sky Sports News, he relied on for ending Dowie's contract. Dowie stating he wanted to leave to be further up north is therefore contradicted when he is managing within the same exact geographical location as he was before.

While the issue may come before the courts, it is yet another unsavoury moment in football. Palace fans are behind Jordan, while it is split with neutrals which way matters should have happened. For me, Dowie expressed a desire to leave, regardless of the reasons, and once he is adamant he wants to leave, then so be it. Serving a writ is to sue, and were the issue to go to court and be resolved in Jordan's favour, I would say it could go into Palace's coffers for future use, but I wouldn't bank on such an award being of a substantial level to aid Palace any further than they would have been without. From what has been said, Dowie left Palace to be out of Selhurst Park. Apparently Charlton approached Dowie the following day, when he was shown around The Valley, as mere coincidence. There is the lure of Premiership football, and as Dowie said himself during the leaving conference, while Jordan expressed he would not be happy if Dowie took over at Charlton, Dowie is not as wealthy as Jordan and needs to consider his next source of employment.

At the least, Dowie's appointment is a coincidence. At the most, he wanted to leave Selhurst Park. Jordan can prove false representations persuaded him to break off the contract that Dowie had to honour, it is a court issue. At the end of the day, Dowie wanted to leave and we know the old adage about that. Jordan should let it go.


RedsMan.