What a difficult week for everyone connected with the Albion after the defeat at Selhurst and the loss of a great servant.

The long-awaited derby did not go to plan as Palace hit peak form and deserved their three points.

The old adage of when you're down the bottom nothing goes for you can surely be applied to us as once again we were on the wrong end of two penalty decisions, as well as having Paul Brooker sent off.

And you know you're having a rough time when Bozzy sees red as he has a disciplinary record that makes Gary Lineker look like Atilla the Hun. But we will learn from this and everyone is desperate to put things right.

Tuesday afternoon saw all of the Albion unite for the funeral of Jock Riddell and the turnout showed what a well-loved character he was.

There was a massive gathering of current players and staff as well as ex-players like John Byrne, Jimmy Case and Steve Foster, with Micky Adams and Steve Gritt completing the Who's Who.

There were also many friends and Albion fans in attendance, which makes you admire how many lives he touched. It was a humanistic service which was different and very touching, which just shows that Jock wasn't your run-of-the-mill character and once again our heartfelt condolences go to his family.

Well the Brazilians (Reserves) had their last two games called off due to the adverse weather, though reports have filtered through that many clubs are afraid to play Dean White's dream team after seeing their recent form. This is frustrating as the players are chomping at the bit to impress the new manager with Deano chomping at anything he can get his hands on.

Dean Wilkins was a little upset on Wednesday as somebody completely covered his car with leaves. Apparently it was only a bit of fun but Ray's brother failed to see the funny side so 'keep your hair on Letchkov'.

The club's injury nightmare shows no sign of letting up, with three new players reporting to the cell block. Firstly, Will Packham has damaged ankle ligaments after tripping over his gnashers and will be out for three weeks. Then Victor Melton strained his thigh muscle but he should be back on Monday. And a complete accident saw Chris McPhee break his hooter after the clash with Kerry Mayo. Gareth 'the Office' Keenan (McPhee) was elbowed in the sniffer while challenging for the ball and was not happy with the mickey-taking and lack of sympathy he got from his colleagues. He now wants to take the Ginger Kenyan on for assault and is seeking advice from his father (a policeman). However, Kezza's solicitor is Johnny Cochrane so he's not worried.

As well as all the current players injured, ex-Albion star Ian Chapman was seen visiting Mal with medial ligament damage identical to myself and Bobby's injuries. But rumours that John Byrne has ordered a cottonwool suit are as yet unfounded.

Louis, our assistant physio, who is also a part-time athlete, had an upturn in fortunes when he won the Sussex half-marathon last weekend and could not wait to tell everyone.

However, we found out that he actually finished second and only said he won because the winner was from London and what he really meant was that he finished first in Sussex. So, on that score, Louis is currently the world record holder over 13 miles as everyone quicker than him isn't from his county.

I would also like to mention our magnificent fans as once again you were a credit to the club with your support and behaviour at Palace. And for anyone to try to tarnish your name with any kind of racial accusations I find totally untrue as, not only do we have our own coloured players, but you've also welcomed a sheep-lover as one of your own.

Saturday November 2