Palmer: Carlton Lloyd (Carlton)

1994-1997 (Player Details)

Midfield/Central Defender

Born: Rowley Regis: 05-12-1965

Debut: v West Ham United (a): 28-09-1944

6’3” 13st 0lb (2001)

He was a combative midfield player who could play equally well at centre-back. He played for Whiteheath St Michael’s Oldbury, Rowley Regis & District Schools, Newton Albion, Netherton and Dudley Town before joining West Bromwich Albion. Palmer's football career began with West Bromwich Albionas an apprentice in the July 1983 and he turned professional in December 1984. He made his debut for Albion against Newcastle United in September 1985 as a substitute. He made twenty appearances, four as a substitute, in his first season and established himself as a regular as the Throstlers were relegated from Division One. He soon made rapid strides at the Hawthorns, skippering England Under-Twenty-ones, and gaining four full caps. He continue to be a regular until he was sold to Sheffield Wednesday for £750,000 on 23rd February 1989, rejoining his old boss Ron Atkinson, after making one hundred and fourteen starts together with seven appearances from the bench in League games and scoring four goals. He also made seventeen other appearances in the Cups and other games along with another substitute appearances and scoring one goal. His move to Wednesday proved to be beneficial and he began to improve. Always a trier and to make up for his lack of skill, he earned a reputation as an intimidating workhorse, equally comfortable in the centre of defence or midfield. It was at Sheffield Wednesday where he was awarded the first of his eighteen England caps, mainly during Graham Taylor's spell as manager, and he represented England during the disasterous 1992 European Championship campaign. While at Hillsborough he made seventeen full appearances for England and five at “B” level. Although Wednesday suffered relegation in 1989-90, they bounced straight back and proceeded to establish themselves as one of the main challengers for the Championship in the seasons leading up to his transfer to Leeds United on 30th June 1994. The highlight at Wednesday was leading them to the FA Cup Final in 1993, where they were defeated by Arsenal, thanks to a goal from the head of Leeds ‘Old Boy’ Andy Linighan. Always a regular he made two hundred and four League appearances for the Owls and another one as a substitute while scoring fourteen goals. With Wednesday also performing well in the Cups he amassed a further fifty seven starts and one substitute appearance , while adding another four goals to his tally. He was signed by Leeds United for £2.6 million as a replacement for David Batty, but he never managed to reproduce the form that had merited international recognition. Howard Wilkinson often used him as a central defender, but he was equally effective as a man-marker, however it was in midfield where he played the bulk of his games while at Elland Road and his long striding style saw him score some last-minute winners which helped United to surge to a strong late finish to the season as they clinched a place in Europe in 1994-95. After Wilkinson’s departure he fell out of favour and, after being dropped by George Graham, Palmer moved on to Southampton in 26th September 1997 for £1 million. He made exactly one hundred League starting appearances and two more from the bench with five goals to his credit, while in the Cups he managed twenty-eight games and scored twice. In the dressing room he was abrasive, awkward and argumentative but on the pitch he was determined, hard-working and persistent and his long legs made him difficult to play against. He stayed on the south coast for sixteen months before moving on to Nottingham Forest on 19th January 1999. Once again he was a regular in a struggling side making forty-four starts and one substitute appearances in the League and scoring three times and he did not add to his scoring record in seven Cup appearances before being sold for £1.1 million. He made thirteen League appearances before the end of the season which saw Forest relegated. He didn’t stay long the following season just one start two substitute appearances and one goal in the League and he was sold to EPL side Coventry City for £500,000 on 17th September 1999. He failed to establish himself as a regular at Highfield Road and in the two years he was there only started twenty-seven League games and made three further appearances from the bench, scoring just once. He did make five further Cup appearances without scoring, before dropping down the Leagues to Stockport County on 13th November 2001 on a free transfer. Coventry had tried to keep him in the shop window by loaning him to Watford for five League games in December 2000 and two spells with Sheffield Wednesday for three months from February 2001, making twelve League appearances, and a further two months from September 2001, when he played ten League games. He joined Stockport County as Player-Manager, but they were relegated in his first season and embarked on a very poor run of defeats before he was axed. He played forty-three League games, including one as a substitute, scoring four times. He did play briefly for Dublin City in August 2004 and then was invited by Mansfield Town to be their caretaker Manager, which he did without pay. Never one to give up easily, Palmer did enough as acting Mansfield Town manager to convince the club to appoint him on a permanent basis in March 2005. However, after a run of six games in a row without a win, and with the club third from bottom, Palmer resigned as Mansfield manager on September 17, 2005. He only made one League appearance for Mansfield. For England he scored once in eighteen games but was also capped five times at “B” level as well as four times at the Under-Twenty-one level. Palmer then worked as a pundit on the BBC show Final Score, and also provided match analysis for the Football Channel alongside ex-Leeds Manager, Peter Reid. He also owned the Dam House pub, near the Arts Tower in Sheffield. Palmer currently owns an online estate agency in Sheffield called The Home Game.