A versatile and highley rated performer, on paper it seemed to some as if Calvin Palmer's big money move in February 1968 was exactly what Sunderland's struggling squad needed, and yet when he departed two years the later his release felt inevitable – and the man that had brought him was certainly happy to see him go.
Bought by the recently reinstalled Alan Brown, Palmer's issues rarely came down to ability. Although fans felt they never got to see the same all action displays he produced at previous club Stoke City they still recognised his versatility and commitment to winning, particularly during one early appearance when against Stoke he took over from the injured Jimmy Montgomery in goal. It was an example of the type of self-sacrifice Brown would usually appreciate and yet the pair were unable to ever strike up a working relationship, a clash of personalities meaning that the notoriously formidable manager and his unconventional recruit often ***** ed heads.
Palmer would invariably take his football seriously but as a character struggled to acquiesce to Brown's rigid structure and expectations. A squad trip to a cinema the month after signing, during which Palmer decided to leave early, led to Brown disciplining him for a breach of club rules for instance, and once the tone was set a number of other battles followed. By January 1970 Palmer was on the transfer list at his own request, and there was clearly no way back for him.
A court case and subsequent driving ban that month served to emphasise the differences between the player and manager; Palmer had found himself on the wrong side of the law whilst Brown had previously served as a police officer and maintained a strict zero tolerance attitude towards any sort of infringements thereafter. In more modern times it might be sensed that Palmer's nature simply warranted a different approach, but the 'Bomber's' management style never relied on subtlety and in the May he confirmed his decision to cut his losses on the £70,000 fee that had been paid and gave his player a free transfer.
It was presumed that this would be the end of the matter, but Palmer, often accused of being 'outspoken' in those more deferential times, did still intend of having the final word. In August he joined Cape Town City and the following month there was to be a rude awakening for Brown when on this day a national Sunday paper launched a 'warts and all' series detailing from South Africa the views and stories of the now ex Rokerman. Whereas Palmer's seemingly divergent traits would be better understood now it was easy then to tag him as a controversial figure, but even still the new column was quite the exposé, with the account being labelled as an 'explosive' chat with 'football's stormiest rebel'.
#palmer #paper #squad
Bought by the recently reinstalled Alan Brown, Palmer's issues rarely came down to ability. Although fans felt they never got to see the same all action displays he produced at previous club Stoke City they still recognised his versatility and commitment to winning, particularly during one early appearance when against Stoke he took over from the injured Jimmy Montgomery in goal. It was an example of the type of self-sacrifice Brown would usually appreciate and yet the pair were unable to ever strike up a working relationship, a clash of personalities meaning that the notoriously formidable manager and his unconventional recruit often ***** ed heads.
Palmer would invariably take his football seriously but as a character struggled to acquiesce to Brown's rigid structure and expectations. A squad trip to a cinema the month after signing, during which Palmer decided to leave early, led to Brown disciplining him for a breach of club rules for instance, and once the tone was set a number of other battles followed. By January 1970 Palmer was on the transfer list at his own request, and there was clearly no way back for him.
A court case and subsequent driving ban that month served to emphasise the differences between the player and manager; Palmer had found himself on the wrong side of the law whilst Brown had previously served as a police officer and maintained a strict zero tolerance attitude towards any sort of infringements thereafter. In more modern times it might be sensed that Palmer's nature simply warranted a different approach, but the 'Bomber's' management style never relied on subtlety and in the May he confirmed his decision to cut his losses on the £70,000 fee that had been paid and gave his player a free transfer.
It was presumed that this would be the end of the matter, but Palmer, often accused of being 'outspoken' in those more deferential times, did still intend of having the final word. In August he joined Cape Town City and the following month there was to be a rude awakening for Brown when on this day a national Sunday paper launched a 'warts and all' series detailing from South Africa the views and stories of the now ex Rokerman. Whereas Palmer's seemingly divergent traits would be better understood now it was easy then to tag him as a controversial figure, but even still the new column was quite the exposé, with the account being labelled as an 'explosive' chat with 'football's stormiest rebel'.
#palmer #paper #squad
13 hours ago
