Geof Palmer

[Hereford Wolf]

Was he good or was he $$$$$e ?


I have to say I always liked Geoff (but I don't think the majority of the crowd did).


He dealt with a lot of top class attackers without a problem.....very underated.


Yes - a few mistakes, but a great Wolves player. I think sometimes we forget these players were playing in the top division and finishing HIGH.


I could start another post..MIKE BAILEY

[Florida Wolfey]

As a youngster he was fantastic. I'll never forget Dave Thomas hitting the doors where the players used to run out at the old Mol. Fantastic tackle.smileys/smiley2.gif


Later, Zico seemed to have half the crowd with him, and half against him. This being Wolves you wouldn't expect much less would you?


A few years later I went to afootball school and he was an instructor. He certainly opened my eyes with what went on on the professional field and he was certainly a good all round bloke.


I agree, he was under rated and had he played for a more fashionable club he may well have won more honours than he did.

[Black Suit]

Heart 'n' souls dort of player, but he wasn't that good, Zico was meant to be sarcastic you know.


Some erratic play, interlaced with errors and tackles which looked like assault! Then he became a Rozzer.smileys/smiley36.gif


Is this the way Essex joined the Force, via football?

[Wivey Wolf]

Zico - may not have been the greatest player, but he was decent enough and he cared enough that once he put the old gold on, he always gave 100%. And that's good enough for me.


And top marks for the facial hair as well.smileys/smiley2.gif

[bone roach]

I remember the time he got sent off for violent assault on Stan Cummins. If memory serves, two identical tackles that were later than a rat returning to pre-season trainingthat saw wee Stan fly about 10 ft in the air.


If he did that now, he's probably have to arrest himself or something smileys/smiley5.gif

[Gold Umbro]

He's a top bloke.


Out of our 79/80 first team only Geoff, Kenny Hibbittsmileys/smiley14.gif, Paul Bradshaw and Andy Gray replied to my written requests for signed photographs! Cheers lads.

[Essex Wolf]

For me GP was a solid 100% player for the club and he will always be a top bloke for me.

[Hibbitt was King]

He's a top bloke.


Out of our 79/80 first team only Geoff, Kenny Hibbittsmileys/smiley14.gif, Paul Bradshaw and Andy Gray replied to my written requests for signed photographs! Cheers lads.





The missing 'T' is to accommodate only 15 characters being available for user names.


Geoff Palmer was the original Lee Naylor - has ability, but lacks consistency. Both played for England U-21s. I can remember a spell where in every game he just had to hoof an intended ball down the line into the stand. He even did it in the 1974 League Cup final.smileys/smiley18.gif

[bone roach]

was it not the u23's that Zico played for?


Edited by: bone roach

[Gold Umbro]

He's a top bloke.


Out of our 79/80 first team only Geoff, Kenny Hibbittsmileys/smiley14.gif, Paul Bradshaw and Andy Gray replied to my written requests for signed photographs! Cheers lads.





The missing 'T' is to accommodate only 15 characters being available for user names.





My smiley wasn't aimed at you HWK (I had never noticed your spelling!) - it was an <approvesmiley>, merely inserted to big-up Kenny as my first ever favourite player smileys/smiley1.gif

[peckhamwolf]

the old man felt he was one of the weak links in a very very good team at that time but insisted you couldn't fault his commitment.

[SFS II]

For the last 3 or 4 years of his Wolves career he was $$$$$$$*** awful.

[Wivey Wolf]

For the last 3 or 4 years of his Wolves career he was $$$$$$$*** awful.


As were the rest of the team at that stage - I believe that theydragged Zico down... smileys/smiley2.gifEdited by: Wivey Wolf

[SFS II]

Not as I remember it. He stood out for his unbelievable levels of awfulness in a team full of utter garbage.

[peckhamwolf]

in normal circumstances he would have eased out of his career with Wisbech Town, Aylesbury or Willenhall Town like most of our ageing players at that time. Instead he stayed and looked comparable to the rest of the she-ite at that time.

[Florida Wolfey]

A lot of you choose to remember his latter years when he had lost some ofhis pace. In his first 3-4 years he was a very good full back. Later on he was switched to centre back as his experience was better utilized there.


As a youngster he'd have walked into any Wolves team of the last 10 years IMO. A good servant to the club and one who played 410 games for the club. He played in both league cup final wins and I think a little more respect is due to Geoff who always played to the best of his ability.

[ulven]

Good debate about an important underlying issue: ie how did the
talented Wolves team of 1970-1978 period fail to win anything apart
from one League Cup.



For me, Palmer was part of the reason. He was defensively ok, although
often caught out of position. But his attacking play was close to
non-existent and he more often than not gave the ball away or punted
over a cross that went out or dropped into the keeper's hands. He also
managed to get worse and worse over time.



Wolves had little strength in depth during this period and that was the
main reason why they could never sustain a challenge. The first team,
on form, was the match of any other side, at least until the great
LIverpool side emerged. But having a mediocrity like Palmer at fullback
always meant there was a weak link, even when the rest of the team was
at full strength.

[Florida Wolfey]

Ulven,


Back then full backs were not expected to get forward as much as today. I certainly agree with you re: punted crosses but you have to remember the form of coaching there was then. Not exactly primitive but not far from it.


As regards getting worse and worse, then I have to disagree. Towards the end he played in a very poor Wolves team and I don't think many world class players would have looked any good in that side.


I'd also disagree with you in regard to the time period. The league cup win in 74 was the culmination of the good side and the start of an average side. The side in the period 71-74 was the best I saw and only fate prevented us winning the UEFA Cup and FA Cup. We also finished 4th in the league during that time. The next best side I saw was built by Barnwell and that side finished 6th.

[ulven]

Florida,



You are broadly right on the timescale. Wolves lost Dougan, Bailey,
Wagstaffe and Munro between 75 and 78. The heart of a good team was
gone and the standard went down drastically.



But some of the replacements were potentially very good, Berry, DAley,
Carr and Sunderland. Allied to the fact that the other top players,
Richards, Hibbit and Parkin were still around. The problem with the
75-78 period was one of management and the board's ambition, IMO,
rather than simply being one of cyclical decline.

[Florida Wolfey]

The replacements were OK but we badly lacked a midfield general and a leader.


I agree the Board were to blame for a lot of what went on and to a degree we are still suffering from decisions made back then. Our club lost its way and whilst the period under Barnwell promised much, the inept handling of our finances by Marshall cost us dearly in so many ways.


As for the players you mention, Chicken George was only very average IMO. He could be relied on to make at least one or two vital mistakes a game and how he ever played international football is beyond me.


Steve Daley had a very good period but then went to Man City where his price tag became a burden and he lost form.


Willie Carr, IMO, was never more than average despite a good debut v Chelsea. And who can forget that match? LOL.


Alan Sunderland ...again, an average player who played above his ability when he went to Aresenal. Another indictment of the Wolves management at the time maybe?


As for other players we recruited during this spell then none really stands out. Off memory we signed Jefferson, Kindon, Pierce, Withe, Farley, McNab, Bradshaw, Rafferty and Daniel in the mid to late 70's. Only Daniel and Bradshaw were of the required quality IMO. Also, an indictment of our youth policy was the fact that we brought through Nigel Williams, Don Gardner, Norman Bell, Maurice Daly, Gerry O'Hara, Martin Patching, Colin Brazier, Kenny Todd, George Berry, Mel Eves, Bob Hazell, Ian Arkwright, Wayne Clarke, Craig Moss, Hugh Atkinson, John Humprey,and Mick Hollifieldin the same period. Very few of whom held down a regular first team place.

[Hibbitt was King]

He's a top bloke.


Out of our 79/80 first team only Geoff, Kenny Hibbittsmileys/smiley14.gif, Paul Bradshaw and Andy Gray replied to my written requests for signed photographs! Cheers lads.





The missing 'T' is to accommodate only 15 characters being available for user names.





My smiley wasn't aimed at you HWK (I had never noticed your spelling!) - it was an <approvesmiley>, merely inserted to big-up Kenny as my first ever favourite player smileys/smiley1.gif





Too clever for my own good smileys/smiley1.gif

[singwolf_1]

Back then full backs were not expected to get forward as much as today. I certainly agree with you re: punted crosses but you have to remember the form of coaching there was then. Not exactly primitive but not far from it.


Surely you're joking. Derek Parkin used to get forward all the time-and they used to called them overlapping full-backs, fyi. And he used to put in greatcrosses. Parkin would walk into the current England squad.And he wasnt the only one, Paul Reaney and Terry Cooper from Leeds, Chris Lawler from Liverpool, and others were of the same mould.

[Hereford Wolf]

Yes - Parkin used to get forward all the time.....and Geoff did as well....

[Florida Wolfey]

Sorry, the Parkin I saw may have got forward twice all game. Waggy did most of the work and only very occasionally did Parkin go outside him. Of the two Palmer got forward more often IMO.

[singwolf_1]

Sorry, the Parkin I saw may have got forward twice all game. Waggy did most of the work and only very occasionally did Parkin go outside him. Of the two Palmer got forward more often IMO.





Didn't watch him much then ? smileys/smiley36.gif