Drum Magazine Issue 4 | Page 44

42 Drum: SPORTIVE Colour is no longer a factor when the national squad is selected, but bookies will give you long odds on there being a black England boss any time in the next 10 years. Best described as ‘niggly’ during his top-flight playing career. Some may disagree with the idea of Carlton Palmer earning a place in any ‘best of’ list. First black player to captain the England first team. His defining moment in the Three Lions came when he put in a battling performance against Italy, helping England to a draw that put them into the 1998 World Cup Finals. Ending the game with his head swathed in bandages after sustaining a nasty head wound in the first half, cheeky Geordie wife-beating funster Paul Gascoigne brought the world to its knees with helpless mirth by likening Ince to ‘a pint of Guinness’ because Ince is black, and the bandage on his head was white. And Guinness is black, with white on top. See? Amazing. However, Palmer was unfairly maligned throughout his career, and suffered from being part of a singularly uninspiring Graham Taylor-era England team, and the fact that he wasn’t Paul Gascoigne. But he was a hard-working, effective player, and a godsend for cliché-happy commentators, who could always find an excuse to refer to his ‘telescopic legs’. To some he will always be an Argos catalogue version of Patrick Vieira. To me he will always be the man who made me cry with laughter at his pitch-perfect Graham Taylor impression in the classic ‘Impossible Job’ documentary about the beleaguered England manager. © Sporting Heroes Collection Ltd. CF: Cyrille Regis 5 appearances; 0 goals © Sporting Heroes Collection Ltd. CM: Carlton Palmer 18 appearances; 1 goal © Sporting Heroes Collection Ltd. CM: Paul Ince 53 appearances; 2 goals Another of Ron ‘after everything I’ve done for black players’ Atkinson’s ‘Three Degrees’. Regis terrorised defences in the 70s and 80s with his muscular forward play and explosive shooting. Built like a middleweight boxer, he was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1978, and went on to win five full England caps. Never truly reaped the rewards in terms of medals that his incredible natural gifts should have brought him, despite playing a key role in the Coventry City team that won the FA Cup in 1987. In the team for his sheer charisma and physical presence. Also, he looks a bit like my Dad and signed a programme for me at the 1995 Coca Cola Cup Final.