In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has revealed how George Graham forced him out of the Yorkshire club back in 1997 and shed light on his overall relationship with his ex-boss.
Palmer spent three seasons at Elland Road, making just over 100 appearances in the Premier League before joining Southampton.
The retired England international scored five goals in those appearances while playing alongside the likes of Ian Rush and Tony Yeboah, players who also had their difficulties with Graham.
Speaking exclusively to FFC about his Elland Road exit, Graham and former team-mates, Palmer said:
“From the first day he [Graham] came into the football club, he made it clear to me that I wasn’t in his plans. I don’t understand the reason why. I don’t understand how you can walk into a football club and just make a decision based on nothing.
“And it wasn’t just me. He made this about Ian Rush, Tomas Brolin, Tony Dorigo, Brian Deane. He made those judgements even with Tony Yeboah, so it was an uncomfortable time for me, and the club allowed him to do it.
“This is what he did. He’s a bully and I’m not afraid to say that. He couldn’t bully me, but he’s a bully.”
Focusing on the move to Southampton specifically, Palmer went on to add:
“You’re saying to me I’m not good enough, right? Harry Redknapp comes in for me at West Ham, Joe Royle comes in for me at Everton, and you’re not going to sell me to those two clubs?
“He told me you can either go to Southampton, who were seven points adrift at the bottom of the league, or in the Championship. And even when I [eventually] went to Southampton, he put in a clause that I couldn’t play against Leeds United.
“If I was that bad of a player, and he thought I was that bad of a player, why are you putting in a clause that I can’t play against you? So it shows you that move was nothing about football. That was about control, controlling the dressing room.”
As well as Leeds and Southampton, Palmer also enjoyed top-flight spells with Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Coventry City.
Present day, it has been contrasting seasons for two of Palmer’s former clubs Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday. While the Whites have impressed in the Premier League this term under Marcelo Bielsa, the Owls have been extremely disappointing in the Championship.