Clinton Morrison

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Clinton Morrison (born May 14, 1979 in Wandsworth, London) is an English-born professional footballer of Jamaican, Irish and Trinidadian heritage who currently plays for Crystal Palace. Morrison, a centre forward, plays his international football for Ireland due to his grandmother being from Dublin.

[edit] Career

[edit] First spell at Crystal Palace

Morrison, known as 'Bam Bam' for his fierce shooting, initially made his name as a player for Crystal Palace, making his debut on May 10, 1998 as an 82nd minute substitute for team-mate Neil Shipperley, capping his performance with an injury-time winner over opponents Sheffield Wednesday. The next season (1998-99, his first full year-long tenure at the club) was packed with 13 goals, turning Morrison into a light among the darkness for a team who were struggling both on and off the pitch. Whilst Palace were in administration Morrison agreed to play for the club for free.

14 goals during 1999–2000 continued this reputation, as he played more than 30 games, and scored 14 goals, including his only brace of the season at Swindon Town.

His 2000–01 season gave him 14 goals but he really made a mark the following year with 26 goals, and a move to Premiership side Birmingham City capped his season perfectly. This year also saw his debut for the Republic of Ireland, against Croatia, a 2–2 draw on August 15, 2001, in which Morrison entered the game at 53 minutes, and scored the second Ireland goal. He also travelled to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but did not participate.

[edit] Birmingham City

With a tricky relationship becoming clear between Morrison and Trevor Francis, then Palace manager, it was Birmingham City who fought and won his signature, for £4.25m , in exchange for Andrew Johnson. However, Morrison struggled somewhat more in the top league, scoring only six goals in his first, and four goals in his second season. However, following a spell on the sidelines with injury, during the 2004–05 season he began to form a decent partnership with striker Emile Heskey.

[edit] Return to Palace

Due to pressure for first team places Morrison left Birmingham on August 24, 2005. Palace agreed a £2m fee for the 26-year-old, who was also linked with Norwich City and Southampton. He claimed that a large part of his decision to return (besides his love for the club) was, ironically, due to being able to play alongside Andrew Johnson, the man Birmingham had originally swapped to get Morrison.

Clinton had a successful first season back at Palace, alternating with former strike-partner Dougie Freedman in playing alongside Johnson, scoring 13 goals in 33 starts and 8 substitute appearances.

In season 2007–08, Clinton started the season brightly scoring twice in the first 3 games, taking himself to 99 goals in his Palace career, however the 100th goal became an albatross round his neck, and manager Peter Taylor dropped him from the starting line up for several games. Morrison eventually grabbed his 100th Crystal Palace goal under new management (Neil Warnock) in the London derby against Queens Park Rangers (a club he has a knack for scoring against) on November 10, 2007, with an 88th minute equaliser, sending Palace fans into raptures. He was given a Special Achievement Award to mark this feat at the end of the season's "Player of the Year" ceremony.

After breaking the 100th goal deadlock, Clinton hit a purple patch of scoring, and he now has 111 goals in all competitions for the club, the fifth-highest of any player in the club's history, proving he is the number one striker at the Palace. Despite scoring in 11 out of 14 games for Palace, and the calls from many supporters to recall him, he was not called into the Ireland squad to face Brazil in a friendly on February 6th, 2008. However, his continued good form with Palace led him being recognised by new Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni, naming him in his first 40-man squad, though he did not make it to the full 28-man team. He drives a sick Bentley, black on black.

[edit] External links

• Clinton Morrison player profile at cpfc.co.uk
• Clinton Morrison career stats at Soccerbase

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