177: Carlo Nash, Crystal Palace, Merlin’s Premier League 98 Official Sticker Collection

Talking about periods of relative stability seems trite in these disconcerting times but, for the first time in my life, Crystal Palace Football Club seem to be experiencing one. For the past seven years the Eagles have been a Premier League side and, despite a few wobbles and Frank de Boer, this position hasn’t looked too precarious. This is traditionally the point for solidly mid-table Premier League sides to reflect on a lack of European football, sign a host of questionable expensive players and drop down to League One, or ‘do a Charlton’, so there’s potential for everything to capitulate yet.

How different it was in the 1990s. Palace were the archetypal yo-yo team: relegated in the inaugural Premier League season in 1993, promoted in 1994, relegated again in 1995, beaten play-off finalists in 1996, promoted play-off winners in 1997 and relegated again in 1998. At least you couldn’t say it was boring. Such fluctuating form led to an ever-changing cast of characters at Selhurst Park and, when club legend Nigel Martyn departed for Leeds in 1996, the goalkeeping duties were shared for the 1996/97 promotion season between Chris Day and Carlo Nash.

Palace made a whole host of dreadful decisions upon their return to the Premier League in 1997 (Itzik Zohar, Michele Padovano and Thomas Brolin to name a few) but perhaps one of the most costly, both financially and in terms of results, was in the goalkeeping department. Day was rewarded for his solid performances between the sticks in the club’s run to the play-offs with a transfer to Division One Watford. For an additional £1.5m, Palace received Kevin Miller. I’m sure that Miller is a nice bloke, and his long career suggests that he was decent at his job, but his performances in South London were mediocre at best and did little to stop the club’s slide to the bottom of the Premier League and return to Division One.

Miller played all 38 games in the Premier League. Normally in this situation a club’s second choice keeper will get a run out in the League Cup and FA Cup and Nash’s form in getting Palace promoted certainly warranted this. However, the club’s penchant for self-destruction in this season extended to cup competitions too and Miller featured in Palace’s League Cup exit at the hands of Third Division Hull City and all four games of their FA Cup campaign which was ended by eventual double winners Arsenal. Somewhat understandably, Carlo Nash left Palace in search of regular first team football with then Division One side Stockport County at the end of the season.

I distinctly remember Nash’s farewell to the Selhurst faithful following a rare home win against Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the 1997/98 season. He was warmly received at the Holmesdale Road end and was cheered as he dispatched his shirt and gloves into the stands. This may have been in part due to his boyband good looks but more realistically reflected the appreciation for his stoic acceptance of a place on the subs bench for an entire season where he couldn’t have done much worse than Kevin Miller. Then again it might have just been down to the fact that anyone in possession of such a fantastic example of 90s kit design would be revered by friends and family alike. Seriously, look at that thing. Beautiful.

Nash enjoyed a nomadic career, including playing a role in Manchester City’s return to the Premier League in 2000/01, and served the familiar role of reserve keeper with the likes of Wigan, Everton and Stoke in the top tier. This might be a case of rose-tinted glasses but I sometimes wonder if Palace had taken a chance on Nash back in 1997/98 he might have achieved more. Still, at least he got to wear that exceptional jersey.