Morrison seeks passport to Premiership

HE started the season with Birmingham City, finished it with Crystal Palace and, by the sound of things, Clinton Morrison could begin his next season somewhere else again.

Relegated City and promotion failures Palace will be Championship bedfellows next time round but the Ireland striker has at least one eye on a quicker return to the top-flight.

And one of the teams who have just gone up could provide his ticket.

“I have a meeting with the manager (Iain Dowie) next week,” he says.

“I just want to carry on playing. Sheffield United wanted to sign me before I came to Palace. I have a connection with Reading with Steve Coppell who managed me before at Palace.

“I have got admirers but you have to wait to see what Palace will do and whether the other clubs will take the risk. I don’t mind staying at Palace but obviously I want to play in the Premiership. So if the decision arises then I have a big decision to make.”

Meantime, out here in Portugal ahead of a Chile game he might miss through injury, Morrison is happy to talk about an even bigger change in his life – the recent birth of his son.

“It’s the best thing in the world,” he beams, “and distracts you away from football whenever you have a bad game and go home and are disappointed and then you see little Shay and he cheers you up.

Little Shay? He grins. “The missus likes the name and I knew I was going to get stick because of Shay Given but when he was born, I looked at him and said, yeah, he looks like a Shay.”

Of course, they could have opted to spell it Che as in Che Guevara? “Nah, she was not having none of that.”

Clinton hasn’t seen any sign yet that the baby will follow his namesake between the posts. Au contraire.

“He’s got a good left foot so he might be another Damien Duff,” says his proud dad. “His left foot is stronger, better than mine.”

On the pitch, it’s been a topsy-turvy year for Morrison.

“It was sad leaving Birmingham but you go onto different things and I’m happy being back in London,” he says. “Sadly we missed out in the play-offs, we didn’t defend well enough or take our chances.

“I was sad to see Birmingham go down and I still have time for manager Steve Bruce. I know Kenny Cunningham came out and criticised him but I thought he was alright. Obviously Kenny was judging him on the whole year and I wasn’t there for all of it but he was alright to me.”

And Morrison doesn’t have a bad word to say about Dowie — despite the row that has blown up between the manager and the club.

“His man-management is excellent. He likes you to train as you play and if you don’t put the effort in then he will have a go at you. He’s very strict but it’s enjoyable. Every aspect of my game has improved under Iain — my finishing, my work rate, my movement, my heading, my play with my back to goal. I go in half an hour before training every morning to work on my finishing and I have improved a lot since I went back to Palace.”

And Morrison knows he will have to be on his toes at international level, now that there is increased competition for the forward roles.

“Kevin Doyle’s emergence is good. Last year we just had Robbie Keane, me and Stephen Elliott. But I don’t fear anyone. I have to play my own game and if I do then I am good enough to be in the team. I’ve still to hit my peak years so hopefully the best is yet to come.”