Mark Lindsay: Malcolm Allison, US move and tackling racism

Club

7 Aug 2024

At open training in Tampa, two Crystal Palace legends were enjoying the Tampa Bay sunshine – although one far more used to it than the other. On pre-season tour, Mark Bright caught up with former Eagle Mark Lindsay, a man with a special place in the history of the club.

Lindsay arrived at the club as a youth player, and spent time around the first-team squad under Bert Head’s tenure, before making his breakthrough into the first-team under Malcolm Allison.

Brighty catches up with Mark Lindsay | From Palace to Tampa

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He was a man that Lindsay remembers fondly for his arm around the shoulder approach, but one story brings back memories of firm discipline when it was needed to motivate the squad.

“He was brilliant – he was a real character,” Lindsay remembers of one of Palace’s most famous managers.

“I remember we ended up knocking Watford out of the League Cup. “We were beating them 4-0 at half-time, and at the end of the game it was 5-2. So, we lost the second half 2-1. Who cares, right?

“Malcolm Allison comes walking in, starts throwing furniture around and having a go at everybody. Mind games.”

Lindsay was one of the first black players to feature for Palace, and went through difficult times dealing with the racist abuse from the terraces. English football in the 1970s was often a hostile surrounding for non-white footballers.

“A lot of times I was the only black guy on the field, to be quite honest with you,” he remembers.

“Not only would you get a lot of grief from players themselves, playing against teams, but it was also brutal when you go and take the corner or something, and it wasn't very nice.”

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I was the only black guy on the field... it was also brutal when you go and take the corner.
—Mark Lindsay

Lindsay spent some months playing in the all-black leagues in South Africa, where he experienced the racism of apartheid firsthand.

“Nelson Mandela was in prison still, and apartheid was still very strong,” he remembers. “There was a guy called Andy McBride that used to play for Crystal Palace, and he went and played in Cape Town.

“He was a white guy. He met me at the airport, and we drove down the road to go to a Kentucky Fried Chicken. We go in there, and the guy points at me and goes: ‘Hey – you can't come in here’. So I’m like: ‘What?’”

In America, however – in Tampa, specifically – Lindsay found a home. He was only supposed to go for a few months. He’s been there for 49 years.

“I came for four months – me, Stuart Jump, a centre-half at Palace, and Paul Hammond, goalkeeper at Palace, flew over together,” he explains.

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“We came to play for the inaugural Rowdies team. Then we went back to Palace, and when I got back – I never had an agent in those days – I said to Malcolm that I’d like to go back to America permanently.

“In America it was nice, because that [racism] wasn’t going on. I really liked America.”

Lindsay still follows Palace, and was back at Selhurst Park for the final game of the season, watching the Eagles put five past Aston Villa to make it six wins in seven games. One player caught his eye.

“[Adam] Wharton – he’s such a special player. He floats around and he’s got to the freedom to do some things, which is really nice to watch.

“To actually get players that are still out there that have that innovation, see slots – the weight of his passes is off the charts. He’s easy on the eye.”

Lindsay caught up with Wharton, as well as several other members of the first-team squad at open training, including Jordan Ayew and Chris Richards – check out the open training video for more.

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Mark Lindsay: Malcolm Allison, US move and tackling racism

Club

7 Aug 2024

Lindsay arrived at the club as a youth player, and spent time around the first-team squad under Bert Head’s tenure, before making his breakthrough into the first-team under Malcolm Allison.

Sign up or Login to watch this video

He was a man that Lindsay remembers fondly for his arm around the shoulder approach, but one story brings back memories of firm discipline when it was needed to motivate the squad.

“He was brilliant – he was a real character,” Lindsay remembers of one of Palace’s most famous managers.

“I remember we ended up knocking Watford out of the League Cup. “We were beating them 4-0 at half-time, and at the end of the game it was 5-2. So, we lost the second half 2-1. Who cares, right?

“Malcolm Allison comes walking in, starts throwing furniture around and having a go at everybody. Mind games.”

“A lot of times I was the only black guy on the field, to be quite honest with you,” he remembers.

“Not only would you get a lot of grief from players themselves, playing against teams, but it was also brutal when you go and take the corner or something, and it wasn't very nice.”

Quote Icons

I was the only black guy on the field... it was also brutal when you go and take the corner.
—Mark Lindsay

Lindsay spent some months playing in the all-black leagues in South Africa, where he experienced the racism of apartheid firsthand.

In America, however – in Tampa, specifically – Lindsay found a home. He was only supposed to go for a few months. He’s been there for 49 years.

“I came for four months – me, Stuart Jump, a centre-half at Palace, and Paul Hammond, goalkeeper at Palace, flew over together,” he explains.

Sign up or Login to watch this video

“In America it was nice, because that [racism] wasn’t going on. I really liked America.”

“[Adam] Wharton – he’s such a special player. He floats around and he’s got to the freedom to do some things, which is really nice to watch.

“To actually get players that are still out there that have that innovation, see slots – the weight of his passes is off the charts. He’s easy on the eye.”

Lindsay caught up with Wharton, as well as several other members of the first-team squad at open training, including Jordan Ayew and Chris Richards – check out the open training video for more.

Related News

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