'The challenge is hard for him' - but Sheffield Wednesday figure taking situation with class
Liam Palmer is second in the all-time list of Sheffield Wednesday appearance makers.
Long-time Sheffield Wednesday stalwart Liam Palmer is tackling his tweaked status within the squad with typical class, Owls boss Henrik Pedersen has made clear.
The 517-outing Wednesday stalwart is club captain at Hillsborough and is closing in on Andrew Wilson’s all-time appearance record of 546. His latest appearance came in their 2-1 EFL Trophy win at Salford City last week and it is expected that Palmer will once again feature in their home outing with Sunderland’s under-21 side next week.
Minutes in League One football have this season been a little harder to come by with Yan Valery preferred on the right of defence and numbers mounting more centrally. With Valery absent for the opener at Leyton Orient, eight-cap Scotland international Palmer played 90 minutes in the win but is yet to start a league match since, though he has come off the bench on three occasions.
Palmer takes his leadership responsibilities incredibly seriously and guided a young Owls side through the most desperate of situations last season. His status as a stalwart within the squad remains steadfast, Pedersen said, with the benefit of his experience felt whether or not he features as a regular starter.
“He has been really, really good and he always says the last thing before he go out on the pitch,” the Dane told The Star. “He has been really, really strong in the dressing room and also on the pitch. He trained really, really well. The challenge is hard for him right now but I think he takes this situation with class.”
The dynamic of a cub captain not playing the majority of minutes is a slightly unusual one but has seen the likes of Barry Bannan and Liam Cooper take the armband on occasion in a squad with renewed squad experience levels. Pedersen has been in regular conversation with Palmer over his role, which has seen him feature in seven of their 10 competitive matches so far this season.
“We had a conversation about it before,” Pedersen said. “I spoke with him about being the club captain and we have had a close conversation about it all the whole way. We have a really good relation. He's very, very important for the dressing room and all around the club and he’s been brilliant, so I'm very happy for this.”