• Solid competent defender
• Composed, assured and cool

• Doesn't impose himself
• Passing is not that good
• Tends to pick up yellow cards

After three years out of the frame at Nottingham Forest, Carl Tiler was snapped up by Villa boss Brian Little for £750,000 and thrust him straight into Premiership action against Everton in the 1995/96 season.  The plan backfired somewhat for the Villa boss as Tiler pulled his hamstring muscle and did not play again for the rest of the season.

A willing and capable performer, Tiler came back well in the early stages of the 1996/97 season, and netted his first goal for Villa against his former club in a 2-0 home win in October 1996.

However, the 27-year-old became unsettled at Villa Park.  Tiler's chances of senior action were increasingly limited as youngster were chosen ahead of him.  Unsurprisingly, the Sheffield-born central defender was delighted to link up with the Blades on transfer deadline day in March 1997 in a £700,000 deal.

Howard Kendall was sufficiently impressed with Tiler that he went back to Bramhall Lane and persuaded him to step back up into the Premiership.  Under Kendall, Tiler racked up a series of solid performances and become a first choice among the centre-backs.  Will he be held in the same regard by Walter Smith?

The answer came by the end of September 1998: No.  Carl Tiler became the first of Howard Kendall's bargin buys to find a new home, transfering to Premiership new-boys, Charlton Athletic, for £700,000. While a competent squad player, the general consensus was that Tiler simply was not good enough for the new Everton.