Carver started out in football as a player, joining Blackburn Rovers as an 18-year-old groundstaff boy and spent seven years at Ewood Park, becoming the first choice centre-half in 1931, playing almost 150 games for the First Division side.

In 1936, he joined Newcastle United for £2,000, making his debut against Barnsley in August, and with Carver playing the Toon's highest finish was 4th in the Second Division.

He built his training routines around using the ball, instead of boring repetitive lapping, Xerxes flourished, and heading the championship and he was asked to coach the national team, a position he held for two years.

Carver left late January 1954, as he wasn't appointed manager, despite his success, leaving the job to his assistant Vic Buckingham.

Several English First Division clubs coveted him, but in early 1955, Coventry City tempted him with a salary close to £100 per week (at a time when most players were earning £15).

Carver arrived in Coventry with a tan that complemented his man-about-town personality, and with his tailored light grey suits and camel coat, he looked more like a Hollywood film mogul than a football manager.

He also brought over from Italy former Swedish national coach George Raynor as his number two, another man with an outstanding reputation on the continent.

In December, he bought Ken McPherson from Middlesbrough, a big bustling centre-forward, and the team won five games on the trot, culminating in a 5–1 thrashing of Millwall in front of a crowd of 30,000.