Many happy returns to Neville Southall who is 64 today and to celebrate the Everton legend’s birthday, we’ve collated some of his most-memorable quotes. Back in 1967, The Beatles sang "When I'm 64" as if that age was very much in a person's dotage but unlike many former footballers who struggle to find their niche when forced to hang up their boots when they're just half the age at which the rest of us retire, Southall has successfully reinvented himself.
One of football’s greatest characters, the former Wales international turned out in more games for the Blues (751) and won more trophies with the club than any other player and was widely-regarded as being the world’s best goalkeeper in his pomp. However, since last donning his gloves at Goodison Park almost a quarter of a century ago, Southall has gained widespread recognition with a younger generation as an unwavering champion of social causes, offering his support to several groups in society who have faced prejudice or whose voices have often not been heard.
Here, in 10 standout quotes from the great man, we bring you Big Nev in his own words.
On the demands of playing for Everton (from his autobiography, The Binman Chronicles)
“At Everton they want you to play your b******* off every game. They don’t care if you’ve had a row with your missus, or you don’t feel that well, or if you’re not quite fit. They don’t care about any of that. You’ve got to be perfect, and if you’re not they don’t like you.”
On Everton's battle against relegation last season and a seeming lack of support from outsiders for the Blues
“We will stay in this division by doing what we need to do. Don’t rely on anyone else, rely on yourselves. And you have got to have a siege mentality. You have got to go, you know what there’s nobody initially that wants us to stay up, there’s nobody in the media that wants us to stay up.
“You know what we need to do it ourselves and then we can shove it back in their faces at the end of the season. That’s what they need to be thinking about.”
On not attending the traditional FA Cup final banquet after Everton’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United in 1995 (post-match interview with Ray Stubbs, live on BBC One)
Stubbs: “Neville, you’ve produced some magnificent performances in your day, but those saves in the second half, surely they must be among the best you’ve ever made?”
Southall: “Not really, no” (cue widespread laughter from team-mates stood beside him) Pauses… “It’s a team game, it’s a squad game, and they all pulled their weight today and I think we thoroughly deserved to win the game and it shows what a good side we really are.”
Stubbs: “Now will you go to the team banquet this evening? Will you join in the celebrations?
Southall: “No, I’ll go home.”
Stubbs: “You’ve got to stay after a performance like that, surely?”
Southall: “When you’ve been with these lads as long as I have, you’ll want to go home as well!”
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On Scousers (from The Binman Chronicles)
“They’re a bit special. They’ve all got really good hearts. They’re quite aggressive, because it’s a hard city and you have to fight for what you want and sometimes just to earn a living. They’re determined. They have a great humour, but a bit of class to go with it too.”
To Michael Owen, when the then Liverpool and England’s star striker shouted “get in there!” after scoring past a schoolboy goalkeeper in an instructional football training video the pair of them were taking part in
“Well done, he’s 13.”
On the half-time sit-down incident in 1990, when, with Everton trailing 2-0 at home to newly-promoted Leeds United, he came back out to the pitch early and lean against a goal post
“People thought that I had come out to make a point about my transfer request and that I’d sat down to make my feelings clear. That had nothing to do with it whatsoever. We didn’t have the best of first halves.
“After all that had gone on last season, which to be honest wasn’t one of our best, the last thing I wanted was to start off in the first league game with a bad defeat. During the pre-season games I had received some nasty comments from one or two people because of the transfer situation.
“Some even said that they would be happy if I broke my leg. I felt I had something to prove and I wanted to do well against Leeds for the fans, the manager and the rest of the players.
“When you want something so badly and it goes to pieces, possibly because you’re trying too hard, then there’s a chance something will give.”
On working as a binman (from The Binman Chronicles)
“Being a binman is something people always remember me for, but I actually only worked the bins for a couple of months.
“Although the first few 4:30am starts were a struggle, and I had to get wise to the rest of the crew sending me to go and get the bins at houses with big dogs – I’d always be getting chased by dogs in the first few weeks – it suited me down to the ground.
“We’d stop for breakfast halfway through, and I’d be finished by 10am.”
On the boss he considers to be the worst he played for
“I don’t like Alan Partridge because he managed me under the name of Mike Walker. Not funny then.”
On his work now, both in a special needs school and his social activism online
“I’ve got the best of both worlds. I’ve got a background where I’ve got respect and trust from the older generation but I’m also building relationships with younger people through what I do with my work.
“I like people to judge me for who I am not what I was. Football has taught me that you have to deal with lots of different kinds of individual personalities.”
On his stunning and crucial save in the 1984/85 title race from Tottenham’s Mark Falco (from The Binman Chronicles)
“What more can I say? It was straight at me and I’ve saved plenty like that on the training ground.
“I always knew I was going to get it. My teammates certainly didn’t congratulate me.
“(Kevin) Ratcliffe yelled at me: ‘Why didn’t you catch it? Why are you f****** giving a corner away?’”
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