Neville Southall: A former binman turned Everton legend, the Welsh keeper was the last keeper to win the prestigious Football Writers’ Player of the Year

A shotstopper par excellence, he made a record 750 appearances for Everton, keeping an astonishing 343 clean sheets in all competitions.

During his time at Goodison Park, Southall also won two First Division titles, two FA Cups, a League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup.

He’s also the record appearance holder for his native Wales too, winning 92 caps over an international career spanning 15 years and won the Football Writers’ Player of the Year Award in 1985, the last goalkeeper to win the prestigious title.

Now, about those bins…

He tried his hand at lots of things…


It’s one of those football facts that everybody knows.

And yes, Neville Southall did used to be a binman but it was only for
three months.

But there were other jobs; hod carrier, waiter cleaner, odd-job man,
none of which he really wanted to do.

Strangely, the one job he really wanted – a postman – he never got to
do.


You can imagine him skipping down the street in the bleak mid-winter, can’t you? In shorts.

But the binman nickname stuck…

When Southall released his autobiography in 2012, he was going to call
it ‘Blue Dragon’ until he noticed a Chinese takeaway near Goodison Park
of the same name.

He also considered ‘Rubbish Keeper’ and ‘Leaning On A Post.’


So he offered the name of the book to Everton fans in a competition and
what did they come back with?

‘The Binman Chronicles’.


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His talent wasn’t always appreciated…

As a teenager, Southall had unsuccessful trials with Wrexham, Crewe
and Bolton but having starred for Llandudno Town and then as a £10-a-
week player at Bangor City, he finally got signed by Bury in 1980 for
£6,000.


He’s a man of the people, wherever they are…

He was a law unto himself…

In the 1990-91 season, Southall famously remained on the Goodison
pitch during the half-time break in a match against Leeds United.

Losing 3-0, he opted against going back to the dressing room for
manager Colin Harvey’s team talk and just sat, leaning against the post,
until the players came out again.

“I was seen as different. Some thought that, others thought I was just
stupid. I wasn’t,” he says.


“That day people said I was bonkers, that I wanted a transfer. I thought I’d had a s*** first half and I just wanted to clear my head, that’s all.”

For a while, Southall had thought he had got away with it as Harvey
hadn’t even noticed he was missing. It was only later that night that he
got a call from his gaffer.

He was suspended for two weeks.

His mind doesn’t work like yours….

He was always his own man…

Southall had a very specific routine when it came to matchdays.

He would turn up hours earlier than the rest of his teammates.

He would never stay in the team hotel.


And, being teetotal, he wouldn’t go for a drink with the team after
they’d played either.

“I wasn’t massively close to a lot of people,” he admits.

He was obsessed with becoming better…

Southall would often study other sports to see how he could utilise some
of their techniques to improve his goalkeeping.


Golf, cricket, boxing – Southall would devour book after book in a bid to
improve his balance and agility.

It was all part of his drive to become the best he could. “I always
expected my next save to be better. I’d leave it behind and try to do
better,” he said in 2012.

“If you go to a museum and look at a painting, you don’t come out and
think I’ll paint a f****** jug with flowers in it, someone’s already done
that. You can’t beat that so you do something else.”

He got a well-deserved gong…


In 1995, Southall was awarded an MBE. He’s still not entirely sure why.

“I got my MBE for services to football,” he shrugged.

“I think they looked at the list and were thinking equal opportunities and just said: “Right, who’s Welsh and who’s done something? He’s nearly retired let’s give it to him.”

He’s a political animal…


As well as being involved in the Trades Union movement, Southall is a
full paid-up member of the Jeremy Corbyn fan club.

“Jeremy Corbyn’s done all right. Whether you like him or hate him, he
sticks to what he says.

"When he got made leader, people took the piss because he didn’t wear a suit.

"Well, he’s not Clark Kent. I thought: ‘If he don’t look like a politician, great. I don’t want a politician’”.


He’s got a solution for problems in grassroots football…

Brilliant. Just brilliant.



He’s embarrassed by his legendary status at Everton…

He may still hold the record for the most appearances for the Toffees but
Neville isn’t exactly one to bask in the glory.

In fact, he doesn’t like it one bit.

“I get embarrassed when they ask me to walk on the pitch," he admits. "It's like walking into someone else's home.”

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