Neville Southall facts for kids
Southall in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neville Southall | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Llandudno, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1970–1973 | Llandudno Swifts | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1973–1974 | Llandudno Town | ||
| 1974–1976 | Bangor City | ||
| 1976–1979 | Conwy United | ||
| 1979–1980 | Winsford United | ||
| 1980–1981 | Bury | 39 | (0) |
| 1981–1998 | Everton | 578 | (0) |
| 1983 | → Port Vale (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | → Southend United (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 1998 | → Stoke City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1998 | Stoke City | 9 | (0) |
| 1998 | Doncaster Rovers | 9 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Torquay United | 53 | (0) |
| 2000 | Bradford City | 1 | (0) |
| 2001 | York City | 0 | (0) |
| 2001 | Rhyl | 3 | (0) |
| 2001 | Shrewsbury Town | 0 | (0) |
| 2001 | Dover Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Shrewsbury Town | 0 | (0) |
| 2002 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 710 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1982–1997 | Wales | 92 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1999 | Wales (caretaker) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Dover Athletic | ||
| 2004–2005 | Hastings United | ||
| 2009 | Margate (caretaker) | ||
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Neville Southall (born 16 September 1958) is a famous Welsh goalkeeper and football manager. Many people think he was one of the best goalkeepers of his time. He even won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985.
Before becoming a professional footballer in his early 20s, Neville worked as a binman, a waiter, and a hod carrier (someone who carries bricks). He joined Bury in 1980. Then, in 1981, he moved to Everton for £150,000. He quickly became Everton's main goalkeeper.
Neville played a record 578 league games for Everton, and 750 games in total. With Everton, he won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985. He also won the First Division (the top league at the time) twice, in 1985 and 1987. He lifted the FA Cup twice, in 1984 and 1995, and the FA Charity Shield three times.
He played for the Wales national team 92 times between 1982 and 1998. This was a national record for a long time. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year four times in a row. For his great service to football, he was given an MBE award in 1996.
After he stopped playing, Southall briefly managed a few clubs like Dover Athletic. He also coached young players for the Welsh national youth teams. He is known for helping children who are struggling and for his political activism.
Contents
Playing Career
Early Football Days
Neville Southall grew up in Llandudno, Wales. He played youth football for his school and a local team called Llandudno Swifts. He left school at 16 without qualifications. When he was 14, he had a chance to play for a German youth team, but he decided to stay in Wales.
As a teenager, he tried out for teams like Wrexham and Bolton Wanderers, but wasn't successful. He didn't think he would make a living from football. He worked different jobs, like a binman and a waiter, before becoming a professional player later than most. He played for local teams like Llandudno Town, Bangor City, and Conwy United. At 20, he joined Winsford United and was named their Player of the Year in 1980.
Joining Bury
Neville's good performances caught the eye of Bury. He signed with them for £6,000 in 1980. He made his first team debut on 20 September in a 2–1 win against Wigan Athletic. In his first season, he kept 15 clean sheets (games where the other team didn't score). He was named Bury's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.
Life at Everton
In 1981, Everton manager Howard Kendall bought Southall for £150,000. He made his debut in October and quickly became a regular player. In 1982, he had some foot problems and was loaned to Port Vale for a short time.
By the 1983–84 season, Southall was Everton's top goalkeeper. He played in the League Cup final and the FA Cup final. Everton won the FA Cup, beating Watford 2–0, with Southall keeping a clean sheet.
The 1984–85 season was amazing for Everton. They won the First Division title by a large margin. Southall made many important saves, helping his team win. They also won the European Cup Winners' Cup, beating Rapid Wien 3–1 in the final. Southall only let in one goal during the entire European tournament. At the end of this fantastic season, he was named the FWA Footballer of the Year. He was the first Everton player and the first goalkeeper in a long time to win this award.
After this success, English clubs were banned from European competitions. This was due to a sad event called the Heysel Stadium disaster. Southall felt this ban was unfair to English teams. In the 1985–86 season, he got injured while playing for Wales. Everton lost the league title and the FA Cup final to Liverpool while he was out.
He returned for the 1986–87 season and helped Everton win another league title. He felt this second title was even more special because they had to fight harder for it. Everton continued to be a strong team, finishing fourth in 1987–88 and letting in very few goals.
In 1989, Everton reached the FA Cup final again, playing against Liverpool. It was an emotional game after the Hillsborough disaster. Liverpool won 3–2 in extra time.
In 1990, Southall asked to leave Everton. He famously sat down by the goalpost during a game at half-time, which caused a bit of a stir. He later said he just needed to clear his head. He even got a call from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, but a move didn't happen.
Everton's performance started to decline in the early 1990s. They finished lower in the league, even after the Premier League was created. In 1994, they barely avoided being relegated (moving down to a lower league). Southall even tried to take a penalty kick in a crucial game, showing his dedication!
In the 1994–95 season, things improved. Joe Royle became manager, and Everton started playing much better. Southall kept many clean sheets. They reached the 1995 FA Cup final against Manchester United. Everton won 1–0, and Southall made an amazing double save. This win made him the most successful Everton player ever.
After this, Southall was given a special match in his honor and received his MBE award. He continued to play for Everton until 1997. He then had short loan spells at Southend United and Stoke City.
Later Playing Years
After leaving Everton, Southall joined Doncaster Rovers for a short time. In 1998, he became the regular goalkeeper for Torquay United for two years. He was even named their Player of the Year.
In 2000, at 41 years old, he made a return to the Premier League with Bradford City as a player-coach. He played one game, becoming one of the oldest players in Premier League history. He then had very short spells at other clubs like York City, Rhyl, and Shrewsbury Town.
International Career
Neville Southall played for the Wales national team from 1982 to 1997. His first game was a 3–0 win against Northern Ireland in May 1982.
Wales came close to qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In a key game against Scotland, they drew 1–1, which wasn't enough to qualify. Southall almost saved the penalty that led to the draw.
Wales also nearly qualified for UEFA Euro 1988. They were leading their group but lost their last two games, missing out by just two points. Southall was a key player for Wales throughout these campaigns.
He played against some of the world's best players in the 1990 World Cup qualifiers, facing teams like Netherlands and West Germany.
In the qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Wales had a great chance to make it to the tournament. However, in their final game against Romania, they lost 2–1. Southall was disappointed with a goal he let in during that match.
His last game for Wales was on 20 August 1997, against Turkey. He played 92 games for Wales, which was a national record until 2018.
How He Played
Southall was famous for his amazing ability to stop shots, especially when a player was coming towards him one-on-one. He was very quick to react and would rush out to make it harder for attackers to score. He even read books about boxing and golf to help improve his balance and springiness as a goalkeeper. He was always looking for small ways to get better.
Coaching and Management
After retiring as a player, Southall briefly became a caretaker manager for the Wales national team in 1999. He also worked as a goalkeeping coach for several clubs, including Huddersfield Town and Tranmere Rovers.
He managed Dover Athletic in 2001 but was only there for a few months. He also coached young players for the Wales national youth teams. Southall has worked a lot with children from difficult backgrounds, teaching them coaching skills. He also set up his own company to help young people who are not in education, employment, or training.
He managed Hastings United for a year and later became assistant manager and then caretaker manager at Margate.
Personal Life
Neville Southall married Eryl Williams in 1980, and they had a daughter named Samantha. He later remarried and he and his second wife are foster parents, looking after children.
He is known for being a bit shy and very focused on football. In 2012, he released his autobiography called The Binman Chronicles, which was a popular football book.
Since 2014, Southall has worked as a teaching assistant in Wales, helping students with job skills and finding work placements.
Political Activism
Neville Southall is a member of the UNISON trade union. He is also very active on social media, supporting different charities and LGBT rights.
In 2017, he supported Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the UK general election. He liked Labour's plans to invest more money into grassroots football. He also strongly supports Welsh independence and has spoken at events about it.
Honours and Awards
Neville Southall is considered an Everton legend. He holds many Everton club records, including:
- Most league games played (578)
- Most FA Cup games played (70)
- Most League Cup games played (65)
- Most clean sheets (269)
He is a member of the Gwladys Street's Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was named one of the Football League 100 Legends. World Soccer magazine also named him among the 'Greatest Players of the 20th Century'. He was voted BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year in 1995.
Winsford United
- Cheshire Senior Cup: 1980
Everton
- First Division: 1984–85, 1986–87
- FA Cup: 1983–84, 1994–95
- FA Charity Shield: 1984, 1985, 1995
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1984–85
- Individual Awards
- Winsford United Player of the Year: 1979–80
- Bury Player of the Year: 1980–81
- Bury Young Player of the Year: 1980–81
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1985
- PFA Team of the Year: 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year: 1995
- Torquay United Player of the Year: 1998–99
- Football League 100 Legends
- Gwladys Street's Hall of Fame
- World Soccer 'Greatest Players of the 20th Century': 95th
Images for kids
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Southall in 2007
See also
In Spanish: Neville Southall para niños
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
