 Southall in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neville Southall[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-09-16)16 September 1958 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Llandudno, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1982–1997 | Wales[3] | 92 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999 | Wales (caretaker) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Dover Athletic | ||
| 2004–2005 | Hastings United | ||
| 2009 | Margate (caretaker)[4] | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Neville SouthallMBE (born 16 September 1958) is a Welshfootball manager and former internationalfootballer. He has been described as one of the bestgoalkeepers of his generation. He won theFWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985[5] and was nominated for theBallon d'Or in1985 and1987.[6]
He joinedBury fromWinsford United for a£6,000 fee in 1980. He turned professional in his early 20s after several years as a semi-professional and amateur player. During his teenage years, he worked as a binman, waiter andhod carrier. He moved on toEverton for £150,000 in 1981 and established himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper by the 1983–84 season. He went on to make a club record 578 appearances in theEnglish Football League andPremier League (750 in all competitions); his honours with the club consist of aEuropean Cup Winners' Cup medal in1985, aFirst Division championship medal in1984–85 and1986–87, anFA Cup winners medal in1984 and1995, and anFA Charity Shield winners medal in1984,1985, and1995. He also played in the1985 and1989 FA Cup finals, theLeague Cup final in1984, and helped Everton to a second place in the league in 1985–86. After leaving Everton in 1998, he becameTorquay United's regular goalkeeper for two years. He also made a handful of appearances for numerous other clubs.
Southall played internationally forWales, winning 92caps between 1982 and 1998, though he did not feature in any major international competitions. As an individual, he was named on thePFA Team of the Year four consecutive times. He was listed as one of the world's top ten goalkeepers by theInternational Federation of Football History & Statistics on four occasions. He is a member of theGwladys Street's Hall of Fame. He has been named as one of the 100 'Greatest Players of the 20th Century' byWorld Soccer magazine. In the1996 Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of theOrder of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to football.[7]
Since his retirement as a player, Southall has briefly managedDover Athletic,Hastings United andMargate, and hascoached at numerous clubs as well as the Welsh nationalyouth teams. He has also worked extensively with disadvantaged children and established his own educational consultancy. In addition, Southall is also known for his political activism; he is an international officer for his branch of theUNISON trade union, endorsedJeremy Corbyn for the2017 UK general election, endorsesLGBT rights, and has spoken at multiple events advocating forWelsh independence.
Born and raised inLlandudno to Fred and Rose Southall, he was the middle child of three boys.[8] Southall played youth football for his school team and the Llandudno Swifts, where he played alongsideJoey Jones.[5] He was educated atYsgol John Bright,[5] though left without any qualifications at age 16.[9] At age 14, he toured Germany with the Llandudno Swifts and was offered a chance to play for the youth team ofBundesliga clubFortuna Düsseldorf, but decided against the move to Germany.[10] The Swifts were a poor side that were regularly beaten heavily, though the near-constant barrage ofshots he faced enabled Southall to improve on his shot-stopping skills.[11]
As a teenager, Southall had unsuccessful trials atWrexham,Crewe Alexandra andBolton Wanderers.[5][12] He aspired to be a postman, and never believed that he would make a living playing football.[13] He then worked as abinman,waiter andhod carrier and therefore entered the game relatively late.[14] He played forLlandudno Town at age 15, before joiningNorthern Premier League sideBangor City on £10 a week as a semi-professional the following year.[15] BangormanagerDave Elliott regularly selected veteran goalkeeperPeter Eales ahead of Southall.[16]Everton asked Elliot permission to take Southall on trial, but Elliot left the club shortly after and no trial took place.[17] With Bangor in financial trouble the paid playing staff began to leave the club, and Southall left Bangor and went on to accept an offer of £3 a week to play forConwy United.[17] He moved on toCheshire County League clubWinsford United at the age of 20.[18] The club won theCheshire Senior Cup in 1980, and Southall was voted the club's Player of the Year.[19]
Southall's performances attracted the attention ofBury andWigan Athletic, and he was convinced to sign with Bury after he was personally approached by managerDave Connor.[20] Bury paid Winsford£6,000 and would later pay another £25,000 after he was sold on.[21] However, he never played for Connor as he was replaced byJim Iley before the start of the1980–81 season; despite this managerial change he was still seen as the future replacement to club stalwartJohn Forrest.[22] He received specialist goalkeepingcoaching fromWilf McGuinness.[23] He made his first-team debut againstWigan Athletic on 20 September, in a 2–1 victory.[24] The "Shakers" had an indifferent league campaign in theFourth Division, though they managed to reach the third round of theFA Cup and beatNewcastle United in theLeague Cup.[25] Southall kept 15clean sheets after conceding 50 goals in his 44 domestic appearances, and was named as Bury's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.[26]
Southall was bought byEverton managerHoward Kendall for £150,000 in the summer of 1981.[21] To win a first-team place he had to compete withJim McDonagh (aGordon Lee signing who would soon leave the club),Jim Arnold (also a new signing), andMartin Hodge (who was injured throughout his time at Everton).[27] He made his debut in a 2–1 win overIpswich Town in October after Arnold picked up an injury.[28] He returned to the first-team in December, and he kept a clean sheet againstAston Villa and remained an ever-present throughout the rest of the1981–82 season.[29]
Kendall described Southall as the best goalkeeper in theFirst Division "outside the big three" ofRay Clemence,Peter Shilton andJoe Corrigan.[30] However, he began to suffer fromulcerated toes, which gave him severely swollen feet and caused him pain and discomfort throughout matches.[31] On 6 November 1982, he conceded five goals in a 5–0 defeat toMersey rivalsLiverpool atGoodison Park.[32] Kendall then dropped Southall as part of a shake-up at the club.[31] He spent January and February onloan atJohn McGrath'sPort Vale, and played nine Fourth Division games.[33] McGrath was impressed and tried to take Southall toVale Park permanently, but was rebuffed by Kendall.[34] Back at Everton, he played the last four games of the1982–83 season after Arnold picked up an injury.[35]
Arnold was the preferred choice in goal at the start of the1983–84 season before Southall was recalled on 1 October againstNotts County.[36] Everton had a poor start to the league campaign but excelled in cup competitions, reaching the final of both the League Cup and the FA Cup. Southall's first appearance atWembley was in theLeague Cup final against Liverpool, and he kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw.[37] Thereplay was held atMaine Road, and Liverpool won the tie 1–0 with aGraeme Souness goal.[37] He was rarely called into action in the1984 FA Cup final and kept a clean sheet as Everton claimed the trophy with a 2–0 victory overWatford.[38]
Southall kept a clean sheet at Wembley in the1984 FA Charity Shield, as Everton beat Liverpool 1–0 to take home the first silverware of the1984–85 season.[39] They then lost the opening two league games of the season before losing only three of their next 37 league games to win the First Division title by a 13-point margin. Throughout the season, they beat Liverpool both atAnfield and at Goodison and recorded a 5–0 win overManchester United.[40] Southall made one particularly crucialsave from a point-blankMark Falcoheader in a 2–1 win over title chasersTottenham Hotspur atWhite Hart Lane on 3 April.[41] In theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup, Everton beatUCD (Ireland),Inter Bratislava (Czechoslovakia),Fortuna Sittard (Netherlands), andBayern Munich (Germany) in two-legged encounters. Southall conceded just one goal (fromDieter Hoeneß) throughout all eight matches.[42] They then beat Austrian clubRapid Wien 3–1 inthe final atDe Kuip to win the first European title in theclub's history.[43] Three days later, Everton played in the1985 FA Cup final, but lost 1–0 to Manchester United after aNorman Whiteside goal inextra time.[44] At the end of the season, Southall was named as theFWA Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Everton player, second Welshman and fourth goalkeeper to win the award.[45]
Though Everton had won a place in theEuropean Cup, English clubs were banned from European competitions following theHeysel Stadium disaster. Southall remained bitter, blamingUEFA for the tragedy and stating that the ban was a convenient way to break up English dominance of European competitions.[46] Limited to domestic competitions, Everton won theFA Charity Shield witha 2–0 win over Manchester United; during the celebrations, Southall wore a T-shirt saying "I Love My Wife" as a symbolic gesture following tabloid stories of an alleged affair.[47] After gettingsent off againstChelsea atStamford Bridge in October, Kendall criticised Southall in the press by saying he "let the lads down".[48] Despite this setback, he agreed to sign a six-yearcontract in December, which was then the longest contract the club had ever issued.[49] However, he twisted his ankle ligaments on international duty with ten league games left to play.[50] In his absence, his deputyBobby Mimms took his place, and Everton lost both the league title and the1986 FA Cup final to Liverpool.[51]
Sidelined through injury at the start of the1986–87 season, he returned to the first-team against Watford in October.[52] He was the club's Player of the Month in February and wonman of the match awards in wins overArsenal and Chelsea as Everton claimed another league title.[53] Comparing the two title wins (1985 and 1987), Southall said that the latter success was "more rewarding and satisfying" as it had proved to be "more of a struggle" compared to the ease in which the title was won in the former campaign.[54]
After Kendall left Merseyside to coachAthletic Bilbao, his assistantColin Harvey took charge at Goodison; Southall responded well to the change, as he believed Harvey "understood my obsessive and relentless desire to be the best".[55] Everton finished fourth in1987–88, conceding aclub record low of 27 goals in 40 league games, and reached the semi-finals of the League Cup.[55] Southall had missed the opening stages of the season after undergoing knee surgery.[56]
Harvey had failed to replace some of Everton's departing star players adequately, and Southall noted how "the mediocrity became habitual" as the club coasted to an eighth-place finish in the1988–89 season.[57] He kept goal in the final of theFull Members Cup (a largely unsuccessful tournament inspired by the ban on European football), as Everton were beaten 4–3 byNottingham Forest.[58] More significantly, he kept goal against Liverpool in the1989 FA Cup final after conceding only two goals in the seven games en route to the final.[59] In an emotional match in the aftermath of theHillsborough disaster in the semi-final encounter with Nottingham Forest, Liverpool won the cup with a 3–2 extra-time victory.[60]
Everton were leading the division at the start of the1989–90 season, but their title challenge fell away after a televised 6–2 defeat toAston Villa.[61] Southall was later told he needed surgery that would keep him out of action for eight months, but he instead sought out a back specialist who told him he had a "bad back" and found that the problem corrected itself.[62]
Southall requested atransfer before the start of the1990–91 season.[63] He famously sat down during a "sulking session" against a goalpost athalf-time of the season opener whilst his teammates were still in the changing rooms while two goals down to newly-promotedLeeds United (a game Everton eventually lost 3–2); Southall was fined two weeks wages despite denying it was a protest and that he did it to clear his head.[64] He then received a phone call fromManchester United managerAlex Ferguson. Still, Southall's hostile phone manner put Ferguson off the idea of signing him, and Ferguson instead bought Danish goalkeeperPeter Schmeichel.[65] Howard Kendall returned as Everton manager in November, with Colin Harvey being demoted to his assistant, and led the club out ofrelegation trouble to secure a ninth-place finish.[66] They also reached the final of theFull Members Cup at Wembley, losing 4–1 toCrystal Palace, though Southall refused to collect his runners-up medal as he did not value the competition.[67]
Everton were a declining force and finished 12th in the league in1991–92 whilst exiting both the FA Cup and League Cup in the fourth round.[68] They then finished 13th in the1992–93 season in the newly createdPremier League, just four points above the relegation zone.[69] Kendall resigned mid-way through the1993–94 campaign and was replaced byMike Walker – Southall later described Walker as a man who loved hissuntan more than football.[70] Walker oversaw a run of bad results, and Everton only escaped relegation with a final day victory overWimbledon, winning 3–2 after turning round a 2–0 deficit.[71] Southall saw that his teammates were reluctant to take apenalty in the match and so took the ball himself beforeGraham Stuart plucked up the courage to take the ball from him and convert the penalty.[72]
Everton picked up four points from their opening 12 league games of the1994–95 season. Southall received death threats after being confronted by an Everton fan during a match at Goodison Park.[73] Walker was sacked and replaced byJoe Royle, who led the club to a 2–0 win over Liverpool in his first match in charge – this game also marked a record 35th Merseyside derby appearance for Southall.[74] It was also the second match of seven consecutive games Everton went without conceding a goal – another club record.[75] Southall then conceded just one goal (a penalty) in five games en route to the1995 FA Cup final against Manchester United.[76] Everton won the game 1–0, with Southall making a double save fromPaul Scholes; the victory left Southall as the most decorated Everton player in the club's history.[77]
In the summer of 1995, Southall was given atestimonial match againstCeltic as well as anMBE – during the ceremonythe Queen asked Southall "what will you do now that you're retired?".[78] He went on to keep a clean sheet in the1995 FA Charity Shield, as Everton beatBlackburn Rovers 1–0.[79] He remained an ever-present in the1995–96 season, though Royle then tried to sign Crystal Palace goalkeeperNigel Martyn.[80] He tried to sell Southall toWolverhampton Wanderers, but cancelled the deal after becoming concerned over the pre-season form of touted replacementPaul Gerrard, and instead doubled Southall's wages to £6,000 a week with a new two-year contract.[81] Despite this, Royle dedicated an entire chapter of his 2005 autobiography to decrying Southall as a "potential weak link".[82]
After a promising start to the1996–97, Everton were beaten six times after Christmas. Southall resorted to ringing up a phone-in radio show to defend manager Joe Royle from unhappy supporters.[83] Royle dropped Southall from the team despite the show of support, though he rejected a transfer offer from Chelsea, who were prepared to double Southall's wages.[84] Caretaker-managerDave Watson restored Southall to the starting line-up after Royle's resignation, and steered the club away from relegation.[85]
Howard Kendall returned to manage Everton for the1997–98 season and initially dropped Southall. However, Southall regained his place and had a memorable match playing againstCoventry City on 25 October; Southall was "in inspired form" and kept a clean sheet.[86] Southall played in the Everton goal for the final time on 29 November in a 2–0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur.[87]Thomas Myhre took his place in goal, and Southall rejected a coaching role at the club to search for first-team football elsewhere.[88]
In December 1997, Southall went toAlvin Martin'sSouthend United of theSecond Division on loan.[89] He made 9 appearances in a brief stay atRoots Hall.[90] He joinedChris Kamara's First DivisionStoke City in February 1998.[91] Kamara resigned two months later, andcaretaker managerAlan Durban pulled Southall aside on his first day in charge to say "I'll let you manage the reserves, so long as you keep your head down, do whatever I tell you, and I won't tell everybody you're a bad influence".[92] Southall was shocked by Durban's words and could not explain his attitude.[92] Both Southend and Stoke would end the season bottom of their respective divisions and Everton only avoided relegation on the last day of the season. He left theBritannia Stadium in the summer and later said, "one of the worst episodes of my life had drawn to a close".[93]
Former teammateIan Snodin invited him to joinConference sideDoncaster Rovers on a short-term deal at the start of the1998–99 season.[94] He signed withWes Saunders'sTorquay United of theThird Division in December 1998.[94] He saved a penalty on his debut atPlainmoor in a 2–0 win overHull City and signed a contract lasting until the end of the1998–99 campaign.[95] He was named Torquay's Player of the Year at the end of the season.[96] However, on 29 January 2000, he picked up aconcussion in a 2–1 defeat toChester City at theDeva Stadium, and wassubstituted.[96] Though he recovered from his injury after the match, he left the club not long afterwards.[96]
Southall made a return to the Premier League by signing withBradford City as a player-coach, helping to coachAidan Davison,Matt Clarke andGary Walsh.[97] Clarke and Walsh picked up injuries and Davison was unable to agree a permanent deal after an initial loan, leaving managerPaul Jewell no choice but to play Southall atValley Parade on 12 March 2000, againstLeeds United.[97][98] At the age of 41 years and 178 days he became the fourth oldest player in Premier League history.[97] Leeds won 2–1, and Southall was criticised in the media for being too overweight to play professionally.[99] He left Bradford at the end of the2000–01 season after falling out with new bossJim Jefferies.[99]
Wales managerMike England preferredDai Davies in goal as Southall began to play first-team football atEverton. Southall only got a run of games once Davies retired. His firstcap came againstNorthern Ireland at theRacecourse Ground,Wrexham on 27 May 1982 in the1982 British Home Championship, Wales won 3–0.[100]
Wales came close to qualifying for the1986 FIFA World Cup despite losing their openingqualifying games away toIceland andSpain.[101] Wales then beat Iceland atNinian Park, before recording a surprise 1–0 win overScotland atHampden Park with a singleIan Rush goal.[102] A 3–0 win over Spain at the Racecourse Ground meant that Wales could secure qualification by beating Scotland intheir final qualification game at Ninian Park. However, a draw would not be enough.[103] The game ended in a 1–1 draw after a lateDavie Cooper penalty cancelled outMark Hughes's opener; Southall got a hand to the penalty, but could not keep it out.[104] However, the result of the game was put into perspective when Scotland managerJock Stein suffered a heart attack at the end of the game and died shortly afterwards.[105]
Wales came close to qualifying forUEFA Euro 1988, which would have been the firstUEFA European Football Championship in the nation's history. Going into the final two qualifying games, Wales ledtheir group.[106] Southall was injured and so missed the match againstDenmark inCopenhagen, which ended in a 1–0 defeat withEddie Niedzwiecki in goal.[107] Southall returned to play the final game, a 2–0 defeat toCzechoslovakia inPrague which left Wales two points short of group winners Denmark.[107] Manager Mike England was then replaced byTerry Yorath, who also made Southall a virtual ever-present in the Wales goal.[108]
Inqualifying for the1990 FIFA World Cup, Wales facedNetherlands,West Germany andFinland. They failed to win a game and finished bottom of the group, though Southall did get the chance to play against some of the world's best players inRuud Gullit,Marco van Basten,Frank Rijkaard,Rudi Völler,Andreas Möller,Andreas Brehme, andJürgen Klinsmann.[109]
In qualifying forUEFA Euro 1992, Wales were placed in thesame group as World Champions Germany and finished just one point behind the Germans after conceding just six goals in their six games. Wales beat Germany 1–0 at theCardiff Arms Park on 5 June 1991, and three months later beatBrazil in afriendly by the same scoreline.[110] The game which settled the qualifying group came inNuremberg on 16 October 1991. Wales lost 4–1 to the Germans, ending Southall'sWales record run of 385 minutes without conceding an international goal.[111]
Wales were seen to have their best chance of reaching a major tournament aftertheir group was selected for qualification for the1994 FIFA World Cup.[112] However, aGheorghe Hagi-inspiredRomania defeated Wales 5–1 inBucharest to open the Wales campaign.[113] Victories over theFaroe Islands andBelgium and two draws with theRepresentation of Czechs and Slovaks put Wales back on track, and a victory over Romania in Cardiff in the last game of the tournament would be enough to secure a place in the World Cup.[113] However, Southall allowed a 25 yards (23 m) strike from Hagi slip under his body and into the net and wasnutmegged byFlorin Răducioiu as Wales were beaten 2–1.[114] Once again a death put Welsh footballing hopes into perspective, as Southall attended the funeral of retired postman John Hill, who was killed after being struck by a flare released at the end of the match.[114][115]
Manager Terry Yorath was replaced byJohn Toshack, who stuck with Southall but resigned after just 48 days after falling out with theFootball Association of Wales.[116] Results went badly under the new bossMike Smith, despite a 2–0 victory overAlbania in the first game ofqualifying forUEFA Euro 1996.[117] An embarrassing 3–2 defeat toMoldova was followed by a heavy 5–0 loss toGeorgia.[118] Two defeats toBulgaria ended faint hopes of qualification and cost Smith his job.[119]
Southall applied for the vacant position, but Bobby Gould was chosen instead, who named Southall and Ian Rush his assistants.[120] He triedDanny Coyne,Andy Marriott andTony Roberts in goal in friendly games, but selected Southall for theWorld Cup qualifying wins overSan Marino.[121] A month away from his 39th birthday, he won his final cap againstTurkey on 20 August 1997; the Turks won 6–4.[121] Southall only played the first half as Gould blamed him for the three goals he conceded – his replacementPaul Jones went on to concede three himself in the second half.[122] Southall's 92Welshcaps were a national record until surpassed byChris Gunter in November 2018. Southall conceded 126 goals, an average of 1.34 per match.[100] The1958 FIFA World Cup was the only time until the end of his career that Wales qualified for a major tournament, and theBritish Home Championship was played for the final time in1984, therefore the majority of Southall's caps came infriendlies or qualifying games.
Southall was renowned for his shot-stopping ability, particularly in dealing with one-on-one situations, quickly coming off his line to intimidate the onrushing forward and relying on his instinctive reactions to save the ball.[123][124] He would spend hours reading books about boxing and golf to improve his balance and spring, and would focus on improving minor pieces ofkit and behaviour, saying that "If I changed 100 things and got 1% better because of one of them, then it was worth it".[125]
Southall was appointed caretaker manager ofWales, alongside Mark Hughes, following the resignation ofBobby Gould after a 4–0 defeat againstItaly on 5 June 1999.[126] In his only game in charge, Wales lost 2–0 toDenmark atAnfield on 9 June 1999, and Mark Hughes was appointed as manager on a full-time basis.[126] During his time playing forTorquay United he also worked as a goalkeeping coach atHuddersfield Town andTranmere Rovers.[97] He later became a player-coach atYork City,Rhyl,Shrewsbury Town andDagenham & Redbridge.[127][128]
He was appointed manager of Conference clubDover Athletic in December 2001.[129] His managing stint at the Kent club was short, and he was sacked in March 2002, after only a few months in charge, after the club's new owners decided to promote his assistantClive Walker.[130] He later made cameo appearances as a player atCanvey Island,[131] where he was also a goalkeeping coach from 2002[132] to 2004.[133] He also began teaching young people from deprived backgrounds how to coach in a community scheme calledSoccer Skills, and later worked in thespecial education sector.[134] He set up his own educational consultancy that specialised in working withNEETs, in partnership withBrooklands College.[135]
He had spells as coach with all youth Wales national teams from U16 to U19,[136][133] but quit his post from Wales U19 in November 2004, claiming he was treated with "a total lack of respect" and that the coaching was compromised because "...as always, it's about money."[137]FAW management committee chairman Ken Tucker issued a rebuke, saying: "Nev is making comments on things he knows little about. It is sad when people make comments without any knowledge of the finances of the FAW."[137]
A month after resigning from the national scene, Southall returned to management withHastings United.[138] However, just one year on he was sacked, with the Hastings chairman saying that "there have recently been an increasing number of issues on which Neville and I have disagreed and it had got to the point where our working relationship had broken down, beyond the point of repair, as far as I was concerned".[139]
In November 2008,Margate manager Terry Yorath appointed Southall as his assistant in theIsthmian League.[140] In September 2009, he became the caretaker manager after Yorath resigned as manager.[141]
Southall married Eryl Williams in June 1980.[142] The couple had a daughter, Samantha, in 1987.[143] He admitted to having affairs throughout the 18-year marriage and left Eryl for another woman, anaromatherapist named Emma in 1998.[144] In addition to the daughter from his first marriage, he and his second wife also act as foster parents: a 2018 interview reported that they were looking after two children.[145]
Southall is ateetotaller; this fact, coupled with his shy personality and dedication to football, gave him a reputation as a loner.[28] In August 2012, his autobiographyThe Binman Chronicles was released. It was the sixth best-selling football book of 2012.[146]
In 2014, Southall started working as a teaching assistant at Canolfan Yr Afon, thePupil Referral Unit forBlaenau Gwent, based inEbbw Vale, helping pupils with their job-seeking and soft skills, and liaising with local businesses to arrange work placements. He had previously worked in a similar role in London.[147]
He is a member of the trade unionUNISON and serves as international officer for his branch.[148][149]
In May 2017, Southall endorsedLabour Party leaderJeremy Corbyn in the2017 UK general election. He was impressed by Labour's plans to commit 5% of Premier League football's £8.3 billion broadcasting revenue back into the grassroots game, among other reasons.[150] He subsequently said the following year: "Jeremy Corbyn's done all right. Whether you like him or hate him, he sticks to what he says."[145]
He is active on social media as a supporter of various charitable causes and LGBT rights,[151][152] and has handed over hisTwitter account to people from marginalised groups and organisations that work to support them, in order to give them a platform to answer questions from the public, including members of the LGBT community, a drugs helpline, a suicide bereavement charity, and a sex workers' collective.[145]
Southall is a prominent supporter ofWelsh independence and has spoken at multiple events advocating for it.[153][154]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other[A] | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bury | 1980–81 | Fourth Division | 39 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| Everton | 1981–82[155] | First Division | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83[155] | First Division | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| 1983–84[155] | First Division | 35 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | — | 54 | 0 | |||
| 1984–85[155] | First Division | 42 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 63 | 0 | |
| 1985–86[155] | First Division | 32 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||
| 1986–87[155] | First Division | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| 1987–88[155] | First Division | 32 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89[155] | First Division | 38 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 55 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90[155] | First Division | 38 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 49 | 0 | |||
| 1990–91[155] | First Division | 38 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 53 | 0 | ||
| 1991–92[155] | First Division | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 50 | 0 | ||
| 1992–93[155] | Premier League | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 0 | |||
| 1993–94[155] | Premier League | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 48 | 0 | |||
| 1994–95[155] | Premier League | 41 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 49 | 0 | |||
| 1995–96[155] | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 1996–97[156] | Premier League | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||
| 1997–98[90] | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Total | 578 | 0 | 70 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 751 | 0 | ||
| Port Vale (loan) | 1982–83[1] | Fourth Division | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Southend United (loan) | 1997–98[90] | Second Division | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Stoke City | 1997–98[90] | First Division | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Doncaster Rovers | 1998–99[157] | Conference | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Torquay United | 1998–99[157] | Third Division | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000[158] | Third Division | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| Total | 53 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 61 | 0 | |||
| Bradford City | 1999–2000[158] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| York City | 2000–01[159] | Third Division | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Rhyl | 2001–02[160] | League of Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Shrewsbury Town | 2001–02[161] | Third Division | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 2001–02[161] | Conference | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 713 | 0 | 79 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 904 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales[162] | 1982 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1985 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1990 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 92 | 0 | |
In December 2004 he was voted as Everton's all-time cult hero.[163] He holds numerousEverton club records, including: most league appearances (578), mostFA Cup appearances (70), mostLeague Cup appearances (65), and most clean sheets (269).[164] He is named on theGwladys Street's Hall of Fame.[165] In 1998, he was named as one of theFootball League 100 Legends.[166] In 1999,World Soccer magazine named him joint 95th (withLászló Kubala) in the 'Greatest Players of the 20th Century'.[167] In theIFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper rankings he was listed fifth in 1987, seventh in 1988, ninth in 1989, and fourth in 1991.[168][169][170][171] He was votedFWA Footballer of the Year in 1985, making him the last goalkeeper to be given the award.[45] He was votedBBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year in 1995.[172]
Winsford United
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