Mate he's obsessed with toilets
October 17, 2017 10:58 AM Subscribe
I worry it seems patronising to praise a famous 59-year-old man for doing as little as managing not to be a politically incorrect arsehole (again, a sadly surprising rarity), but I feel there’s something more than that with Big Nev, something genuinely quite affecting and inspiring.Tristan Cross explains why former Wales & Everton keeper Neville Southall is such a mensch on and off Twitter.
There's something about goalkeepers that makes them different to other football players... may be it's spending most of the match just watching from the back then often suddenly having to react, possibly losing the game in a second... but they go on to be popes, philosophers, lunatics or in Big Nev's case... total heroes.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:07 PM on October 17, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:07 PM on October 17, 2017 [5 favorites]
this is lovely. thanks for posting.
posted by capnsue at 12:40 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by capnsue at 12:40 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
He just asked about preferred pronouns in Twitter bios. I chipped in with a word about singular they, and got an instant "Ok thanks 🙏". My cup runneth over.
He also made a filthy joke about Eggheads a couple of hours ago. You can find it for yourself.
posted by ceiriog at 12:40 PM on October 17, 2017 [6 favorites]
He also made a filthy joke about Eggheads a couple of hours ago. You can find it for yourself.
posted by ceiriog at 12:40 PM on October 17, 2017 [6 favorites]
Southall is a complex man. It is safe to say that, after his career ended, he hit some spectacular, desperate lows - included suing his own 19-year-old daughter for the return of his medals so he could sell them.
That was ten years ago now. Since then, there's no denying that he's a man who hit rock bottom, took a long, hard look at himself, and consciously decided that he needed to fight back and be better. His Twitter activity has, for a long time now, really reflected that journey. It's genuinely lovely and I've got a lot of respect for him these days. Takes a fair bit of courage to admit how low you got and then work so hard to improve.
That said, I won't deny I've always had a soft spot for big Nev ever since he went on Michael Owen's Soccer Skills (back when little Mickey was the king of English football) - a show about helping kids be better at the game - and cut Owen down for utterly missing the point of the programme.
"Well done. He's thirteen."
posted by garius at 2:15 PM on October 17, 2017 [9 favorites]
That was ten years ago now. Since then, there's no denying that he's a man who hit rock bottom, took a long, hard look at himself, and consciously decided that he needed to fight back and be better. His Twitter activity has, for a long time now, really reflected that journey. It's genuinely lovely and I've got a lot of respect for him these days. Takes a fair bit of courage to admit how low you got and then work so hard to improve.
That said, I won't deny I've always had a soft spot for big Nev ever since he went on Michael Owen's Soccer Skills (back when little Mickey was the king of English football) - a show about helping kids be better at the game - and cut Owen down for utterly missing the point of the programme.
"Well done. He's thirteen."
posted by garius at 2:15 PM on October 17, 2017 [9 favorites]
There's something about goalkeepers that makes them different to other football players
45 or 90 minutes (depending on away fan seat allocation) of having abuse directed at their ears every week in, week out for an entire career surely helps.
posted by lmfsilva at 2:22 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
45 or 90 minutes (depending on away fan seat allocation) of having abuse directed at their ears every week in, week out for an entire career surely helps.
posted by lmfsilva at 2:22 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Ah! Having now RTFA I see his Owen moment gets a mention. Grand.
posted by garius at 2:25 PM on October 17, 2017
posted by garius at 2:25 PM on October 17, 2017
the skeleton obsession! so cute!
paging dr freud for someone who became...a bit...portly!
---
srsly though, he's seen death and through the lies of bigots and the bluster of the professedly "conscious" alike.
Direct quote off twitter, opening himself to all kinds of crap
"I work in School so I could really harm a kid if I don’t know
It’s a bit of mine field though"
more like him plz!
posted by lalochezia at 2:32 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
paging dr freud for someone who became...a bit...portly!
---
srsly though, he's seen death and through the lies of bigots and the bluster of the professedly "conscious" alike.
Direct quote off twitter, opening himself to all kinds of crap
"I work in School so I could really harm a kid if I don’t know
It’s a bit of mine field though"
more like him plz!
posted by lalochezia at 2:32 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
but they go on to be popes, philosophers, lunatics
Mate Cantona was a centre-forward.
posted by Pink Frost at 2:50 PM on October 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
Mate Cantona was a centre-forward.
posted by Pink Frost at 2:50 PM on October 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
Thank you for this article--I had never heard of him before and now I'm glad I have.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:16 PM on October 17, 2017
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:16 PM on October 17, 2017
There's something genuinely lovely about Nev's response to getting caught up in really complicated and in-depth crosstalk: "How does an average knob like me make sense of LGBT community / I have watched on here for 2 days and fuck can you argue." Of course the conversation is complicated and feisty, but "how would you explain it to Nev?" is a nice way to assume good faith and generosity on all sides, and lots of people have been taking that up.
posted by holgate at 7:29 PM on October 17, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by holgate at 7:29 PM on October 17, 2017 [7 favorites]
I love the notion that he has to get it right because it affects people's lives. So often these questions are treated as some sort of academic exercise by people unfamiliar with them.
posted by Tentacle of Trust at 7:36 PM on October 17, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Tentacle of Trust at 7:36 PM on October 17, 2017 [8 favorites]
This is a lovely post and it feels good to have something nice. Feels a bit Pollyanna to say so, but it's really welcome.
posted by pseudonymph at 7:48 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by pseudonymph at 7:48 PM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'd never heard of him, but I loved this. Thanks. :)
posted by web-goddess at 4:22 AM on October 18, 2017
posted by web-goddess at 4:22 AM on October 18, 2017
As a queer Everton fan this fills me with joy! Thank you for posting.
posted by ellieBOA at 9:23 AM on October 19, 2017
posted by ellieBOA at 9:23 AM on October 19, 2017
« Older That's no bull! | You don't have to be millionaires to dance to good... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by ethansr at 12:02 PM on October 17, 2017