The NSNO Everton Forums

Well we’re still a Premier League club because of this fella, so I have to agree

Southall, v Sheffield Wednesday, amazing
V Tottenham, outstanding. And not even his best saves. Love pickford, but never WAS the guvnor.

No point in treading over old ground, especially as it is generational and tied so much to emotion.
But i firmly believe if you put up a highlights reel of the best saves by Everton keepers, there wouldn't be much difference between those of Pickfords and those of Southalls.
I think Pickford is *as good* as Southall.

Trophy's are too disputable a source to use as the reason one is better.

BUT, the reason i would pick Southall as the better keeper (after a lot of thinking) is that the lowlights reel of the pair of them would dramatically skew against Pickford. There were a few years there where we saw quite a few clangers from Pickford

Yikes!

Mad take for me.
My reasoning being, when Southall was top of his game, he was voted by many as the absolute best in the world.

If Pickford is at the top of his game - where does he rank in the world? Very different.

Having said that - I think Pickford is probably our most important player we’ve had in the Premier League. Saved us more points and saved us from going out of it entirely.

I love Pickford and he is definitely the second best keeper we’ve had (unless anyone wants to make a case for Sagar?), but the gap between first and second is a big one.

Again though - love Pickford - wouldn’t sell him for anything.

Just reading that back now - did I say I love Pickford enough?

I genuinely worry about the state of the world that Pickford isn't considered one of the best in the world.

From my 80s and 90s eyes, the only thing lacking is that he doesn't "command" the area. Keepers should bulldoze their way through half a dozen bodies and claim balls.
But (and this is why I stand by what I said), the game is changed and no keeper does that any more really.

Ollie Khan wouldn't play more than a few games before being sent off or dropped for giving away too many penalties.

As I say, my point has changed slightly from "as good" to "a highlights reel for both keepers would be of a similar - ridiculously high - standard"

Southall tops it purely down to the 18 yard box was his, no prisoners.
I get pissed off that when they talk about best keepers in the league, it’s Reya, Donnaruma and fucking Alyson or however you spell the insignificant pricks name, Pickford barely gets a mention.

Bluebridge wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2026 7:57 pm Southall tops it purely down to the 18 yard box was his, no prisoners.
I get pissed off that when they talk about best keepers in the league, it’s Reya, Donnaruma and fucking Alyson or however you spell the insignificant pricks name, Pickford barely gets a mention.

I'm willing to accept my stance that Pickfords saves are as good as anything Southall ever did might be an overcompensation for exactly this point.

superpull wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2026 9:31 pm I'm willing to accept my stance that Pickfords saves are as good as anything Southall ever did might be an overcompensation for exactly this point.

Can’t disagree, just that big Nev 99% of the time took crosses, other thing I can remember is that he tended to keep hold of the ball when he made saves rather than parrying them.

Bluebridge wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2026 9:37 pm Can’t disagree, just that big Nev 99% of the time took crosses, other thing I can remember is that he tended to keep hold of the ball when he made saves rather than parrying them.

That was a generational thing though, Keepers nowadays dont catch the ball half as much as they used to. Probably because the ball moves loads more in the air than it used to.

Its really hard to compare Southall and Picks..Nev was my hero when I was a kid, I was a keeper and he played a part in that. But I would have no qualms with putting Picks in that 80's team, I still think we end up champions.

Or just swap him for Bobby Mimms and win the double in 86 too.

Mimms actually had the better record that season, bar the cup final, but that was just typical of our luck and theirs.

Yeah, its lazy to blame Mimms.