- Jordan Pickford will start England’s World Cup opener next week.
- Everton have been blessed with outstanding goalkeepers over the years.
- One current Blue may already belong near the very top.
The World Cup has a habit of making you think about your clubs. As Jordan Pickford prepares to pull on the England shirt yet again, I found myself wondering where exactly he sits in Everton’s long and distinguished line of goalkeepers.
It is not a bad debate to have. Everton have had some absolute giants between the posts over the years. Some won titles. Some won cups. Some won absolutely nothing but still left us in awe of their brilliance.
So, purely for argument’s sake – and because every Evertonian loves a list they can disagree with – here are my top five.
5. Tim Howard (2006-2016)
If longevity counts for anything, Howard deserves his place.
For a decade, Everton supporters barely had to think about the goalkeeper position. That is usually the sign you have a very good one.
Howard was not flashy. Not the loudest. What he was, however, was consistently excellent.
The American made more than 400 appearances for the club and played a huge role in some of David Moyes’ most competitive sides. There were better shot-stoppers in Everton’s history and there were certainly more decorated goalkeepers.
But few offered the same combination of reliability, professionalism and durability.
Besides, any goalkeeper who scores a goal from his own penalty area probably deserves a place in the top five on that fact alone.
4. Gordon West (1962-1973)
Some younger supporters might not know much about Gordon West, but they should.
League champion. FA Cup winner. England international.
West made more than 400 appearances for Everton and was one of the outstanding goalkeepers of his generation. In an era when Everton were regularly competing for major honours, he provided the consistency every successful side needs.
The fact that he sometimes gets overlooked says more about the quality of goalkeepers who followed him than anything he did wrong.
3. Jordan Pickford (2017-present)
Yes, I can already hear the arguments.
Too high.
Too low.
Here’s my reasoning.
Pickford arrived when Everton were drifting. Since then, he has effectively spent years preventing things from getting even worse. Relegation battles? He dragged Everton through them. Chaos? He survived it. Managerial upheavals? He thrived in it.
The remarkable thing is that while Everton have often struggled, his reputation has continued to grow.
England’s number one. World Cup starter. Everton captain.
Not bad for a goalkeeper some rival fans still insist is overrated.
2. Ted Sagar (1929-1953)
This is where history becomes difficult to ignore.
Sagar made 499 appearances for Everton across almost a quarter of a century at the club. Generations of supporters grew up with him between the posts.
Longevity alone would make him a club legend.
The fact he was also one of the finest goalkeepers of his era simply strengthens the case.
He set standards that others would spend decades trying to match. Apparently.
1. Neville Southall (1981-1998)
Come on. Who else was it going to be?
For Evertonians of a certain age, Southall was not just a goalkeeper. He was a force of nature. Still is.
Huge saves. Huge personality. Huge influence.
The image of Southall making himself impossibly big in one-on-one situations remains one of the defining memories of Everton’s greatest modern side.
There have been technically gifted goalkeepers. There have been elegant goalkeepers. There have been athletic goalkeepers.
There has only ever been one Neville Southall.
And perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay Pickford is this: he is the first Everton goalkeeper in decades who has made me wonder whether anybody might eventually have a case to challenge him.
Not today, mind.
But maybe one day.
