The Official Everton Podcast

The latest guest on our Bred a Blue podcast series is former striker Phil Jevons. Jevons joined the Everton Academy as a schoolboy and went on to make nine senior appearances under Walter Smith. He recalls his early days at Netherton and Bellefield when the ‘friendly and challenging environment’ helped him develop, playing alongside the likes of Leon Osman, Franny Jeffers, Danny Cadamarteri, Michael Ball, Richard Dunne and Jamie Milligan. Jevons also played against international footballers when he reached the reserve team: “We played Manchester United at Old Trafford and they had Scholes, Jordi Cruyff and Solskjaer.” The Liverpool-born centre-forward helped Everton to win the FA Youth Cup in 1998 and the FA Premier Reserve League in 2001 – and in between he made his senior debut away at Blackburn Rovers. "I’d been top scorer for the reserves for three years on the run, so I felt like I was ready,” Jevons said. He went on to have a hand in the Everton goal in a 2-1 defeat: “I played an early ball to Don Hutchison and he found Bakayoko who scored.” The turn of the century was a challenging time to be a young striker at Everton because the competition was intense. Jevons was battling with Duncan Ferguson, Franny Jeffers, Kevin Campbell, Nick Barmby, Ibrahim Bakayoko and Danny Cadamarteri for a starting role. It was the subsequent arrivals of Joe-Max Moore and Mark Hughes that convinced Jevons that his future lay beyond Goodison Park “Joe-Max Moore was a good player and a great lad but I didn’t think he was any better than I was,” he says. “But my squad number went up from 20 to 26 so I had an inkling!” Jevons left Everton with no regrets and during the podcast conversation he reveals the player who had the biggest influence on him during his time with the senior squad. “He was fantastic with me. He was the ultimate professional, fit as a fiddle. He told me how to live my life, how to eat and how to train.” He left Everton in 2001 and joined Grimsby Town, for whom he scored a never-to-be-forgotten League Cup winner at Anfield against Liverpool! “I still get Evertonians coming up to me to talk about that goal!” Jevons went on to have personal and team success with Yeovil Town and Bristol City before winding down his playing career and moving into coaching – starting off at the Everton Academy where he was involved in the development of Kieran Dowell, Nathan Broadhead, Liam Walsh, Tom Davies and Calum Connolly. Jevons left Finch Farm to join Sunderland and he speaks honestly and with clarity about the ruthlessness of senior coaching environments. It’s another fascinating football story that has its roots at the Everton Academy.

The latest Official Everton Podcast is all about goalkeepers! Everton and England number one Jordan Pickford recently celebrated his 30th birthday and we thought it was as good a time as any to look back at the men who have stood between the sticks at Goodison across the decades. Darren Griffiths is joined by regular contributors Dave Prentice and Gavin Buckland as they look back at all the keepers from Gordon West to Pickford. There are audio contributions from Neville Southall, who reveals his desire to play as many games as he could and how lower league football prepared him for the physicality of the top-flight. John Ruddy recalls the bizarre circumstances that led to him making his one and only appearance, and we hear from current Everton goalkeeping coaches Alan Kelly and Dave Lucas. And, as always, Gavin provides some quirky facts and figures about the men in green. For example, who was the Everton keeper who was in goal for the reserves when a tannoy announcement asked him to move his car, and who won the league but then rejected the opportunity to join up with England for a World Cup tournament? Prenno muses over why we haven’t had a Scouser in goal for the Men's senior team in a competitive match since Andy Rankin. We also discuss ‘the one that got away’ – a goalkeeper linked with a move to Everton who went on to win a league title, a couple of European Cups and over 100 caps for his country.

Our latest Bred a Blue podcast is a little bit different! We travelled to Birmingham City’s training complex to catch up with John Ruddy and Lukas Jutkiewicz – two players who had one game each for the Everton's senior team but have since compiled excellent professional careers. Ruddy came from Cambridge United in 2005 and Jutkiewicz arrived from Swindon Town two years later. “The year I left Cambridge, they had been relegated to the Conference and Everton had qualified for the Champions League!” Ruddy recalls. The 'keeper was instantly loaned back to the Abbey Stadium outfit and trained twice a week at Bellefield before playing for Cambridge at the weekend. Jutkiewicz came under the spotlight after helping Swindon Town to the quarter-finals of the 2006/07 FA Youth Cup. “I remember my first session with the Everton first team, I was absolutely blowing!” he says. “I couldn’t believe the change in pace, training with players that a few weeks earlier I was watching on Match of the Day.” Ruddy’s senior debut, in February 2006, came in the most bizarre of circumstances – he came off the bench against Blackburn Rovers when Iain Turner was sent-off after just nine minutes. “It was probably the best thing because I didn’t have time to think. The fans understood that we were down to the bare bones, and it was a situation that nobody could foresee.” Everton won 1-0 but David Moyes moved quickly to bring in Sander Westerveld on loan. “There was an international break after the Blackburn game unfortunately, so that gave the manager time to do something,” added Ruddy. As for Jutkiewicz, he replaced Steven Pienaar late in a 3-0 home victory against Sunderland in December 2008. It was an opportunity that he thought had passed him by. “We’d had a game when I was on the bench and we were chasing a goal,” he says. “David Moyes brought Victor [Anichebe] off and I thought I was going to get a chance, but he put Phil Jagielka up front! That’s when I thought it wasn’t meant to be.” Ruddy eventually left Everton in 2010 – but it was a close-run thing! He’d just checked his bags in for the Blues' pre-season tour to Australia when Moyes pulled him over and told him to get them back as he was going to Norwich. Jutkiewicz made the trip but then agreed to move to Coventry City while he was Down Under! The two players have since racked up over 500 senior appearances between them and they both have fascinating stories to tell. Ruddy was in goal for Motherwell on the night Jutkiewicz slammed home a stoppage time equaliser in a 6-6 draw with Hibernian! The stopper also revealed that Everton also had a future England international on their radar when they signed him from Cambridge. And which player made Jutkiewicz's life a misery on the pitch at Everton but couldn’t have been kinder or more helpful off it?

Our latest Bred a Blue podcast guest is the answer to a great quiz question! Who is the only player to have been a teammate of Paul Gascoigne, Wayne Rooney and Jordan Pickford? Top marks if you went for former Everton reserves centre-half Sean O’Hanlon. Known throughout football as ‘Chief’, O’Hanlon never quite made the breakthrough at Everton after joining as a 10-year-old, but he did share a dressing room with Gazza and Rooney along the way. Indeed, he was Rooney’s roommate when the 16-year-old ‘Boy Wonder’ embarked on his first ever senior pre-season trip in 2002. After gaining some loan experience at Swindon Town, O’Hanlon decided to make the break from Everton in 2004 – realising that it was going to too tough to oust Alan Stubbs, David Weir, Joseph Yobo, David Unsworth or Peter Clarke from the central defensive berths. From Swindon he moved to MK Dons, for whom he scored at Wembley in the EFL Trophy final, then north of the border to Hibernian, before seeing out his playing days with Carlisle United and Stockport County. It was at Carlisle that O’Hanlon played in front of a teenage goalkeeper on-loan from Sunderland. "You could see even then that Jordan [Pickford] was heading for the top," O'Hanlon said. The former Blue hung his boots up in 2016 and then four years later, his young son became an internet sensation when, during the Covid lockdown, he recreated many famous goals in his back garden! The little fellow attracted the attention of the world’s media and O’Hanlon senior found himself conducting radio interviews for stations in Brazil, Italy and many more besides!

Carl Howarth is very much a part of the Everton Senior Men's set-up at Finch Farm. He’s a physiotherapist and his story is a fascinating one. Howarth is the latest podcast guest on our Bred a Blue series, having started his professional career at Everton before being released without playing a senior game. As a team-mate of Leon Osman, Tony Hibbert, Francis Jeffers and Kevin McLeod he was part of the squads that reached consecutive FA Youth Cup finals in 1998 and 1999. He recalls being on the pitch when Hibbert actually scored a goal! However, competition for striking berths, even in the reserves, was fierce and Howarth was up against Phil Jevons, Danny Cadamarteri, Nick Chadick and Jeffers. “There were no agents for us then so I would see Colin Harvey every week,” he says. “I’d had a two-year YTS and a one-year pro deal and I was playing in the reserves and it got to the end of April and I was told they still hadn’t decided on my future. “We played Newcastle at Widnes and all their back-four had played in the first team, but I scored and we drew 1-1. After the game Taff (Andy Holden) told me that Walter Smith wanted to see me the next day. I was buzzing because I thought I was getting a new contract, but Walter told me they didn’t think I was good enough and that I was being released.” It was the first of a series of setbacks. Chester wanted to sign him but after suffering relegation from the Football League they couldn’t afford any new players and a subsequent trial with Morecambe was cancelled a matter of hours before it was due to start. Undeterred, Howarth moved into non-league football and studied to become a physiotherapist. He got a break at the Bolton Wanderers Academy and combined it with part-time work for the NHS. Building up his knowledge and experience all the time, he then got a full-time opening at Birmingham City before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The dream was always to return to where it had started and that golden opportunity duly came when Roberto Martinez was the Blues manager. Howarth was back at Everton! His football journey has turned full circle and his story is an inspirational one – a tale of bouncing back time and again.

European Ryder Cup hero and lifelong Evertonian, Tommy Fleetwood, was at Goodison Park recently for the game against Manchester City. He took the gold trophy, won by Europe against the USA in Rome in the autumn, onto the pitch before the game to thunderous applause from the fans. Before he walked up the tunnel, Fleetwood sat down with Graham Stuart for a quick chat about his Ryder Cup success and his love for the Blues. He also explained how his concentration on the course wavered during one of the majors – because Everton were losing against Crystal Palace in a must-win relegation clash in May 2022! “We were in the third-to-last group in the US PGA so we had a chance of winning it, but we had to keep track of the (football) scores at the same time. We’d played two or three holes and Everton were 2-0 down and then on the fifth or sixth tee we heard that we’d gone 3-2 up. We could concentrate on the major after that!” Fleetwood also compares vital putts to penalty-kicks, reveals his envy that footballers get that ‘team-spirit’ feeling every week, and recalls the time that Diamond had to curtail his viewing of a round in Orlando after picking up an injury!

Our latest Official Everton Podcast looks back at the all-too-brief, but nonetheless spectacular, Everton career of Andy Gray. November 2023 represents 40 years since the Scottish centre-forward joined the Blues. Gray was plucked from Wolverhampton Wanderers by Howard Kendall and went on to have an unbelievable impact on a team that went from struggling to find its way to becoming arguably the best in Europe. Host Darren Griffiths speaks to Gray himself and is also joined by Dave Prentice and Gavin Buckland, with contributions from Gary Stevens and the former Liverpool Echo Sports Editor, Ken Rogers, who reveals that he discovered Gray’s recruitment from an eagle-eyed Evertonian who had spotted him in a shop on Goodison Road. We learn that Everton were linked with Gray in the mid-1970s when Billy Bingham was the Blues manager, and the youngster was playing alongside Walter Smith at Dundee United. Everton statistician and historian Buckland tells us that Kendall was weighing up moves for an England striker and an Everton legend when he brought Gray in from Wolves. We also hear about when Gray threatened to walk out on the Club when he wasn’t selected for an FA Cup tie and the man himself declares that if he could play one game again it would undoubtedly be the match against Bayern Munich at Goodison Park. We discuss whether Kendall would have kept Gray had we been allowed to take part in the 1985/86 European Cup and it’s suggested that had he done so, then maybe Liverpool wouldn’t have won the double that season. Gray speaks passionately about his time at Everton and agrees with the notion that the success of the mid-80s was probably an antidote for a challenging period in the history of the city of Liverpool. Everton never lost when Gray scored and that sums up his infectious desire to win football matches for the Blues. “My best memory was signing and my worst memory was leaving,” he says.

Host Darren Griffiths sits down with the Charity’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Minds Lead, Mike Salla to discuss how Minds will offer comprehensive mental health provision to everyone when it is needed whilst promoting ‘living well’ and ‘ageing well’ with dementia. We also listen to a powerful piece from a former veteran turned participant and volunteer of Everton in the Community and how one phone call from the charity changed his life.

Director of Youth and Support, Lara King joins host Darren Griffiths to chat about the Trinity Project and its five-year strategy and reveals how Thrives will tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, empower individuals with disabilities and create thriving, healthy families within L4 and beyond. We also hear how one person is ‘thriving’ as a member of staff at Everton in the Community having initially been a participant, and we also find out how the pillar embodies Everton’s title as The People’s Club.

Darren chats to Director of Lifelong Learning, Mike Finn this week as we get to grips with the first of three pillars Everton in the Community is launching as part of Trinity Project. As well as delving into the Learns pillar, we also hear from a participant, Evie on how Everton in the Community is inspiring her to become an actor, whilst goalkeeper Joao Virginia speaks to us after experiencing our Digital Skills Lab.

Everton in the Community's Chief Executive Officer Sue Gregory is our guest in the first of a new series which showcases the charity's five-year plan to build stronger communities and brighter futures. Presented by Darren Griffiths, we hear how the charity is embarking on a bold and transformative mission to empower people and communities across Liverpool City Region to build better futures and a stronger society. We also hear from a participant, Michael on how Everton in the Community has changed his life.

Our latest Bred a Blue podcast features a boyhood Toffee whose football journey thus far has taken him from Kirkdale to Berlin, with several outposts in between! Jonjoe Kenny progressed through all the Academy age groups to make 69 appearances for the Everton senior team before leaving in 2022 to join Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin. Along the way, he had loan spells at Wigan Athletic, Oxford United FC Schalke 04 and Celtic, as he battled to displace Seamus Coleman at Goodison. In this episode of Bred a Blue he speaks about how he’s adapting to life in Germany, learning sufficient language to be able to enjoy a night out with his Hertha team-mates, and the differences between the Bundesliga and the Premier League. He also reflects on his time at Everton, from first being scouted and not really wanting to take up the offer of a trial because his Sunday team had a big game, to replacing Matty Pennington for his debut at Goodison Park in 2016. Jonjoe also relives some the highlights of his career so far – playing at Wembley with Oxford United, winning the 2017 Under-20 World Cup with England and, of course, playing in that incredible, never-to-be-forgotten Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Goodison in May 2022. Jonjoe admits that his Celtic experience didn’t go well for him, although in fairness playing anywhere new during the ‘empty-stadium’ Covid lockdown period was always going to be challenging. And he confesses to being frustrated at never really being classed as an Everton regular before adding that the most supportive colleague he had was his right-back rival Seamus Coleman.

Despite the fact that he’s only just turned 24 years of age, Fraser Hornby already has a fascinating football story to tell. The former Everton striker is the latest guest in our Bred a Blue podcast series that features former Academy players. Hornby made just one senior appearance for the Blues, but he’s played top-flight football in Belgium, France, Scotland and now Germany. His current club is SC Darmstadt who are adjusting to life in the Bundesliga after promotion last season. Hornby started his youth career at Northampton Town but was considered good enough to command a fee from Everton when he was just 15. “I always wanted the next challenge in my career, so it wasn’t really pressure,” he recalls. “I was really looking forward to going into that environment for a top team in a top league. I relished the challenge.” His big moment came in Cyprus in December 2017 when Everton played Appolon Limassol in the Europa League. The Blues had already been eliminated so Craig Shakespeare took an inexperienced squad for the tie. Initially, Hornby was named on the bench but when Stephen Duke McKenna injured Sandro Ramirez during a training session he was elevated to the starting eleven! Anthony Gordon, Harry Charsley, Alex Denny and Nathan Broadhead all made their debuts that night and Hornby was frustrated that he didn’t get another opportunity with the senior team. “I wanted more and more and I wanted to kick on from it. I had a chance in the game and I still look back and think I could have scored," he continued. “It didn’t work out the way I wanted to, which was down to a number of reasons. Maybe a little bit of luck along the way. “The biggest impact I had with the first team was when Sam Allardyce was in charge. I was in and around the first team every day and I travelled to a couple of Premier League games with the squad, which was good at the time. I felt that had he stayed on a bit longer I would have got my chance.” After a loan spell with Kortrijk in Belgium, Hornby signed a permanent deal with French side, Reims, in 2020. A further loan spell at Aberdeen ensued, which he reflects on with disappointment, especially as he is still Scotland’s record Under-21 goalscorer with ten goals from his 18 appearances. At international level he worked with head coach, and former Everton midfielder, Scot Gemmill. “He’s got a really good reputation with the SFA and he’s one of the best coaches I’ve worked with," he added. Hornby joined Darmstadt 98 in 2023 and insists that he still hasn’t given up hope of forcing his way into the senior Scotland squad one day.

Last month saw the 60th anniversary of the Everton debut of a genuine Club legend! The Blues were the reigning Champions and were paired with Italian giants Inter Milan in the preliminary round of the European Cup. The first leg at Goodison Park ended in a goalless draw and for the return in the San Siro, manager Harry Catterick handed a first ever senior appearance to 18-year-old Colin Harvey. And the rest, as they say, is history. Colin went on to win the FA Cup in 1966, the League Championship in 1970 and made 388 appearances, scoring 24 goals. After hanging up his boots, Colin turned to coaching and it was his promotion to the First Team from the reserves in 1983 that was one of the catalysts to the greatest period in the Club’s history. In this special podcast, we look back over a magnificent Everton career with Dave Prentice and Gavin Buckland joining presenter Darren Griffiths. With audio contributions from John Hurst, Peter Reid, Dave Watson and Danny Cadamarteri, we cover Colin’s entire Blues career as a player, youth team coach, first team coach and, of course, manager. Why did he only ever win one international cap? Did he actually want to be the Everton manager when Howard Kendall left in 1987? Was he offloaded as a player too early when he still had much to offer? Colin Harvey has been on a unique Everton journey and it is entirely appropriate that he will forever be outside Goodison Park in solid bronze alongside Howard Kendall and Alan Ball.

The Everton FC Heritage Society was founded by Dr David France OBE in 2008. Within its ranks are Evertonian authors, collectors and statisticians, and the society primarily exists to promote and preserve the heritage of Everton Football Club. It also promotes and provides support for The Everton Collection Trust. And, of course, they are a wonderful and regular host of St Luke’s Church on matchdays. Located next to Goodison Park, the church hall on the first floor is transformed into a treasure trove of Everton memorabilia whenever The Blues are at home. Visitors can view the exhibitions, visit the stalls and meet members and away supporters find it just as entertaining. Indeed, followers of the opposition teams are often heard to opine, ‘I wish we had something like this at our place!’. Two of the Heritage Society members, Brendan Connolly and Sarah Deboe, have joined Darren Griffiths for a half hour podcast that explains in much more detail precisely what the society does. They speak about the importance of preserving the unique history of our club, how important it is to have a matchday presence so close to the stadium and the terrific task of restoring and rededicating the graves of some of the earliest Everton legends.

Rupturing your ACL is one of the most challenging setbacks to overcome. On average, female footballers are up to six times more likely to suffer this injury. While the journey to return to the field isn’t easy, it has been proven that those who do, can come back stronger. A recent example of this is Nicoline Sørensen, who, after 14 months of gruelling rehabilitation, returned to pitch in December 2022 and is now on her way to her first-ever World Cup with Denmark. The road to recovery was a long one. This is a story about physical and mental strength. This is the story of how 'Nico' came back.

Ian Bishop is the latest guest in our Bred A Blue podcast series. Bishop came through the ranks at Everton in the early 1980s but made only one fleeting substitute appearance for the Men's Senior Team – replacing Robbie Wakenshaw against Manchester United at Goodison Park in April 1984. Unable to break into arguably the finest Blues team of all-time, Bishop sought pastures new and went on to carve out a terrific career for himself, earning the lasting affections of supporters of every club he played for. He also established himself as one of the maverick characters of the early Premier League era. In this hugely entertaining Official Everton Podcast, Bishop recalls his early days at Bellefield, his relationship with Howard Kendall, the move to Bournemouth that helped shape his career and his part in one of Manchester City’s most famous derby wins. It was at Maine Road that Bishop teamed up with Kendall again – but he admits that didn’t end well, either! From City, Bishop went on to make himself a West Ham legend before returning to Manchester City to play for Joe Royle. He ended his career in America, where he still lives and coaches, and among his Stateside tales is the one about cleaning the windows of rap star Vanilla Ice! He also, poignantly, reveals a beautiful conversation he had with Howard Kendall before the great man passed away.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Everton legend Bob Latchford scoring 30 league goals in a truly memorable campaign. At the start of the 1977/78 season, a national newspaper offered £10,000 to the first player to hit the 30 target, as it hadn’t been done for a number of years. It went to the last game, but Latchford slammed home a late penalty against Chelsea at Goodison Park to claim the prize. In this latest Official Everton Podcast, we look back at the career of the striker who Evertonians regularly claimed could ‘walk on water’. Hosted by Darren Griffiths, alongside Dave Prentice and Gavin Buckland, we look back at Latchford’s career, with audio contributions from teammates Jim Pearson and Martin Dobson. The conversation is decorated by commentary from some of Latchford’s most memorable goals. We hear about how he was linked with Everton during the reign of Harry Catterick and of how Bill Shankly tried to persuade Latchford to join Liverpool. And did you know that Howard Kendall considered re-signing him when he was also after Andy Gray in 1983? We also discuss why a striker with such a fantastic goalscoring record was only rewarded with 12 international caps and we wonder whether the outcome of that infamous 1977 FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool would have been different had Latchford played. After that memorable season when he plundered 30 league goals, Latchford only managed 23 over the entire course of the next three campaigns. We ask why? Bob Latchford’s place in any Everton Hall of Fame has long been assured and Blues of any generation will enjoy listening to this special tribute podcast.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Everton’s 1997/98 FA Youth Cup success. Under the tutelage of the legendary Colin Harvey, the young Blues brushed aside all before them before securing the trophy for the third and most recent time. Leon Osman, who would go on to play more than 400 Senior Men's games for Everton, was an integral part of the successful squad and in this latest Official Everton Podcast he looks back over the games and the players who brought the Youth Cup to Goodison. He tells us about the future defender who, at the time, was a ‘Roy Keane-type midfielder’, recalls taking the wrong boots to Watford in the quarter-final on a freezing night, and how he experienced the high of scoring in the first-leg of the final and the low of missing the glorious return game through injury. We also hear from Francis Jeffers, who missed the Watford tie because he’d been rushed to hospital in the middle of the night, and from Danny Cadamarteri who played in the final three days before being a part of Howard Kendall’s squad that played the all-important relegation match against Coventry City!

Tom Davies is the latest special guest on the Official Everton in the Community podcast. The Blues midfielder joins EitC deputy CEO Mike Salla and host Darren Griffiths. Tom is a regular and enthusiastic supporter of the Clubs official charity and he speaks about how some of the participants have helped him as well as him helping them. The podcast focuses on the brand new People’s Place facility on Spellow Lane and Mike explains just why such a venue is essential to the local area. It’s an insightful and honest conversation with Tom opening up on the mental side of professional football and how he feels on hearing what an impact his many EitC visits have had on programme attendees and staff alike.

Stadium Concept Design Guardian Dan Meis answers your questions about the project in this exclusive 30-minute podcast.

The latest Official Everton podcast is celebrating the life of our former manager Walter Smith, who would have been 75 years old today. Smith, who managed the Blues between 1998 and 2002, passed away in October 2021. In this podcast, host Darren Griffiths is joined by legendary Kit Manager Jimmy Martin and David Prentice. All three knew Smith personally. Along the way there are contributions from Richard Gough, David Weir and Kevin Campbell, who recall their time with the great man at the various clubs he was associated with as a player and a manager. We also speak to Chick Young, the broadcaster whose attempt to interview Smith at Ibrox after a European defeat for Rangers became an internet sensation! And we feature a lovely story that Ally McCoist told at Smith’s Memorial Service, held in Glasgow Cathedral, when he revealed a ‘special gift’ he arranged for the man he called his second father. Although his time at Goodison didn’t go as well as he wanted, Smith always retained his affection for Everton Football Club, and he thoroughly deserves his place amongst the British greats for his remarkable achievements in Scotland with Rangers.  This podcast is a reflection on his contribution to football with anecdotes that are insightful, poignant, and amusing in equal measure.

Gavin McCann is one of those rare breed of footballers who left Everton and later represented his country. Our latest Bred a Blue guest played 11 times under Howard Kendall during the frenetic 1997/98 season, before leaving for Sunderland where he flourished and was selected by Sven Goran Eriksson for an England international against Spain. McCann speaks about the experience of playing against the likes of Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Iker Casillas and Raul – quipping that "they had an El Classico a week later so I think they were only at 50 per cent." The Blackpool-born midfielder also recalls his early days at Everton when he was under the tutelage of Everton legends like John Hurst and Jimmy Gabriel, and how Neville Southall was especially good to him. McCann’s first-team debut came at Newcastle United in September 1997 when he replaced Tony Grant late in the game, but his abiding memory is that, "Slav (Bilic) got sent-off and had a cigarette in the shower, there was smoke everywhere!" Unable to break through on a regular basis, "Earl Barret did me in training and I cracked my ankle and missed a load of games," McCann signed for Peter Reid at Sunderland and had later spells with Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers. He can name Kendall, Reid, David O’Leary and Martin O’Neill amongst his managers and he’s currently a coach at Northern Premier League outfit Hyde United, where former Everton Academy and Under-21 player Manasse Mampala is one of his players.

Since 1988, Everton’s official charity, Everton in the Community has been serving the Merseyside community through its life-saving work. During that time, the charity has celebrated a number of notable ‘firsts’ – from being the first Premier League Club to address mental health with a dedicated programme, to being the first Club to host a GP on its premises. As the charity marks 35-years since it first began operating in a converted house close to Goodison Park, Evertonians can enjoy a special edition of the Official Everton Podcast as we celebrate the award-winning Everton in the Community. Hosted by Darren Griffiths and featuring guests, Men's Club Captain, Seamus Coleman, Everton in the Community’s CEO Sue Gregory, and long-serving member of staff, Michael King, the podcast provides listeners with an insight into the charity’s everyday impact in the community. "We’ve been doing it [getting involved in Everton in the Community] for years and I’ve heard stories from numerous Everton in the Community participants, male and female some really tough stories over the years, who are not necessarily over the worst of it but are coping and Everton in the Community is playing a massive part in that," Coleman said on the podcast. "Since I’ve been at the Club, being part of Everton in the Community has always gone hand-in-hand. You’d be asked to do something and slowly but surely you’d understand what it is all about. It’s so important to go out and see who needs help in all different types of ways, and when you’re there you really do realise the difference you make. "I often talk about this and I’m not sure who came up with the slogan, but it doesn’t just change lives, it saves lives." We also hear from a member of staff whose journey started at Everton in the Community 17-years ago, whilst CEO Sue Gregory also explains how a £1 donation to Everton in the Community generates £29.86 of impact to support the local community and economy.

Our latest Bred a Blue podcast guest, Jake Bidwell, is still the youngest player to ever make a European appearance for Everton. David Moyes handed him a start against BATE Borisov in the UEFA Cup tie at Goodison Park in December 2009 when Bidwell was just 16-years-old and 271 days. Indeed, only Thierry Small, Jose Baxter and - by just 24 hours - James Vaughan have been younger when playing for the senior team in any competition. “I went in the day before the game expecting to train as normal and then got the shout that I was playing,” he told the Official Everton Podcast. “It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I remember going through set-pieces in training. “Leighton Baines and Tony Hibbert told me to just relax and enjoy my game. I was so young that I didn’t really understand the magnitude of it and I just wanted to get out there and do the best I could.” LISTEN TO BRED A BLUE AND COLLECT EVERTON REWARDS POINTS In Bred a Blue Bidwell speaks about he started off at Everton as a goalkeeper, how he played against Danny Welbeck when he was still at school, and how he just wanted to go home to bed after his first senior team training session because he was so tired! After that European night, further senior run-outs proved elusive and, by his own admission, he was never really likely to oust Leighton Baines and so took the decision to go to Brentford on loan when he was 18. “It would have been difficult for anyone to get Bainesy out, let alone me,” said Bidwell. “I agreed to go to Brentford and then I asked ‘where is it’ because I had no idea! I went for six months and ended up playing more than 200 games for them in five years. “There was no role for me at Everton but I had become an important player for Brentford and was playing week-in, week-out so I didn’t want to go back to play reserve team football.” From Brentford, Bidwell moved to Queens Park Rangers, although despite racking up more than 100 appearances for them across three seasons he says ‘that one didn’t work out as well.’ His next port of call, Swansea City, was far more enjoyable. “I loved it there and can’t speak highly enough of the place or the city. It’s a one-club city and everyone wants the team to do well. We had two play-off campaigns but just couldn’t get over the line.” Despite not turning 30 until March of this year, Jake Bidwell, currently in the Championship with Coventry City, is closing in on 500 career appearances. However, he still looks back on that one for Everton with a great deal of affection. “The upbringing I got alongside the likes of Phil Neville, Sylvain Distin, Leighton Baines has stood me in good stead throughout my career.  I only played once but I know there are lots of Evertonians who would give their left arm to make an appearance for the team. “It’s something I’ll always be proud of. If I have a son who is good enough to play football I wouldn’t want him to go anywhere other than Everton.”

Everton Under-21s Head Coach Paul Tait has hailed the excellent attitude from his players over the first half of the season and expects them to reach new heights in 2023. Tait was promoted from his position as Under-18s boss last summer and says he's thoroughly enjoying the new challenge. In an extensive interview, the young Blues boss discusses the positives from the Under-21s' run in the Papa John's Trophy, where they reached the third round, the development of forward Tom Cannon, the recognition his players have received from Frank Lampard, and his eagerness to continue to raise standards.

It’s always one of the most exciting days in the football calendar and the latest Official Everton Podcast looks back over some special memories from the third round of the FA Cup. Which Merseyside football legend scored the only ever ‘golden goal’, which tie was our first ever appearance on Match of the Day, which one was delayed when a chip shop by Goodison caught fire, why did we play 12 cup-ties in 14 games in 1987/88, why was the 1999 tie against Exeter City played in December and what Everton FA Cup record does Leighton Baines hold - even though he tells us that he didn’t know it! Everton legend Kevin Ratcliffe tells us what David Moyes said to him after THAT game at Shrewsbury in 2003, John Connolly speaks about the horror tackle that broke his leg in the 1975 tie against non-league Altrincham and we catch up with former schoolteacher Phil Smith, who played centre-forward for the Northern Premier League outfit when they took the Blues to a replay. And Ian Snodin insists that he’s still peeved that his team-mates didn’t celebrate his goal at Sheffield Wednesday in 1988, although it was the fifth of a 5-0 victory! Host Darren Griffiths is joined by Dave Prentice and Gavin Buckland for a light-hearted stroll down FA Cup third round memory lane.

All key milestones were achieved following a stunning year of development at Everton Stadium. Chief Stadium Development Officer Colin Chong revealed that the project at Bramley-Moore Dock remains on schedule for completion in the 2024/25 season, ahead of a crucial few months. And in an exclusive Club podcast, reflecting on an eventful 2022, he hailed the Everton fans for their input into the final design.

It’s just over 20 years since a 16-year-old boy left school in the summer and smashed his way into Premier League folklore in the autumn! Wayne Rooney was a once-in-a-lifetime talent who came through the Academy ranks at Everton to become England’s greatest ever goalscorer. In this latest Official Everton Podcast, Darren Griffiths, Dave Prentice and Gavin Buckland discuss his famous emergence, his contribution over two spells and his legacy. Contributors include James McFadden, Mark Pembridge, FA Youth Cup team-mate Steven Schumacher, and former Academy Director Ray Hall. We also speak to Paul Whitfield - the first goalkeeper to ever concede a senior goal against Wayne Rooney! He was between the sticks at the Racecourse Ground when the boy-wonder netted twice in a League Cup victory against Wrexham. Rooney was one of our own. A scouser, a prodigy, a world-class performer who conquered the world. But he still divides opinions among Evertonians.

Danish duo Nicoline Sorensen and Katrine Veje are the latest guests on the Official Everton Women Podcast. A decade on from when the pair first met during a spell together in Sweden, they reflect on their moments together both on and off the pitch. Also on the podcast, Sorensen opens up on a difficult year as she recovered from an ACL injury and thanks those at the Club for supporting her on the journey back to full fitness. Veje - who joined Everton in the summer - discusses her dream return to the English top-flight and how winning at Anfield with the Blues was a "dream come true".

Our latest Bred A Blue podcast guest is Shrewsbury Town defender Matthew Pennington. Pennington came through the ranks at Everton to play nine games for the first team – scoring a memorable goal in a Merseyside derby at Anfield. "It was a corner and I was told to block one of their players so Jags could get a run at the ball, but the ball landed inside the six-yard box and I just put it in!" He recalls his early days with the Blues, when he managed to successfully balance his football with his education, and his youth international career when he counted Jordan Pickford, Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse as his England colleagues. It was Roberto Martinez who gave Pennington his Everton debut, but the youngster was substituted at half-time after the Blues made a dreadful start to a League Cup tie at Barnsley! Pennington was impressed by the Spaniard from the day he took charge at Everton. "He said ‘hello Matthew’ to me and I thought to myself, ‘how does he know my name? He’s only just started’ but that showed the class that Martinez had." Pennington reveals that he thought he was in a good position to really push on when he signed a three-year deal under Marco Silva in 2018 but expresses his frustration at not getting another opportunity after putting pen to paper. He also talks about the disappointment of Wembley 2016 when he thought he was going to play some part in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United. "I was recalled from a loan at Walsall and I was convinced I was going to start," he says. "But Besic started at right-back…and he’s not a right-back! But it might have been a blessing in disguise because Martial was really, really good that day!" After several loan spells, Pennington left Everton in 2021 and he recalls the emotion he felt before and after his final Under-23s match, when he knew his time was up and that he wouldn’t wear the Royal Blue jersey again. Now a regular with League One Shrewsbury, Pennington is enjoying his football and he makes for an articulate and interesting Bred a Blue guest. Have a listen – and learn what Matthew Pennington in 2017 and Joe Blythe in 1900 have done for Everton that no other player in our history has ever managed.

John Lundstram spent 14 years at Everton but left before making a first-team appearance. However, he bounced back from being released to work his way back to the Premier League with Sheffield United and then go on to play in a European final. Lundstram’s story is one of determination not to give up on his dream and in the latest Bred a Blue podcast he tells us all about his incredible journey from getting two buses to Bellefield with his mum, to playing for Rangers in last season’s Europa League final in Seville. Along the way, he learned his trade under the likes of Alan Stubbs and Andy Holden at Everton and made, he freely admits, some poor decisions with regards to his selection of loan clubs. He also once incurred the wrath of David Moyes and recalls that: "I’d been a bit of a naughty boy and he called me into his office and went berserk on me! I am still scared of him when I see him now!" But he also adds: "He was the one manager at Everton who saw something in me and pushed me as hard as he could and when he left, things were never quite the same for me." Lundstram left Everton in to join Oxford United and it was very quickly a perfect fit – he was soon made first-team captain and his consistent performances earned him a move to then Championship outfit Sheffield United. Promotion followed and redemption came in September 2019 when he set up one of the Blades’ goals in a 2-0 Premier League win at Goodison Park against Marco Silva’s Everton. "That was satisfying," he says.  "One of the best footballing days of my career.  I’d lost my identity when I left Everton. I was no longer John Lundstram, the Everton player, I was just John Lundstram."

Everton centre-back James Tarkowski talks us through his fascinating career journey in the latest episode of the official Everton podcast. He opens up on why he swapped Academy football for Non-League as a youngster, the family reasons which led to his departure from Brentford, his England international ambitions, leadership, why he believes good times are ahead for Everton, and much more!

It's been a summer of significant progress for the women's game. England are champions of Europe. Watching on were Izzy Christiansen and Toni Duggan, two legends of the English game who have played a significant role on the journey. That journey hit a significant milestone when the Lionesses, led by Sarina Wiegman, were crowned European champions for the very first time. In our latest episode of the Official Everton Women Podcast, Christiansen and Duggan reflect on the historic tournament, the growing popularity of women's football and the pair's excitement to begin their competitive season under the guidance of new boss Brian Sorensen.

Dan Meis, Stadium Concept Design Guardian for the Everton Stadium, made another transatlantic trip in August 2022, to view progress on-site. In a new podcast Dan, along with Chief Stadium Development Officer, Colin Chong, discuss the project, from early sketches on a napkin to the astonishing engineering feat that is steadily transforming the skyline of North Liverpool and creating the next chapter in Everton’s illustrious history. Meis said: “I’ve a huge smile on my face because last time I was here the cores were there, so you got a sense of where the stadium was, but now you can feel how the stadium is - and it’s amazing! “When you see how many people come together, the logistics of it and the investment of time and people, it feels like you have lit this fire and it’s out of control. “It’s a giddy feeling that ‘wow, it really is here’. It’s a very unusual site and it was hard to tell, when it was still a dock, what it was going to look like when it was filled in and how the stadium sits on the site. "All those worries go away with a relief that it really does fit, but not just that but it feels so tight and intimate.”

England fast bowler Stuart Broad will be in test match action against South Africa when his beloved Nottingham Forest run out at Goodison Park on Saturday – but he’ll find a way of keeping aware of the score against Everton! “We’re not allowed phones in the dressing room so we have to ask the umpires and they can radio up to the pavilion. So if I’m bowling an over, I’ll just ask one the umpires to let me know the Forest score!” And there’s every chance that the Nottinghamshire veteran isn’t joking! A lifelong Nottingham Forest fan, Broad was ecstatic when the City Ground outfit returned to the Premier League at the end of last season and earlier this week he took a break from training at Lord’s to speak to evertonfc.com. Amongst other topics, Broad spoke about the Steve Cooper, Frank Lampard, watching Forest at strange times around the world whilst on England duty, and who the football fans are in the England dressing room. “The banter is non-stop, particularly with the fantasy football!” he said. “At the end of last year, because my mate Jimmy (Anderson) is a big Burnley fan, and Everton fans won’t want to hear this because they were in the scrap as well, I wanted Burnley to survive because I knew how much it meant to Jimmy. “What blows my mind is that when I’m flying to Australia or New Zealand, I can watch live Premier League football at 35,000 feet but I can’t make a phone call on the M1 because you can’t get a signal! “As an away fan, Everton at Goodison is one that you want to do. It’s one of the best atmospheres in the game. It will be a fascinating game but we know that we’ll come to Goodison with a lot of energy and a lot of away support.”

There’s nothing quite like the first day of a new season! The Toffees welcome Chelsea to Goodison Park tomorrow evening for the Premier League opener and as part of our build up we bring you an Official Everton Podcast looking back at some of our first-day fixtures over the years. Host Darren Griffiths is again in the company of David Prentice and Gavin Buckland and among their memories are Tony Cottee’s hat-trick, Gary Speed’s debut goal, an Andy King winner against Chelsea, John Hurst getting a title-winning season off to a flyer…and Gary Lineker enduring a miserable start to his Everton career at Leicester City! And the afternoon that David Moyes gave debuts to an England goalkeeper, a Brazilian, a Chinese international and a 16-year-old who had just left school! With the usual plethora of facts and figures, some personal reminisces (did Neville Southall speak to Prenno after his opening day, half-time protest?) and some vintage commentary clips, this is a great way to start your new Premier League weekend.

The latest Official Everton Podcast is celebrating the relationship between the Football Club and the United States of America. Darren Griffiths, Dave Prentice and Gavin Buckland take an irreverent look at past tours of the States and discuss the players from across the pond who have played for the Blues. With personal recollections and anecdotes, plus a plethora of stats, facts and figures from Gavin, the USA Special is a perfect way to kill an hour while you wait for the Blues opening game against Arsenal! Men like Roger Kenyon, Dave Clements, Terry Darracott, Preki and Joe-Max Moore all get a mention – as does the ground-breaking tour to USA of 1961. There’s also audio input from Tim Howard, Landon Donavan, Brian McBride, Paul Rideout and the current coach, Gregg Berhalter, who recalls the time he played for Everton reserves.

Sandbanks in leafy Dorset to St Tropez in the south of France sounds like an idyllic summer journey. But not if you complete the entire trip on a bicycle, which is what former Everton defender Sylvain Distin has just done! Big Sylvain biked up to 90 miles every day for 10 days to raise money for families affected by the crisis in war-torn Ukraine. To donate to the ‘Sandbanks to St Tropez’ charity initiative, simply visit the Just Giving page by clicking here. Darren Griffiths caught up with the Frenchman to learn more about his epic journey and to get his views on Frank Lampard, Seamus Coleman, the magnificent Evertonians and plenty more besides.

Ruleteros society member John Shearon provides the latest from Everton's namesake club in South America.

Everton’s first ever penalty kick was awarded on 5 March 1892 during a game against Stoke City at our then home of Anfield. Alex Latta took it…and missed! To commemorate the 130th anniversary of our inaugural spot-kick, Darren Griffiths, Dave Prentice and statistician Gavin Buckland sat around the table and discussed our penalties and our takers over the decades. With contributions from Trevor Steven, Joe Royle and David Unsworth, this is a light-hearted but thoroughly enlightening journey down penalty-kick memory lane! For example, did you know that early penalties could be taken from anywhere on a 12-yard line? Or that the Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper thought the Germans had won the 1970 European Cup shoot-out when Royle missed the first kick – only to have the rules of this brand new concept pointed out to him. Royle recalls that night fondly, even though he became the very first player to ever miss a penalty in a European shoot-out, and he offers huge credit to goalkeeper Andy Rankin and winning scorer Sandy Brown. Steven, who converted 23 of his 29 kicks, speaks about having to be patient with regards to penalty duties, having the likes of Sharp, Heath and Sheedy ahead of him. By the way, Steven says that he never took a single penalty for Burnley, Rangers or Marseilles! Unsworth reveals that ‘I always took penalties at every level I played at’ but that he couldn’t really practice them regularly at Bellefield because ‘Neville Southall wasn’t very good at saving them!’

The latest guest on the Bred A Blue podcast is the only player to come through the ranks at Everton and win a full Scottish international cap! Danny Fox has recently hung up his boots after a 500-game career that took him to Celtic, Burnley, Southampton and East Bengal, amongst other locations. In Bred A Blue, he reveals how he became a part of the Tartan Army and reflects on the unique experience of playing in an Old Firm game. “It’s like an out of body experience,” he says. Fox joined Everton from Liverpool as a young boy and as a lifelong Evertonian, he dreamed of playing for the First Team. Although it nearly happened, he never quite made it. “I was on the bench against Aston Villa and when I was warming up, I was willing David Moyes to put me on, but he didn’t,” he says. After the tears and trauma of being released as an 18-year-old, Fox was determined to prove Everton wrong and when he finally got to play in the Premier League with Burnley and Southampton he viewed it as redemption. In a thoroughly entertaining podcast, Fox also speaks about his teenage loan spell with Scottish part-timers Stranraer, when a players trip to Benidorm really helped him grow up, and the difficulties of playing in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former Everton winger Ronny Goodlass is currently trekking across Holland on a sponsored walk with a bit of a difference! Ronny is walking from ADO Den Haag’s Cars Jeans Stadion to the home of NAC Breda, the Rat Verlegh Stadion, the two clubs he played for during his spell in the Netherlands. His walk - which began on Monday and ends on Thursday - is a distance of 102 kilometres and will raise much-needed funds for his charity, Health Through Sport. “Both Dutch clubs have been great with me, as have Everton – from the Club, ex-players and supporters,” said Ronny. “Evertonians have been brilliant, ever since I started the charity.” Ronny saw Den Haag draw 1-1 with Jong FC Utrecht on Sunday and will end his trip by watching NAC Breda take on TOP Oss on Friday. “It’s been great so far,” he added. “It’s rained a bit but we’re on our way and I met some ex-teammates on Sunday, which was lovely.” Before he left the UK at the weekend, Ronny caught up with Darren Griffiths to discuss his charity and the aims, route and logistics of the walk.

Our latest Bred a Blue podcast guest is currently spear-heading Plymouth Argyle’s League One promotion push. Steven Schumacher never made a First-Team appearance for his beloved Everton, but he went on to play 500 games as a professional and is currently in charge at Home Park as The Pilgrims look to lift themselves up into the Championship. The former midfielder harbours no grudges about not making the grade at Everton. “I was eight years old when I first had a trial at Bellefield and I stayed until I was 20, so it’s a massive part of my life and I loved every minute of it,” he says. “I thought I would get a chance when Walter Smith was the manager.  I was a midfield player who liked a tackle and would have suited Everton’s style of play at the time.” That Schumacher never got an opportunity in the Premier League maybe, albeit inadvertently, down to Wayne Rooney! Rooney burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old after helping Everton to the final of the FA Youth Cup in 2002. Schumacher was a team-mate who, like the other nine players who played in that final, got released before playing for the First Team, and he analyses the situation 20 years on. “We all knew that Wayne was special, everybody did, but I don’t think anyone honestly would have 100% said that he would go on to become England’s leading goalscorer and one of the best players this country has ever produced,” Schumacher added. "You could see the talent, but it wasn’t the Wayne Rooney show and ten others. “It probably went against the rest of us because we were all measured against Wayne, and that was tough for the other ten. "Wrong place wrong time, if you like, with regards to my Everton career.” From Everton, Schumacher played for Bradford City, Crewe Alexandra, Bury, Fleetwood and Stevenage in the Football League. He cut his teeth in world of coaching at Finch Farm with the Everton Academy, before returning to the professional game with Bury and then Plymouth Argyle, assuming the top job when Ryan Lowe joined Preston North End in December 2021. “My tenth game as a manager was Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup,” he recalls. “One of the coaches at Everton text me and said, ‘you’ve gone from managing against Burnley Under-11s to the Champions of Europe in four years!’ and that’s how quickly football can develop and change. “There are some massive budgets in League One but we’re enjoying the challenge. We’ve just got to keep competing with them and keep fighting with them as long as we can.”

Terry Darracott was an Evertonian. He loved the Club and served it with distinction, over 18 years in total, as a youth, reserve and then first team player before returning as a coach. Sadly, he passed away on 22 March 2022, at the age of 71, just a few short weeks after recording an Official Everton Podcast. Terry’s interview was to be a part of a forthcoming series featuring ‘Sons of the 70s’, but we feel that now is the right time to share his recollections with his fellow Evertonians. During his conversation, Terry speaks about learning to play football under the lights of a Liverpool tenement building, joining Everton as a teenager, getting two buses to Goodison for his senior debut against Arsenal, fighting for his place under a succession of managers, his time in the States with Tulsa Roughnecks and his subsequent coaching and scouting career. It’s a thoroughly engaging chat with a man who simply loved Everton Football Club. Terry kept his enthusiasm for football, and for life, right until the very end, and his honestly, humility and humour come through in this podcast.

Our latest Bred A Blue podcast guest is former midfielder Hope Akpan. Born in Liverpool, Akpan joined the Everton Academy when he was 8-years-old and moved through the age groups to play for the First Team. He was one of several debutants when David Moyes’ side played BATE Borisov in the Europa League at Goodison Park in December 2009. Akpan came off the bench to replace Jack Rodwell after just eight minutes as Everton, who had already qualified from the group stage, lost 1-0. “That was a massive surprise and I don’t know if it helped or made things worse,” he said. “There was no time to get nervous. “We wanted to make an impression so to lose put a bit of a dampener on the night.” It would be his one and only appearance for the senior side, but he later played Premier League football for Reading and forced his way onto the international scene with Nigeria. In Bred A Blue, Akpan tells of his relationship with Moyes: “He’s got a presence about him. I remember being in the gym and whenever Moyesy came in, I would sneak out. But he was always fair.” And he recalls almost missing a pre-season trip to Austria with the First Team after losing his passport, how the Nigerian internationals Joseph Yobo, Yakubu and Victor Anichebe looked out for him, and how his eventual exit from Everton surprised him. Akpan was a victim of online racist abuse when he was still a young player but again showed his strength of character to rise above it. “Social media was just starting but to be honest it didn’t faze me too much,” he said. “We can do more. But it’s a shame that some people just aren’t educated enough in 2022 to not have those thoughts in their minds. There’s definitely been progress but social media gives people an easy ride.” After leaving the Blues, Akpan served Crawley Town, Reading, Blackburn Rovers, Burton Albion and Bradford City but admits that although he lost his spark and his enthusiasm for football isn’t the same as it was, he hasn’t totally given up on the game. In the meantime, he has launched his own business. Plant Boost is a health-conscious eatery in Hale and he clearly has a passion for it. “Being in football for ten years and trying to stay in tip-top shape helped me apply myself to this. “The personnel at Everton did a lot so that whether you made it or not (as a footballer), you had a good footing and a good understanding of life and what it takes to make it in any field.”

Our latest Bred A Blue podcast guest is Keith Southern, who joined Everton as a teenager but had to leave to fulfil his football ambitions. While he may have not represented Everton at senior level during his time at the Club, Southern went onto to have a fine career, that included promotions all the way through to the Premier League, playing alongside Seamus Coleman at Wembley, and recovering from cancer before returning to Merseyside as a coach at USM Finch Farm. One of the players Southern has helped develop during his time at the Club is none other than Anthony Gordon. “I haven’t been surprised at how well he’s done because I know how good he is,” Southern says of the Blues young sensation. Lured away from his native north-east to sign for Everton as a teenager, Southern is honest enough to admit that, at the time, he fell short of the standard required to play at the highest level. “I scored twice for the reserves at Bradford City on the day that David Moyes came to the club, but I was realistic, and I wasn’t going to play for the first-team,” he says. “I knew I was going to have to move to be a footballer. David Moyes was brilliant with me and we had a really honest chat about my career.” He left Everton in 2002 to join League One Blackpool and eventually made his way back to the Premier League under the unique tutelage of Ian Holloway. “Completely mad! But an incredible human being and the first manager I ever had who took a personal interest in me,” is how Southern describes his former boss. “I’ve got a lot to be thankful to him for.” Blackpool’s long-awaited return to the top tier of English football was rubber-stamped at Wembley in May 2010 when they defeated Cardiff City. One of Southern’s team-mates that day was current Everton captain Seamus Coleman. “I’ve never seen a loanee at any club in my career do as well as he did. Without Seamus I don’t think we would have been promoted because he was that good. Not just his ability, he is just an outstanding man. Fame and fortune can change people, but that was never going to happen with Seamus Coleman.” Southern’s world was then turned upside down when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2011. His treatment and subsequent recovery changed his outlook on football and life in general. “I used to be a worrier. Little things would keep me awake but when you have a period in your life like I did you realise the little things aren’t worth worrying about any more.   I didn’t come back a better footballer, but I was a more resilient individual.” The now 40-year-old is loving life at Everton but he does have long-term ambitions to one day be a manager. “Yes, but I’m no hurry. I’m learning and developing at a fantastic football club.”

This week’s Bred a Blue podcast features the story of a young player who fought back from the devastation of leaving his boyhood team to forge a new career at Everton with the Club's life-changing official charity. Stephen Wynne spent eight years with the Club before being released and subsequently turning his back on football – but he is now back in the fold, doing fantastic work for Everton in the Community.

The third episode of the Official Everton Stadium Podcast has arrived with development back underway after a brief festive break. Plenty of progress has been made since the second episode, with around 480-thousand cubic metres of fluidised sand now at home in the Bramley-Moore Dock. Darren Griffiths caught up with Senior Project Manager, Ben Townsley as the first foundations are built for the Club's new ground. We also hear from Stadium Development and Project Manager, Alix Craig, who expresses her excitement for the changes made at the construction site so far. There are also a few familiar voices, with several former Everton stars who made the journey down to what will be the new home for Everton Football Club. Finally, BBC Sport Northwest journalist Richard Askham takes in the surroundings from what will be the the new main stand.

Former Everton defender Peter Clarke is the latest guest in our Bred A Blue podcast series. Still going strong as captain of League Two promotion chasing Tranmere Rovers – almost twenty-one years after making his debut for Everton – Clarke turns 40 years of age on 3 January 2022. It was January 2001 when Walter Smith handed him his senior bow at Highfield Road against Coventry City, sending him on to replace Alec Cleland after 32 minutes. Sadly for Clarke, who joined the Blues when he was eleven, it wasn’t to be the start of a long career with the Club – he would make just thirteen more appearances before being released in 2004. “I gave it everything I had and I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears when I walked out of Bellefield for the last time,” he told the Official Eveton Podcast. Clarke agrees with the suggestion that the departure of Walter Smith and the arrival of David Moyes at Everton happened at the wrong time for him. Moyes needed results straight away and was always likely to side with more experienced defenders. “I always felt I was mature enough to have coped with the situation, but I didn’t get enough opportunities under David Moyes,” claims Clarke, who also adds that he still feels he was unfairly judged after the infamous FA Cup defeat against Shrewsbury Town in 2003. “I was always fighting a losing battle after that.” Since leaving Everton, the Southport-born defender has given sterling service to Blackpool, Southend United, Huddersfield Town, Bury, Oldham Athletic, Fleetwood Town and Tranmere, racking up over 900 professional appearances and collecting a plethora of Player of the Season trophies along the way. He still harbours immense affection for Everton Football Club and he stresses his gratitude for the grounding he got during his days with the Academy, the reserves (playing against the likes of Fowler, Cole, Yorke and Viduka) and the first team. And, as he says with a smile, “It’s not bad to be the last remaining team-mate of Paul Gascoigne to still be playing!”

Listen to an emotional Gary Speed special edition of the Official Everton Podcast, 10 years on from the tragic passing of the former Blues midfielder. Lifelong Evertonian Speed joined his boyhood club from Leeds United for a fee of £3.5million in July 1996 and went on to make 65 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 18 goals in that time. In our latest Official Everton Podcast, former teammate Duncan Ferguson recalls his memories of sharing a changing room with the popular Welshman - for both Everton and Newcastle United. Kevin Ratcliffe, meanwhile, tells the story of how Speed delivered newspapers to his house as a youngster, before becoming a close friend later in life. Everton Giant Dave Watson and kitman Jimmy Martin also reflect on their memorable times with Speed. Plus, Sunday Express journalist and author John Richardson, who was entrusted to write Speed's autobiography - a publication that would never be finished, explains his relationship with Speed and the process of penning 'Gary Speed Unspoken: The Family's Untold Story'.

Alan Irvine offered Mick Rathbone some sagely advice when they were discussing the potential of the latter man penning his original autobiography. “Why would anyone walk past Paul Scholes’ book or Gary Neville’s book to pick up yours!” quipeed Irvine. Thankfully, 'Baz' - as everyone in football refers to the former Everton physiotherapist - took no notice and wrote ‘The Smell of Football’. It was a huge success – so much so that the much-anticipated sequel has been completed and Baz sat down to speak about it. During the highly entertaining podcast interview, Baz recalls many facets of his career, including his very first day at Bellefield when he encountered a Club legend. “Duncan Ferguson came up to me, after calling me Bob the Builder because I was in double denim with a checked shirt, and said: ‘I’m big Dunc and I’ve finished a few physio’s careers!' “I replied: 'I’ve finished a few players careers!' and Duncan put his face into mine and said: 'You’ll do for me!' and I was in!” Baz also discusses his final days with Everton, his subsequent worries when the mental and financial implications of being suddenly unemployed hit home, being part of the England set-up, working at Manchester United with Sir Alex Ferguson, and a second international career with Montserrat! As self-effacing as ever, Baz talks about each challenge that came his way and he also admits to his mistakes, such as allowing Chinese international Li Tie to do his rehabilitation back in China. The book is flying out and to buy your copy, visit the website www.thesmelloffootball2.co.uk

Our latest Bred A Blue podcast is with Steve Seargeant who joined the Everton youth ranks in 1966 and went on to play 90 games for the First Team. Steve, born and bred in Liverpool and a lifelong Evertonian, speaks about his experiences coming through the ranks, how he helped Alex Young with his blisters, getting advice from Alan Ball and how wingers would frequently go ‘over the top’ on full-backs! He also recalls Bernie Wright, injustices like Carlisle United and AC Milan, and the day he went for the throat of a Brazilian football legend in America! On leaving Everton, Steve signed for Detroit Express in the North American Soccer League, and apart from that fall-out with a 1970 World Cup winner, it was an experience he thoroughly enjoyed – playing against the likes of George Best, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer.

16 years on from his Everton debut, James Vaughan opens up on his mental health struggles as a kid and how more can be done to help the youth in society. He also discusses how the battle against racism has evolved with the challenges faced by attacks on social media. Vaughan takes a moment to reflect on his career and the names the best he has played alongside. Darren Griffiths caught up with the former Toffee in the final episode of our Black History Month podcast mini-series.

As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, our latest Bred a Blue feature is with 1970s winger Cliff Marshall. Marshall came through the ranks to become the first black player to appear in the First Team when he made his debut at Goodison Park against Leicester City in 1975. He would only play eight times for Everton before moving across the Atlantic to sign for Miami Toros. In Bred a Blue, he speaks candidly about his life and his career. Hear about his Toxteth upbringing, the night he played a national schools semi-final after attending his mother’s funeral, sorting Christmas parties for the Everton First Team, playing against Pele in America, turning his back on football – and discover which celebrity A-lister is his cousin!

The second episode of the Official Everton Stadium Podcast has arrived and it's 'filled' with information from Bramley-Moore Dock. Construction workers have began to infill the site with sand from the River Mersey, while pumping water from the dock right back into the sea. In our second instalment, Darren Griffiths caught up with those working on site making the Everton dream a reality. We also hear from Stadium Development and Project Manager, Alix Craig, who has been the link between the Club and those working for Laing O'Rourke, and Director of Stadium Development, Colin Chong lets us know of some interesting discoveries deep in what is soon to be the foundations of our new home.

One of the founding members of Everton's first-ever Women's Super League team, Fern Whelan helped to build the foundations of what the women's team are today. The former Blues defender began her football journey playing boys football before signing for Everton at the age of 16, having a brief stint with Liverpool Women between. One of England's rising stars, Whelan was named the FA Women's Young Player of the Year in 2008, however, an injury at the end of the season resulted in a difficult road ahead.  Now, Whelan is using her experience to help guide the next generation of stars while also speaking openly on the racial abuse she received during her career and what can be done now to make a difference. Continuing with our podcast mini-series to celebrate Black History Month, Darren Griffiths caught up with the former Toffees star.

In an open and honest interview, Campbell spoke of the importance of education of racial equality and calls for harsher punishments for individuals caught discriminating. Campbell became the first-ever black player to captain Everton Football Club, an accolade he is honoured to have on his footballing career. Darren Griffiths caught up with the former Everton captain in the latest episode of the Official Everton Football Podcast.

Sunday 16 November marks 40 years since Everton Great, Neville Southall made his debut for the Blues. The Official Everton Podcast caught up with the two-time FA Cup winner as the former goalkeeper reflected on that debut, his journey in football, and what it meant to play for the blue side of Merseyside.

In our latest episode of the Bred A Blue, Everton under-18s coach Paul Tait takes a look back on his career, progressing through the Everton Academy ranks and inspiring the next generation of Club talent.

In the first episode of our new series, we hear from Chairman Bill Kenwright about his pride on breaking ground, Colin Chong provides a progress update you won’t want to miss, the divers plunging in to Bramley-Moore Dock explain how they have been clearing and sealing the basin, as well as what they have found on the dock bed, and we get an insight into how the dock infill process will work from the project leads at Laing O’Rourke.

Everton legend opens up his son Jack's leukaemia prognosis after a shattering setback and explains how becoming a stem cell donor can be 'lifesaving'.

Lifelong Evertonian Scott Brown discusses how he bounced back from being released by his boyhood club to play more than 400 professional matches, the key influence of Blues legend Colin Harvey, and playing with a young Wayne Rooney...

Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Jamie Jones reveals how his Everton Academy grounding providing a perfect platform for his successful pro career, his enduring love for the Blues, and how he witnessed Jordan Pickford's incredible potential at a young age.

From Netherton to the European Championship, the latest guest on our Bred a Blue podcast series is Stoke City and Wales goalkeeper Adam Davies. Davies is currently preparing for his nation’s Euro 2020 last-16 clash against Denmark but he took time out to reflect on his Everton Academy days and his subsequent professional career.

Our latest Bred A Blue podcast guest Gethin Jones explains how his grounding at Everton provided a platform for a successful pro career. The right-back, who has just won promotion to League One with Bolton, reflects on working with the Duncan Ferguson at the Academy and the vital positional change that shaped him as a footballer.

John Doolan came through the ranks at Everton and, while he did not make a First-Team appearance for the Blues, went on to play more than 500 matches in a successful professional career. His is a story of how the adversity of release can be overcome by determination, hard-work and confidence in your own ability.

In our latest episode of the Official Everton Women Podcast, Gabby George is joined by Everton physio Charlotte Doughty to discuss the physical and mental challenges of her year-long injury layoff, her big ambitions with the Toffees, and 'inspirational' cousin Jesse Lingard.

In our latest Bred a Blue episode, former Everton Academy player John-Paul Kissock relives learning his trade at his boyhood club and speaks candidly about the harsh realities of life as a professional footballer.

On 31 March 2001, a young defender made his First-Team debut for Everton in a Premier League match at West Ham United. Tony Hibbert would go on to make 329 appearances for the Blues, famously without ever finding the back of the net. Little did he believe when he made his bow at Upton Park - and won a first-half penalty when he was fouled inside the box by Stuart Pearce - that he would end his career in the all-time top 30 appearance list for the Club. We caught up with Hibbert to get some of his reflections on a wonderful career – including, of course, his eventful debut and the night he DID score a goal at Goodison Park!

Anyone who is a regular listener to the Official Everton Women Podcast will know a debate has raged all season long as to whether Danielle Turner or Hayley Raso is the fastest Blue.  In our latest episode, we get the official answer - and it's neither of them!  Listen to our newest podcast, featuring Club captain Turner and assistant boss Chris Roberts, to find out which member of the team has clocked the highest top speed in a game this term, and which of our guests has taken over the top of the leaderboard in our 60-second quiz! Turner also explains why the Icelandic FA owes her a couple of medals, and Roberts outlines why developing Academy talents will always be key to his and Willie Kirk's footballing philosophy.

Jill Scott talks to Sarah Halpin and Davie Thompson about her return to Everton, racking up 150 caps for the Lionesses and her new venture away from football... opening a coffee shop! The midfielder also discusses the Everton tattoo she got during her first spell with the Club, why Cristiano Ronaldo is an inspiration when it comes to her plans to play the game as long as possible, and her dream of being a Coronation Street extra! Podcast recorded 3 March 2021.

When Sven-Goran Eriksson was appointed boss of Roma in 1984, he inherited a gifted midfielder by the name of Carlo Ancelotti. Eriksson promptly identified the Italian’s ability to inspire those around him and ultimately named him Roma captain. Eriksson is convinced Everton pulled off a great coup when they landed Ancelotti as manager – and in this episode explains why he believes his former charge is simply addicted to the beautiful game…

Carlo Ancelotti was immediately impressed by the insight and communication skills of coach Paul Clement after being appointed Chelsea boss in the summer of 2009. The pair would go on to win seven major honours together, including domestic titles in England, France and Spain, and the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid. Who better then to tell us what it’s like to be one of Ancelotti’s most trusted lieutenants…

Xabi Alonso first encountered Carlo Ancelotti when he took charge at Real Madrid eight years ago. The pair won the 2014 Champions League together - and reunited when Ancelotti was appointed boss of Bayern Munich in 2016. Alonso’s final season before retiring concluded with an Ancelotti-inspired Bundesliga title success. In this episode, the Spaniard discusses Ancelotti’s ability to bring dressing rooms together – and explains how he finally ended Real’s long-wait for ‘La Decima’...

Kakha Kaladze was at AC Milan for the duration of Carlo Ancelotti’s glittering eight-year reign. The defender won two Champions Leagues and a Serie A title under the Italian and remains thankful to his former manager for his enduing support throughout traumatic off-field circumstances. A prominent politician, Kaladze is now mayor of the Georgian capital Tbilisi – a role that sees him lean on the leadership lessons learned from 'Mister Ancelotti'…

Pietro Vierchowod was a formidable defender with Roma, Sampdoria and the Italian national team. He was a teammate of Carlo Ancelotti in Roma’s Serie A winning team in 1982/83 and again with Italy at two World Cups. Vierchowod and Ancelotti formed a strong bond and the centre-back is certain Italy’s fate at their own World Cup in 1990 would have altered had the pair not been left unused on the bench for a semi-final defeat by Argentina…

Pietro Strada was a forward in Carlo Ancelotti’s Reggiana team when he embarked on his first managerial job 25 years ago. Italian Strada played a key role in his side’s promotion to Serie A and followed Ancelotti to Parma the following season. In this episode, Strada explains how even from those early days, he knew Ancelotti the manager was destined for the very top.

In Knowing Carlo, we seek to discover what has driven our serial-winner manager during a trophy-laden football career spanning six decades. We have spoken to those who have inside knowledge of what makes the Italian tick – those who have played with him, played under him, managed him, and stood alongside him for some of his greatest achievements. Michael Ballack played 45 matches in Carlo Ancelotti’s Double-winning first campaign at Chelsea. The former Germany international midfielder, whose catalogue of celebrated former managers includes Jose Mourinho, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Guus Hiddink, views Ancelotti as one of the finest bosses of his career. Ballack won scores of major honours but it wasn’t until the arrival of Ancelotti for the player’s fourth season at Stamford Bridge that he claimed a Premier League title. The irrepressible Michael Essien spent two years at Chelsea with Ancelotti. Ghanaian Essien, a forceful and energetic midfield talent, recovered from injury to grow into a pivotal performer in the Italian's second season in west London. In the opening episode of Knowing Carlo, Ballack and Essien describe their experiences of working under Ancelotti... and how he took Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League.

Academy graduate Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah joins Sarah Halpin and Davie Thompson to discuss why she's more excited than she's ever been in her 16 years with Everton, how the return of Jill Scott has brought plenty of laughter to the Blues' dressing room... and which member of the current squad makes the worst cup of tea! Boye-Hlorkah also reveals which fellow homegrown talent she believes is one to watch, explains why she will never take in a horror film alone, and attempts to beat Izzy Christiansen's record in our 60 second quiz.

Republic of Ireland international Shane Duffy discusses his Everton grounding, recovering from a life-threatening injury, and his relationship with "great man and great captain" Seamus Coleman in the latest episode of Bred A Blue.

England star Izzy Christiansen talks to Sarah Halpin about the arrivals of Jill Scott and Alisha Lehmann, being captivated by James Rodriguez, rediscovering her childhood joy of football with the Blues, and why she believes "the whole Club is going places".  The former Lyon midfielder also discusses taking her first steps in punditry, how the enthusiasm and attention to detail of Everton's coaching team is "something I've never worked with before", the Great 'Everton' Bake Off... and getting Taylor Swift to Walton Hall Park! Plus, find out how many questions Izzy answered in 60 seconds in our new quick-fire quiz!

The Official Everton Women Podcast is back and, to kick off 2021, there was really only one place to start.  Since the last edition of 2020, manager Willie Kirk has penned a new two-and-a-half year contract, while forward - and Kirk's fellow Scot - Claire Emslie has turned her loan deal with the Blues into a permanent move.  Listen to the podcast now to hear Kirk discuss how he plans to build on the progress already achieved during his impressive first two years on Merseyside, explain why he is so grateful for the support of long-time assistant Chris Roberts, and shed light on the challenges of managing the squad through the coronavirus outbreak that led to Everton's game against Manchester United being postponed. Kirk also chats about how he's adapted to "tiring but inspiring" fatherhood, explains why he has a photo of the Liverpool night sky from 17 November 2019 above his desk, and reveals the hilarious reason why hearing The Beatles' 'Hey Jude' now winds him up!  Emslie, meanwhile, describes the feeling of scoring Scotland's first ever World Cup goal - against England - and outlines her debt of gratitude to Kirk - a coach she first worked with as a teenager at part-time Hibernian.  Both also take part in our This or That quiz and find Scottish equivalents to our set of Scouse phrases!

In the second of our Bred A Blue series, Birmingham-born striker James Vaughan discusses joining Everton as a six-year-old and embarking on a journey that led to him becoming the Premier League's youngest ever goalscorer a decade later. Now 32, Vaughan is back on Merseyside and regularly scoring goals for League Two Tranmere Rovers. He explains the impact coming through Everton's ranks had on his career, relives the elation of scoring in the Blues' FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in 2009, and speaks candidly about why he didn't amass more than his 60 appearances for the Club.

Everton's Stadium Development Director Colin Chong and former Blues midfielder turned sports lawyer Gareth Farrelly discuss the latest developments in The People's Project, the complexities of obtaining planning permission to build a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, and the importance of leaving a legacy in L4. In an interview recorded in late December, Colin looks at the journey the Club has been on to secure planning permission from Liverpool City Council, explains the amendments that were made to both the stadium design and planning proposal in the second half of 2020, and discusses his hopes for the project in 2021. Farrelly, who netted a famous Goodison goal against Coventry City to help the Blues avoid a final-day relegation in 1998, expresses his excitement at the new stadium designs and explains both why the move is so important to Everton and why he has no doubts the Club's links with the community around its existing home will remain as strong as ever.

Everton and Norway star Ingrid Moe Wold talks being a triplet, winning trophies and how they celebrate Christmas back home.

As a journalist with the Liverpool Echo, Dave Prentice has reported on Everton for more than 30 years – a journey he details in his new book A Grand Old Team To Report. John Keith is a veteran broadcaster, journalist, football author and stage producer whose professional association with the Toffees dates back to the glory days of Harry Catterick, Alex Young and the Holy Trinity in the 1960s. Listen to Dave and John discuss their respective ties with the Blues' greatest ever player, their latest Everton projects… and regale some of their favourite personal anecdotes from decades spent on the ‘inside’ of life at Goodison Park, Bellefield and Finch Farm.

In the first of a new series, former striker Nick Chadwick discusses his Everton upbringing, vying for starting opportunities with a teenage Wayne Rooney and how his time at Goodison Park instilled in him values he still leans on as a coach.

In the latest Official Everton Women Podcast, summer recruit Damaris Egurrola talks choosing football over a potential career in tennis, idolising Ronaldinho, and why she loves Goodison Park. The midfielder also discusses speaking four different languages, consulting a Scouse phrasebook following her move to Merseyside and why her Spanish-Dutch family celebrates US Thanksgiving.

In the latest Official Everton Women Podcast we get to know more about Denmark international and Blues summer signing Nicoline Sorensen! 'Nico' tells us all about her journey to Merseyside via winning titles in both her homeland and Sweden but explains why sampling success with the Toffees would be the highlight of her career. The forward also talks about why Danish favourite rye bread is popular in the Everton dressing room, discusses her initiation song being more nerve-wracking than walking out for the FA Cup final at Wembley, and details why she already believes Willie Kirk is the best manager she has ever worked under. We get to know some of Sorensen's likes and dislikes as she takes on our 'This or That' quiz, get to hear her best attempt at a Scouse accent and learn why Liverpool and Copenhagen are so alike!

In the latest Official Everton Women Podcast, defender Meg Finnigan and goalkeeper Sandy MacIver join Sarah Halpin and Davie Thompson to preview the Women's FA Cup final clash with Manchester City! Hear the Blues pair discuss the confidence in the camp, their thoughts on a potential penalty shootout, and why Simone Magill will be none too happy with Everton teammate Valerie Gauvin!  Finnigan and MacIver also face off in a heated quiz about Everton's 'Road to Wembley', with plenty of laughs and fun along the way.

Every Evertonian knows the Kevin Ratcliffe story… or do they? We all know that he’s our most successful ever captain and that he won two league titles, an FA Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup during his time at Goodison. And that he is fifth in our all-time appearance list and one of his two goals was a 40-yarder at Anfield against Liverpool! But what happened to Ratcliffe when he left Goodison Park in the summer of 1992? We’ve been finding out, with the Welshman's post-Everton story the subject of our latest Official Everton Podcast. He tells us how he ended up at Dundee and lived above a pub, how he scored on his Cardiff City debut, why he signed for Nottingham Forest, how he played against Liverpool for Derby County reserves - and laughs about the time he paid a water bill to enable a Chester City game to go ahead! ‘Rats’ also reveals the name of the best coach he ever worked with (it’s a former Everton player but you’d probably never guess which one!), discusses how Martin O'Neill helped him sign the great Cyril Regis, and lets us in on what David Moyes said to him after Shrewsbury shocked the Toffees in the FA Cup.

In the latest Everton Women edition of the Official Everton Podcast, we find out more about summer signing Poppy Pattinson.  The England Under-21 international completed a move from Bristol City in July, penning a two-year deal.  A native of the north-east, Pattinson joins Sarah Halpin and Davie Thompson to discuss her journey from Sunderland's youth academy to the Toffees, why she has been made to feel so welcome on Merseyside and her childhood heroes. Pattinson also sings us her initiation song, plays our 'This Or That' game - and has a go at learning some Scouse phrases!

Thomas Hitzlsperger has described his experience of coming out as gay and the positive impact doing so had on his life in an exclusive interview for the Official Everton Podcast. The former Germany international midfielder opened up publicly about his sexuality in 2014, six months after leaving Everton and calling time on a career that saw him lift the Bundesliga title with VfB Stuttgart as well as play in England, Italy and on 52 occasions for his country. He remains the most high-profile footballer to be openly gay. In a fascinating chat ahead of National Coming Out Day this Sunday (11 October), Hitzlsperger, now the CEO of Stuttgart, reveals the advice he would give gay footballers considering coming out, explains why his exacting battles with Gareth Barry for a first-team place at Aston Villa led him to seek the England man out when they met on the international stage, and describes how he went from falling out of love with the game to taking a top boardroom job at one of Germany's most successful clubs. He also details what it was like to realise his playing career was over at the age of just 31, why he believes more young English players should follow the example of Jonjoe Kenny and Jadon Sancho in moving to the Bundesliga, and why he still cites the "special" work of Everton in the Community as an example for other clubs to follow.

Former midfielder Mark Ward discusses his career journey and road to redemption in the latest edition of the Official Everton Podcast. Learn how Ward recovered from the "bombshell" of being released by Everton as an 18-year-old in 1981 to fight his way back to sign for the Blues under Howard Kendall a decade later - and how he "broke down" on learning of the transfer from his then-Manchester City boss Peter Reid. Discover how the teenage Ward would expend so much effort in training trying to compensate for a perceived lack of athleticism he would end sessions by being "physically sick".  Hear about the time he ran two hours to training - and then scored a hat-trick that weekend. Learn why he credits another Blues legend in Joe Royle for reigniting his football career. Hear his personal experiences of being resident in New York and seeing the harrowing aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001.  And understand the circumstances that led to him being jailed for eight years in October 2005, a sentence of which he would serve half.

Recorded on the eve of the new WSL season, Hayley Raso discusses her long wait for a Blues debut and what fellow Australian Tim Cahill told her about the Club in the first of a new series for the Official Everton Podcast. Listen to Raso explain how she recovered from damaging three vertebrae in her back to play and score in a World Cup finals just 12 months later, why a broken nose and the coronavirus delayed her new life on Merseyside, and how she is balancing football with studying for a future career as a paramedic. Raso also talks about getting to know the city of Liverpool through her love of coffee, being one of six siblings, and fighting back from being released by Washington Spirit to be crowned a National Women's Super League champion with Portland Thorns. The laid-back podcast kicks off a series that will see Sarah Halpin and Davie Thompson get to know all of the new faces in the Everton Women squad.

In a new mini-series for the Official Everton Podcast, we're speaking to former Blues about their careers and life journeys after leaving Goodison Park. Our latest guest, Jack Rodwell, joined Everton aged seven and rose through the ranks to make his First-Team debut in 2007 aged just 16. He went on to play for England's senior team four years later and would collect a Premier League title winner's medal at Manchester City before falling to League One – and falling out of favour – at Sunderland. In another fascinating edition of the Official Everton Podcast, Rodwell explains what he would now say to a 16-year-old version of himself, why he refuses to have regrets about his rollercoaster football journey, and discusses what drove his successful climb back to the Premier League with Sheffield United last season. Rodwell also talks about Wayne Rooney's role in his ascension through Everton's Academy sides, missing the 2009 FA Cup final, how "ultimate professional" Phil Neville was really "one of the lads", and living under the scrutiny of the Sunderland 'Til I Die cameras.  The Southport-born midfielder goes on to pay tribute to his ex-City colleague Gareth Barry and express his hopes Sunderland and another of his former teams, Blackburn Rovers, one day reestablish themselves as pedigree top-flight clubs.

In a new mini series for the Official Everton Podcast, we're speaking to former Blues about their careers and life journeys after leaving Everton. Our latest guest, Jose Baxter, became the Club's youngest ever player in August 2008 when he appeared in a Premier League game against Blackburn Rovers aged just 16 years and 191 days. Tipped for stardom, he went on to run out for Everton's First Team on just a further 14 occasions. Spells at Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United followed before, in August 2016, Baxter was banned from football for 12 months for failing a drugs test. He credits Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright, CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale and Under-23s boss David Unsworth with helping him get his career back on track - and paving the way to him joining his current side, Memphis 901 FC, the team co-owned by his former Toffees colleague Tim Howard. Listen to our candid chat with Baxter, in which he discusses the dark days following his suspension from the game and how his family and Everton steered him back to the career he loves.

In a special edition of the Official Everton Podcast, Victor Anichebe and Ben Osu of the Anthony Walker Foundation (AWF) shared their experiences as black men growing up in Liverpool. The BBC One drama Anthony, to be broadcast at 8.30pm on Monday (27 July), will revisit the murder of 18-year-old Anthony in Huyton 15 years ago, and imagine the life he could have had. Former Everton striker Anichebe was 17 at the time of Anthony’s death and profoundly affected by the racially-motivated killing. He told Osu, Strategy Lead of the AWF, about his own encounters with racism after moving with his parents from Nigeria to England. The pair talked about the ongoing campaign for racial justice after unarmed black man George Floyd died following his arrest in Minneapolis – and the emotions triggered by events of the past two months.