'When Goodison Park roars, you certainly know about it'
Former Everton captain and lifelong supporter Alan Stubbs says playing at Goodison Park was the "epitome" of his footballing career, as the Toffees prepare to bid farewell to a ground that he believes was "designed perfectly for a great atmosphere".The defender played 193 games for the club, scoring seven times."No matter if you look at Goodison Park in the modern day or you roll back 30 or 60 years, the atmosphere has always been there," Stubbs said on BBC Radio Merseyside's Goodbye to Goodison podcast."I think it was designed perfectly for a great atmosphere. It is really intense, the fans virtually feel like they are on top of the pitch, it is hostile."I've got to be honest, playing at Goodison Park was just the epitome of my career. The atmosphere was just incredible - and when Goodison Park roars, you certainly know about it."I loved walking out of that tunnel to hear the initial roar. I have certainly seen the fans get the players over the line over the years, that is how influential and important the atmosphere is at Goodison Park."It is certainly one of the main things I'm going to miss."When asked about being a lifelong supporter of the club, Stubbs revealed: "My choice was made by my dad, as an Everton fan himself."My first visit to Goodison Park was as an eight-year-old boy in the Gwladys Street stand. There used to be a row of crates along the front wall for the younger ones who couldn't see over, and I was one of them."From then onwards, supporting Everton was just the norm really. I was lucky enough to be picked up by the club when I was nine or 10 years old."So I never really knew anything other than Everton, if I'm being really honest."Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tom Daley was bullied so horrifically he received threats of broken legs and was given classroom key to escape
TOM DALEY once ruled the world of diving after becoming an Olympic champion. But in a candid interview and documentary, Daley has opened up on his personal struggles to get to that point, including bullying, eating disorders and the loss of his father. 4 4 4 The now-retired Daley, 31, won five medals for Team GB across five Olympic Games, including gold for the 10-metre synchro in 2021. His long list of accolades also included being named world champion twice, but perhaps his greatest prize now is his loving family with husband, Dustin Lance Black, and two boys, Robbie and Phoenix. In the new documentary, " 1.6 seconds", Daley has opened up the career struggles that have shaped him into the person he is today. And also speaking to People, the Brit has reflected on both the good and bad parts of his life. Speaking in the documentary, Daley says: "My whole life has been about diving. My whole life has been about perfecting those 1.6 seconds. "I spend four years training for something that goes by in less than 10 seconds in total. And I wouldn't change a thing. It's been the best 23 years that I can imagine." At the age of just 14, Daley became the second-youngest British male Olympian when he made his debut at the Beijing Olympics, but had started diving aged seven. And despite having the support of a whole nation, back at school, Daley had begun to feel unsafe due to bullying. The horrific bullying saw Daley called names and even saw kids threaten to break his legs, with the situation getting so bad that he and his friends were given a key to allow them to lock themselves in a classroom to escape other students at lunchtime. In the documentary, he recalls: "I don't think people realise how much it impacted me because I didn't really talk about it. Tom Daley breaks down in tears as he retires live on BBC after returning home from Paris 2024 Olympics "I was almost embarrassed about the fact that people were mean to me at school. I feel so sorry for that kid that had to explain what was going on." Daley publicly spoke about his bullying at the age of 13, but now believes he should have been "more conservative" with what he shared due to it making the situation even more overwhelming and painful. In 2011, Daley had to fight his way through an eating disorder after being told to lose weight by the performance director at British Diving, which was all he could think about going into London 2012. Daley said: "It was the first time where I felt that I was being looked at and judged not for how I did in the diving pool but for how I looked. "I took some quite drastic measures to make sure that the food did not stay in my stomach... "Every time I made a decision about what I was going to eat, if I was going to eat it and then get myself so hungry that I would end up eating so much and binging to the point where I was then so guilty — that I then had to do something about that." Daley admits his struggles were not helped by his internal beliefs about masculinity where guys, "didn't have eating disorders, didn't have any problems with their mental health," and "were meant to be these macho things that get on with anything and you just keep going". As a result, Daley felt isolated, a problem which was only deepened with the tragic loss of his father, Robert, from brain cancer just days after he turned 17. On his grief, Daley says: "I think there was something about when he was gone that I think in turn, probably did have something to do with all that I've faced. "The feeling like I had to face it alone because I didn't want to upset anyone else or bother anyone else because they were already going through enough." His father had kept the seriousness of his illness hidden from his children for as long as he could, as he was determined not to let it overshadow his son's growing success. In the documentary, Daley reflects: "He didn't care how well I did. He didn't care if I came last. He didn't care if I bombed out. Like there was no concern about the outcome. "He just wanted to be there.… He just loved seeing me dive. He was the one person that I could go to to speak about anything and everything and feel like I had someone on my side. "I didn't just lose my dad, because he was much more than that. 'He was my biggest cheerleader, my best friend, mentor. I mean, our whole life came to a standstill." However, Daley says he understands his father's decision to keep it close to heart, saying to People: "Now that I think about it as a parent, it would be like trying to explain that to my oldest son. "And, you know, if one of the kids knew, then they were all going to know. As a parent, you want to protect your kids from anything that's going into that." He added: "So I just think… that's part of the reason for the documentary and like how grateful I am to have all of that archival footage. "All of those moments… forever immortalised by being able to actually have copies of that digitised." Daley's world of isolation came crashing down when he met his husband and eventually started a family. In 1.6 seconds, he explains: "I finally found perspective, and I didn't put all of my self-worth and self-esteem based on how well I did in diving. "I started to realise that I was more than just a diver. [I am] a husband, a father, a friend, a son." Despite the struggles he has been through, the Olympic legend, father and husband says: "You know, there's much of my life formed and shaped because of the experiences I went through — the good and the bad. "Those things formed me and created the person I am today."
The Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Sun
Sheffield Wednesday placed under transfer embargo by EFL as owner is accused of holding club ‘hostage'
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY have been placed under a registration embargo for failure to pay wages on time. The Owls will be prevented from adding players to their squad for the 2025/26 Championship season due to multiple breaches of EFL regulations on payment obligations. 3 3 The club were charged this week after failing to pay both players and staff members their wages for May. The sanction has heaped yet more pressure on Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has apologised profusely for the delayed wages, to sell the club. An American consortium is looking to buy the Yorkshire outfit but has had TWO PROPOSALS rejected by Thai tycoon Chansiri. Labour MP for Sheffield South East, Clive Betts, is leading the calls for Chansiri to sell, saying: "He must accept that he needs to sell Wednesday to prevent the complete collapse of the club. "We as fans deserve better. "It breaks my heart to see the club I have followed all my life being held hostage by an owner who clearly has no interest or care for us. "It is clear that Chansiri does not have the ability or resources to fund and invest in Sheffield Wednesday." Wednesday have vowed to pay players and staff as soon as possible. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 3 A club statement read: "The club continue to seek a resolution regarding outstanding salaries due for the month of May at the earliest possible opportunity. "Mr Chansiri sincerely apologises to all players, coaches and staff affected and everyone connected with the club." Former Premier League star, 39, sent off after 55 seconds for headbutting rival's BACK in EFL clash Chansiri's ten-year ownership of Wednesday has been filled with financial issues. The Yorkshire club were deducted six points in the 2021/21 season, in which they were relegated to League One, for breaching spending rules. And they were placed under registration embargoes in both the 2023/24 and 24/25 campaigns. Wednesday ended the 2024/25 Championship season in 12th place.
The Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Sun
When are the 2025/26 Premier League fixtures released?
THE curtain may have only just gone down on the 2024/25 Premier League season, but fans are already itching for the return of top flight football. Liverpool head into the new campaign as champions of England after Arne Slot 's side convincingly wrapped up the title with four games to spare. 1 The Reds will be eagerly awaiting their opponents for the opening weekend as they begin their title defence and don the gold champions patch once again. Three new teams are set to join the Premier League following promotion from the Championship last season. Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland will mix it with the big boys once again as they replace Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester. Fans of the three promoted clubs are counting down the days until the fixtures are released as they prepare for trips to the likes of Anfield, Old Trafford, the Emirates, and many more! When are the 2025/26 Premier League fixtures released? The fixtures for the 2025/26 Premier League season will be released on Wednesday, June 18 at 9am BST. All 20 clubs will learn the provisional dates for all of their fixtures, although some fixtures are subject to change. The exact date and time at which individual matches take place will be determined at regular intervals throughout the season based on TV selections. When does the 2025/26 Premier League season start? The 2025/26 Premier League season will begin on the weekend of August 16/17, 2025. The start date allows for the maximum player rest time available - 83 clear days - from the end of the 2024/25 campaign. 33 weekend and five midweek match rounds will make up the 2025/26 season. The Premier League states that the schedule "continues to allow more rest time for players over the festive match-round period". No two rounds of fixtures will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no game on Christmas Eve.
