Alan Stubbs

We met up with our former skipper recently to talk about all-things Everton. Stubbs had two spells with his beloved Blues, racking up 193 appearances…

It’s been a great summer so far Alan, what do you think the expectations are for the new season?

The expectation coming into this season would probably have been to aim for the top six. It’s a big ask to break into the top four and especially to do it so quickly but I would think the ambition ultimately is to get into one of the Champions League slots.

It’s an exciting time to be an Evertonian, isn’t it... It’s a brilliant time. This is the most exciting summer I’ve known as an Everton supporter and that’s going back 38 years! And that tells you something because we’ve had some fantastic players over the years but the way the Club is doing the business, the new stadium, the quality and the ages of the new signings is great. We’ve got some good young players with their best years ahead of them.

Who has particularly impressed you in the Everton squad over the last year or so?

I’ve been really pleased with the way that Tom Davies has progressed into the team. Tom was just starting to come through when I had the Under-21s, as they were then, and it’s nice to see a local lad really fulfil his potential.