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Interview With Anders Limpar

Peter H

By Peter H
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I google translated an interview with Anders Limpar (couldnt be bothered to translate myself, so you will have to make do. I have however changed some things to make it readable), conducted by Swedish Toffees. It contains a lot of gems.

 

For example:

 

Swedish Toffee: It is said that you have been an Everton fan for a long time, how comes?

Anders Limpar: I have been an Everton fan since the second half of the 70s. There were players like Imre Varadi and Bob Latchford, which made me fall for the club. Imre Varadi, I liked the fact that he and I both had Hungarian roots. Bobsleigh Latchford was a nasty forward who I also had the privilege to meet when I came to Birmingham City after Everton. He was a wonderfully nice man.

 

ST: Tell us once and for all, it was a dive wasn’t it? (Wimbledon game)

AL: Yes I took a dive.

 

ST: Then in the autumn of 1994, Mike Walker was fired, were you surprised?

AL: No. There were no good training sessions during Mike's time. But I can not blame him, it was still the players that decided the matches. Mike had the thankless task of taking over a squad that was really bad. For example, Brett Angel, which was like a mockery to all of us, he was a terrible player.

 

ST: You were then sold to Birmingham City, tell us how it happened

AL: It wasnt the club who wanted to sell me, it was me who wanted to go. I wasnt unhappy or pissed off. I wanted to be in the starting eleven. It was because I got an ultimatum from Swedish team management. If I were to be considered for national team games, I had to play regularly in the starting line. So I went to Birmingham City but it did not work so well there and then when it was time for the children to start school, we decided to move back home. Today I repent that I did not remain in Everton for a further three years.

 

ST: Anders, we are a bit curious about why Stefan Rehn's time at Everton was so short. Perhaps you know why?

AL: Yes indeed, Stefan himself told me. It was about something as simple as that he did not want to wear shoes with screw on studs. Concidering the pitches were pretty bad it was good enough to play with shoes with solid studs. But Stephen was stubborn and refused to have skrew on studs. An amazing story really.

 

 

Heres the whole thing:

 

Interview with Anders Limpar

When we handed out the Swedish Toffee Award in 2008 to Anders Limpar we got a chance to ask questions about his time at Everton.

 

We are going to Anders Limpars betting shop in Stockholm at Odenplan a chilly Sunday in February. The point is that we will meet with Anders to distribute our wooden horse "Swedish Toffee Award 2008" which he won with landslide numbers. The theme was "What is the most popular Swedish player at Everton" and the result was perhaps no surprise.

Anders takes generous towards us and is interested in knowing more about us, our club and the award.

Besides a little splash of gray hair looks Anders seems to be in good shape. Maybe a bit more muscle than when he played for Everton. We go and sit at any table in his well-run shop.

 

Swedish Toffee: What are you doing today Anders?

 

Anders Limpar: I run this game shop together with a colleague, and im the coach of Sollentuna, a team in Division 2.

 

ST: It is said that you have been an Everton fan for a long time, how comes?

 

AL: I have been an Everton fan since the second half of the 70s. There were players like Imre Varadi and Bob Latchford, which made me fell for the club. Imre Varadi I liked that he and I both had Hungarian roots. Bobsleigh Latchford was a cruel forward as I also had the privilege to meet when I came to Birmingham City after Everton. He was a wonderfully nice man.

 

ST: Why did you choose Everton as a player?

 

AL: I chose between Man City and Everton. I chose Everton because Mike Walker was the manager there. He had had great success with Norwich before and he called for a game type that I liked and which I thought suited me.

 

ST: When you came to Everton in the spring of 1994 so it was basically really bad for the team all the way to the famous and final Wimbledon match. Can you tell me about that period?

 

AL: That was not funny. We went on the loss of loss. Consider that when I was the most expensive transfer in the Premier League this season, so when I was warming up at Goodison, I think that 40 000 of the audience booed me. It went so far that I didnt go out with the team for the warming up on the pitch before the match. I warmed up in the tunnel instead. Did not invite the audience to the possibility of booing.

 

ST: Tell us once and for all, it was a dive wasn’t it? (Wimbledon game)

 

AL: Yes I took a dive. (No excuse here)

 

ST: Then in the autumn of 1994, Mike Walker was fired, were you surprised?

 

AL: No. There were no good training sessions during Mike's time. But I can not blame him, it was still the players that decided the matches. Mike had the thankless task of taking over a squad that was really bad. For example, Brett Angel, which was like a mockery to all of us, he was a terrible player.

ST: Then came Joe Royle ..

 

AL: Joe was a completely different type than Mike. He was a great friend of humor and liked the players who were of the same mettle. He cleaned out the remnants of the bad legacy that Mike had to take over. It was a big difference for the better.

 

ST: In the interview Royle has said that he knew before the FA finals that Everton would win. Did you played so well?

 

AL: No wonder he liked it. We had an amazing suite with good matches before and we felt strong and confident that it was entirely possible to win. United attacked us greatly but it suited us as it opened up the corridors that we could exploit. Neville and the goal was incredible.

 

ST: You've played with two great legends, Duncan Ferguson and Neville Southall. Can you tell me about them?

 

AL: Duncan was in contrast to how he was on the plane a very kind, nice and generous guy. But he did not take advantage of his talent. Besides, he partied pretty good so he was also training very reluctant. He always came with excuses, and spent more time in the tub than out on the training field. He was therefore never properly trained by and it was also because he often got hurt. It was a shame because he was an extremely good player. Duncan also talked with an accent that I never always taught me to understand.

Neville was the exact opposite. He trained very kopiöst. Always at the earliest of all and when we had finished our passport so he stuck away for training junior goalie. Neville Southall was the best goalie who played in the English league and a great guy that I only have good things to say about. Unlike many other players at the time Neville was not a drop of alcohol. But he had a great weakness for food and candy. You always saw him with a candy bar in his mouth. He also hated to be in the spotlight. I count Neville as a close friend and we still have a good contact. Nowadays, he works with young people in Wales.

 

ST: Tell me how it was to be players in Everton.

 

AL: Not before and not after I've been in a club where I enjoyed as well as in Everton. In my time there we had an amazing cohesion and had fun even. But I think this is something that comes with for generations, it sits in the walls simply. I also know that I am always welcome to visit the club and the Goodison. It's just for me to lift the receiver. Incidentally, last year I went out to Bell Field to visit but guess if I got very surprised when everything was shut up tight. Had no idea that they had moved to Finch Farm.

Anders says during the interview many funny anecdotes about himself and others. Here is one that perhaps shows the good atmosphere that prevailed in the squad.

 

AL: We were in pre-season camp outside Landskrona, summer 1995. When we would play a friendly game, we managed to cheat the game announcer to Barry Horne's last name would be pronounced Horny. So guess whether Barry Horne was dark in sight when the announcer calls out to present a clear as a bell "BARRY Horny!". We knew he could not stand the least desire on his surname. In addition, the announcer said it again when Barry made a change.

 

ST: Then you did a good 95/96 season ..

 

AL: That's right. We beat Andrei Kanchelskis, among other things, which was a real class player. Incredibly fast. Strangely enough, throughout his time in England, he learned not an English word. I shared a room with him and had to use sign language all the time.

But I would say that if we had a real good center back and play the season, we could have taken a top position, the team was so good.

 

ST: What happened next in the autumn of 1996? From the ordinary was that almost did not play at all.

 

AL: I did not know then and I still do not know what happened. Suddenly, I was prepared outside the team. Got hardly play a match. It went so far as I am at the games when I was sitting on the bench I was based assumed that I would not be allowed to enter. The prisoners at a time when Joe Royle suddenly turned to me and told me to warm up for a trade-in. Since then I was so sure not to play so I had no shirt or shin on me. Joe was of course angry at me and play, I was of course not.

 

ST: You were then sold at year-end to Birmingham City, tell us how it happened.

 

AL: That was not the club who wanted to sell me but it was me who wanted to. The reason it was not that I was unhappy or pissed off I was prepared starting line. It was because I got an ultimatum from team management. Would I be considered for national team games, it was a requirement that I play regularly in the starting line. So I went to Birmingham City but it did not work so well there and then when it was time for children to start school, we decided to move back home. Today I repent that I did not remain in Everton for a further three years.

 

ST: Do you know that Wayne Rooney mentions you as his favorite player?

 

AL: Yes, I have heard. Completely really huge. It is well one thing if he liked it when he was a young player but he still, as the global player that he is, still refers to me makes me a little shaky in the legs.

 

ST: Last Anders, we are a bit curious about why Stefan Rehn's time at Everton was so short. Perhaps you know why?

 

AL: Yes indeed, and it was Stefan himself told. It was about something as simple as that he did not want to wear shoes with screw Dobbs. Since the greens were pretty bad when it was good enough not to play with shoes with solid Dobbs. But Stephen was stubborn and refused to have skruvdobb. An amazing story really.

 

ST: You're now an honorary member of the Swedish Toffee and to know that you are always welcome if you have the desire and the fit to participate in our annual supporters' trip.

 

AL: I am happy. Now in our going there but if there is a late autumn trip, I think there is opportunity.

 

We thank you for us to communicate with Swedish Toffee two supporters shirts and then we leave Anders after a two hours long and very nice chat. Outside looks a bit proud of our blue wooden horse that Anders has already exhibited in his shop window, among their diploma. If you ever go past his shop games, watch the horse stands there and think about that in here working a washable Everton supporter and a blue LEGEND!

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