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'Glass ceiling' frustrates Neville

Satisfaction with mediocrity at Everton, like finishing seventh but above Liverpool, really rankles with the Everton captain, who feels that if he leaves the club without a medal for winning a trophy, then for him that would be a failure.

He told Steven Tongue of The Independent: "I want to keep playing for as long as I can, at least one more year at the top level if I can. I still have ambitions. For instance, I've always wanted to sample playing abroad, a different culture and different life-experience for all the family. Time's running out, I know, and if the gaffer [David Moyes] comes to me in January and wants me to stay another year then the decision's made for me."

Referring to finishing above Liverpool last season for some Evertonians that appears to be enough, ideally with a derby victory thrown in: "It's something that rankles with me, something I've not bought into at all," he said. "If one team finishes seventh and the other is eighth, you get the bragging rights but with nothing to show for it. Liverpool have been so successful over the years and Everton have to had to swallow it. I totally understand that and I can relate to Evertonians when it comes to derby day, but how great it would be if we actually won a trophy.

"I'm not sure Liverpool have the same outlook. They probably look at the bigger picture, they want to win the League, the FA Cup and the League Cup, and that's the mentality we should have. Last year Kenny Dalglish won the Carling Cup and got the sack, so it shows what the expectations are."

"The cup final defeat was my lowest time at the club," said Neville. "It was when I questioned myself all summer as to whether as captain I was good enough to win something with Everton, because we had probably the best team I've played in here. We'd beaten Liverpool, Villa, Middlesbrough and Man United and it was like being in the big time again, living on the edge with the sort of pressure I love. But the final was just one game too many."

"Finishing fifth or sixth for us is almost like winning the League. Getting into the Champions' League is almost a miracle. So it's an unbelievable achievement to finish in the places that we do."

"The worst bit for me is at the end of the season when we finish fifth or sixth or seventh and there's a real sense of satisfaction round the club. But for me success is winning trophies and medals. Finishing in that position gives me a sense of achievement but there's still an emptiness inside me because we haven't got anything to show for it. If I leave Everton at the end of my time and haven't got a medal then as captain I'd see that for myself as a failure. As I say, finishing fifth is like winning the League and yet it gripes me all summer."

"I've always had long contracts in the past and coming to the last year you can be fearful, but I'm quite excited. The three days I had with the England Under-21s were, well, life-changing. I really got the bug. My strength has always been in professionalism and preparation, and coaching is just an extension of that. It gave me a real insight into what I want to do.

"I've got my A-licence now, I go to games and study methods and read a lot. I've always been into the fitness side, my [twin] sister's a conditioning coach so I tap into that. I'm a long way short of being a coach or manager but I'm trying to learn all aspects of it. I think some managers go into it under-prepared, and I don't want to be one of those."

Quotes or other material sourced from The Independent

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