‘He’s the only Irishman I know who doesn’t drink!’
Mick Doherty is trying to underline what he has always thought of Seamus Coleman: that he’s one of a kind. After all, Doherty is the scout that 18 years ago discovered Coleman playing for League of Ireland Sligo Rovers and told Everton manager David Moyes to buy him.
‘Sixty grand, sixty grand, Seamus Coleman…’ has been sung on the Everton terraces ever since. And Moyes maintains it’s probably the best value for money he’ll ever get. A mark of the man he is, Coleman has never forgotten the recommendation Doherty made.
‘I was in a restaurant in Liverpool one Sunday not so long ago with my wife and family,’ Doherty recalls. ‘Seamus was in there with his family, just finishing lunch, and I went over and said a quick “hello”. He made sure his family knew who I was then left. Later, as I went to get the bill, the waiter said, “no need, it’s all paid for by Mr Coleman”.
‘It was classy. Certainly not like a lot of other footballers, but then I almost wouldn’t expect anything else from him. Seamus is a one-off, a thoroughly nice guy who appreciates those who helped him to get where he is.’
The fact Coleman ended up at Everton owes much to when Doherty first travelled to Sligo to support his son Sean, who was playing for them.
Seamus Coleman cost Everton just £60,000 in 2009. It may well be the biggest bargain in Premier League history
‘Seamus is a one-off, a thoroughly nice guy who appreciates those who helped him to get where he is’
| 1. Neville Southall (1981-98) | 751 |
| 2. Brian Labone (1957-71) | 534 |
| 3. Dave Watson (1986-2001) | 528 |
| 4. Ted Sagar (1929-53) | 497 |
| 5. Kevin Ratcliffe (1980-92) | 493 |
| 6. Mick Lyons (1969-82) | 473 |
| 7. Jack Taylor (1896-1909) | 456 |
| 8. Peter Farrell (1946-57) | 453 |
| 9. Graeme Sharp (1980-91) | 447 |
| 10. SEAMUS COLEMAN (2009-26) | 434 |
‘I asked Sean if they had anyone decent there and he said “the right back’s not bad”,’ says Doherty, who has since worked for Chelsea and Atalanta. ‘Then the more I went to watch Sean, the more I found myself watching the right back. I could see his potential, so I said to the boss, “I think we need to sign this kid”.
‘Paul Cook, now at Chesterfield, was Sligo’s manager and he said Celtic and Birmingham were looking so we’d need to get a move on. The price was £60,000. I spoke to Moyesie and he said “is he worth £60,000?” I had to say, hand on heart, I can’t say if he’ll be top, top but we’d definitely sell him for a profit if it didn’t work out. So the manager backed me.
‘We never made a profit as I promised but I think we got our money’s worth!’
Coleman signed a contract for £1,300 a week. But by his own admission, the transition from his beloved home town of Killybegs on the Atlantic coast, a hotbed for Gaelic football, to the banks of the River Mersey and the Premier League was not so easy. Tactically and technically, he was behind the players he was joining but mentally and physically, he was strong.
‘When you come into a group, you always have to show a few things to earn their respect,’ says his former full back partner, one time joint Everton interim head coach and now Toffees assistant, Leighton Baines. ‘Although he was quiet when he joined, quietly, he was earning everyone’s respect.’
Initially, Moyes didn’t trust Coleman defensively, though he acknowledged he ‘ran like Forrest Gump’. He played him as a right midfielder, then sent him to further his education on loan at Ian Holloway’s Blackpool, where he won promotion through the play-offs. Coleman certainly made an impression there.
Holloway had hardened professionals at Blackpool, but he was taken aback from day one at how a young Coleman would demand more from those around him, regardless of reputation.
‘I’d trust Seamus Coleman with my wife and my life,’ says Holloway with his usual eccentricity. ‘If my wife stroked his knee, he’d move her hand and say “No, I love Olly too much!” If we were in the desert, he wouldn’t cut my throat to steal my last bit of water, he’d share it. He epitomises to every young person today that you have to work to be who you want to be.’
Coleman won promotion to the Premier League in 2010 while on loan at Ian Holloway’s Blackpool
He forged a formidable full back partnership with Leighton Baines, and the pair were even made interim co-head coaches when Sean Dyche was sacked in January 2025
‘We never made a profit as I promised but I think we got our money’s worth!’
Those habits were instilled in him early by family, schoolteachers then an Everton squad that included the likes of Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Tim Howard and Phil Neville, professionals dedicated to their craft. Ironically, after returning to Everton, it was against Blackpool that Coleman would score his first Premier League goal. Out of respect, he didn’t celebrate.
Under Moyes, Coleman flourished as they pushed for Champions League qualification and cup finals. When the manager left for Manchester United there was talk Coleman and Baines would follow, but both opted to stay.
New owner Farhad Moshiri brought riches to Everton, fresh ambition. Much was promised for Marco Silva, Ronald Koeman, Carlo Ancelotti et al. They all recognised Coleman’s qualities. It was Silva who made Coleman captain, and Ancelotti who said: ‘The contract that Seamus has with the club and this team is forever. He is like Paolo Maldini, John Terry and Sergio Ramos, a great role model to team-mates.’
But ultimately, while Ancelotti and Co raised hopes, they failed to deliver. Moshiri invested in players who didn’t share the same values and dark clouds rolled in. Eight managers and three caretakers followed Moyes before ‘the Moyesiah’ returned last year to once again change the club’s outlook.
‘Seamus earned my respect in lots of ways,’ says Baines, ‘but in particular when times were tough and we were going through a bad patch, he was the first guy to just step forward. That’s so important in a group because it makes you feel safe to step forward yourself and give your opinion. But In difficult situations he was always the first one.’
For many, Coleman was the bridge between the old Moyes era and the new. Always protecting the old-school values.
‘We feel this club is unique,’ says Baines. ‘And the reason Seamus is globally accepted by the fanbase is they see the qualities in him that they feel should be afforded this club: putting everything on the line. Evertonians will always give you a chance if show that you care.’
Baines also credits Coleman’s ‘skill’ of how and when to deal with people. Sometimes it was a thunderous tackle on a team-mate or training pitch flare-up that Coleman felt the necessary course of action, other times it was blunt talking-to or, often, an arm around the shoulder and discreet chat in the Finch Farm canteen.
‘Seamus earned my respect in lots of ways,’ says Baines, ‘but in particular when times were tough and we were going through a bad patch, he was the first guy to just step forward’
‘The reason Seamus is globally accepted by the fanbase is they see the qualities in him that they feel should be afforded this club: putting everything on the line’
Baines also credits Coleman’s ‘skill’ of how and when to deal with people
When James McCarthy suffered a double leg fracture, Coleman was first to his side in the Goodison Park tunnel. McCarthy was an usher at Coleman’s wedding and his best friend in football. Coleman had suffered a similar injury on international duty for the Republic of Ireland against Wales a year earlier.
It was Coleman who found McCarthy’s parents in the stands and brought them to the dressing room. He followed McCarthy to hospital to ensure his friend was looked after and assured that full recovery would follow.
‘It was an open fracture,’ recalls McCarthy. ‘There was blood, so he was doing his best to avert my mum’s gaze. He was in the gym for me in my rehab, giving me advice when I was feeling strange sensations in the leg. He always had your back.
‘On the night the club sold me to Crystal Palace, I called him to say “that’s me away, I’m going into Finch Farm to get my boots”. Rather than just say bye, he drove in to meet me there at 8pm and spent an hour chatting.
‘He came to my father’s funeral and last year, I’d not been in touch, but I lost my mum. Someone must have messaged Seamus the night before the funeral. He got in the car the following morning to drive to Glasgow and be there for me. He’s a special guy.’
When Alex Iwobi became a target for supporters’ ire and a symbol of Everton’s demise, he began to visibly wilt as Goodison groans greeted his every touch. Coleman saw encouragement was needed.
Facing Manchester United, Iwobi crunched into a tackle, chased down the loose ball and forced David de Gea to hack out of play. A crowd, once so unforgiving, rose to applaud his effort. Coleman raced across, grabbed Iwobi by the shirt and shouted: ‘That’s what all they want to see!’ That simple action changed Iwobi’s career.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin admits he didn’t see eye to eye with Coleman, citing many ‘misunderstandings’ when he first arrived at the club, but he grew to appreciate what his captain was trying to instill.
‘There’s no one I respect more in the Everton dressing room,’ said Dominic Calvert-Lewin. ‘He’d tell me when I needed to keep my feet on the ground when maybe I didn’t think I did’
When James McCarthy (right) suffered a double leg fracture, Coleman was first to his side in the tunnel. McCarthy was an usher at Coleman’s wedding and his best friend in football
‘There’s no one I respect more in the Everton dressing room,’ said Calvert-Lewin. ‘He’d tell me when I needed to keep my feet on the ground when maybe I didn’t think I did. If you got a text off Sea after the game saying “well done, you played well today”, it was a proud moment. A text off the skipper, I could sleep well at night. Sea has given the club stability while it’s been unstable. It’s one of them with him, you don’t know how good he is, until he’s gone.’
After an emotionally charged victory over Crystal Palace preserved Everton’s Premier League status with a game to go in 2022, then-manager Frank Lampard told Coleman’s young daughters Ellie and Lilly: ‘Your daddy is the best man I’ve met in my life.’ Elaborating later, Lampard said: ‘There’s not a bit of him that’s not genuine. He wore it on his face when we were struggling. It was: “I really care about this”.’
Lampard told the story that during one particular low, Coleman referenced criticism delivered by Jamie Carragher on Sky’s Monday Night Football when the former Liverpool defender said Everton’s players weren’t good enough. Coleman had used it to address the team: ‘Are you going to take this?’
It was clever, said Lampard, and also served as a turning point in their performances. On countless occasions, as the team looked to be going under, Coleman had no qualms telling home truths to players’ faces, often doing Lampard’s team talks for him.
‘He would be the one hammering players who turned up late or didn’t train well,’ says one coach. ‘He only got support later on from the likes of James Tarkowski, Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane.’
Tarkowski, Everton’s captain today acknowledges he still takes his lead from Coleman. ‘He’s 100 per cent the real captain,’ says Tarkowski. ‘I might want to say something, but I’ll check with Sea and he’ll say “yeah, go on” or “no, it’s not the right time”.’
Away from the pitch, Coleman has often been the face of the club supporting patients and nurses at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Also turning up at funerals to comfort bereaved club staff who have lost loved ones.
‘Living in the city, I’ve been fortunate to see how important the club is to the fans,’ said Coleman. ‘It’s been important for me to emphasise that to the other players who maybe don’t live in the area.’
Away from the pitch, Coleman has often been the face of the club supporting patients and nurses at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
Whatever the denouement of Coleman’s Everton career becomes, he won’t want the 10-minute cameo in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Sunderland to be his final chapter
‘Everton is the People’s Club,’ says Doherty, ‘and he’s definitely a man of the people. He gets what the club means to the fans’
‘Everton is the People’s Club,’ says Doherty, ‘and he’s definitely a man of the people. He gets what the club means to the fans.’
Whatever the denouement of Coleman’s Everton career becomes, he won’t want the 10-minute cameo in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Sunderland to be his final chapter. As synonymous as that display was of the club’s recent travails, his standards demand a better post-script.
Moyes says they have offered him every job from groundsman to first-team coach, but Coleman wants to try one last hurrah as a player before he settles behind a desk at Finch Farm.
‘It’s important that Seamus is always part of the culture,’ says Moyes. ‘He would be great for the young players. He’s a throwback but those standards he demands are important for the next generation and he should always remain part of Everton.’
