Football Daily - In Focus with Kelly Somers & Aaron Ramsdale

Episode Date: October 5, 2024

Aaron Ramsdale chats to Kelly Somers about leaving Arsenal for Southampton, his relationship with David Raya and maturing on and off the pitch. He also discusses his dad’s podcast appearances, fancy dress trips to Wembley and why he chose to be a goalkeeper.

BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts This is 5 Live Sports The Football Daily Podcast Are we doing a handshake? I don't know, what do you want to do? Handshake? Do handshake? Handshake, yeah

Let's go, let's have a little chat It's been a while There's been quite a lot that's gone on since I think I last saw you What's it been like being Aaron Rams dros y 12 misau neu so? Ie, mae bywyd ar y peth yn wych. Yn amlwg mae fy mab a fy mab yn wych ac mae hi'n gofalu llawer o bethau arall o'r ffotgol i mi ei fwynhau. Mae'r ffotgol wedi bod yn dda ac yn dda. Rwyf nawr wedi dod o hyd i lle newydd a wedi cyflawni.

Rwy'n gwybod bod llawer o'r bobl yn gweithio cyn ymuno, a wnaeth y cyfranogiad yn llawer haws. now found a new place and settled and I knew a lot of the boys before signing which made the transition so much easier. I'm just back playing again, doing what I set out to do as a kid. So yeah, I think we need to tweak a few things and start picking up some results and I think we could have a really special season. It's been a good year and now to kick on personally for myself as well. There was so much speculation this summer. Where was Aaron Ramsdale going to end up? Why did you end up here? Ultimately, Southampton and the gaffer, Russell Martin, wanted me more than other people. I think speculation is speculation. Hard truths is what you see. Until an offer comes in, you don't know how true someone's word is.

But from day one of speaking to the manager, from top to bottom, it reallyried bod Southampton eisiau ei wneud. Mae ei ddysgu, ei egni, y ffordd y mae'n siarad â chwaraewyr, y ffordd y mae'n siarad â fi, beth roedd eisiau i mi ei wneud yn y tîm, o amgylch y lle, roedd eisiau i mi. Rwy'n sgwyl nawr, ac roeddwn i'n sgwyl yn y pryd, ond dyna sut ydym ni wedi dod i fyny. Rwy'n ddiolch iawn am hynny. time but yeah it's just how we ended up and I'm very thankful for that and I think as well I think it suited me at the time I was at in my life coming off of not playing coming back down to to the south coast by the time I'd signed on the Thursday afternoon half an hour later I was settled in my house back in Bournemouth so the transition and I think you kind of forget that as well as footballers like moving houses, trying to find houses, trying to find soft play. Priorities of change. Priorities of change

yeah and sensory for my son so we knew all about that in the area. So it was very seamless and then it just allows me to concentrate on football. As I said, I knew probably 10 to 12 lads already. Playing with them before youth team, England or being from the same area back in Stoke or just mutual friends playing golf or when we were younger and a night out. It fit really well and then when you add in the manager it was an easy decision for me and I wanted to come and I wanted to challenge myself and be under pressure and

everyone saying why has he gone there or they're going to be in for a long season but uh yeah so it could could be the best decision I ever made and it's one I'm going to stand by 100%. Let's talk about Arsenal then because I imagine it was pretty much a dream move a big money move high profile at the time had two brilliant years there as number one did you see it ending the way it did? No, did not especially after the season I had coming off the back of you know the PFA team of the year coming close to the league don't get me wrong I know at big clubs that always an evolution is always a change and wanting to get better but I just I personally felt the way Mae'n amlwg bod bywydau mawr yn newid ac yn hoffi gwella. that's what happens in football, you try and evolve and adapt but I just felt the season I had I would probably you know you see speculation

and rumours as we just spoke about then but you see that and I was probably in my own head going I should have enough in the bank A bit unfair maybe? No, not unfair football is

unfair but I don't take it personally. Opinions are opinions. Other things might have been unfair, but changing of a player for a different player is not. I was still shown a lot of love by the football club, by my players, so they stuck by me, especially the fans. Going back there, as we said at the weekend, would be amazing. I did an interview with David Seaman when I signed my contract, saying hopefully I can be here for the next ten years and emulate him. Five months later, I was out of the team. I tried my hardest to dislodge David out of the team. I think the manager was stuck with David.

I do think now the rewards are showing. He started the season incredibly well. It's funny how football works. At the start, people were saying it's not the right decision. He was adapting to the new team normal people were saying oh this goal shouldn't go in and stuff and then now it's gone full circle and it's what a great decision and everything so it's football um and he's started amazingly this year and it's just one of them things which was unfortunate hearing you talk about him saying started amazingly, it was something people noticed.

Every time he made a big save, you were the first one up on the bench cheering him on. But what was that actually like mentally? Because you want to be seen to be supporting him and obviously you wanted Arsenal to do well, but that must have been tough. Do you know what? It used to do my head in coming off the pitch and then my wife would say, oh you were on TV five times again today. Why ever would someone then pan to me after someone makes a save or a goal

goes in and it pans to me on the bench? That should never ever... I do think the story was bigger than what it needed to be. I do think it got put pressure on David at times as well. And as much as you probably don't listen to it or try not to listen to it, there's so much of it. You had to have heard sneak peeks and things. But we worked every day together in a very good working relationship, pushed each other really hard.

He was actually the first person to text me on my move here from the boys at Arsenal. We both basically agreed saying it was never anything personal between us. There were days where I was probably really annoyed or down and he knew that it wasn't anything to do with him. I'd been there before as well because I took Burn Leno's spot a couple of years before and he was an absolute gent with me. Still speak to Burn now and it's like, it's such a, it's trying to explain

it's so weird to anyone else. It's one play spot, you work with each other three times every day and there's three of you but only one person can play. And now I've come here and I've done the same thing. So every goalkeeper I've met knows the humility of it

and knows if we don't work together, we're not going to succeed anyway. So, yeah, it was difficult because me and David got on. But then it was like, you're're still fighting but you're not. It's a strange one. But no, he was great. He was top and like I say, he has made some big, big saves this season and kept him in some games and I'm just desperate he doesn't have one of them games on Saturday. At what point then did you know it was time to leave Arsenal? You couldn't stay and be in this fight with David anymore?

Deep down, quite quickly. Deep down, quite quickly. I think you get a feeling, I think you get an understanding as a football player. If a manager makes a decision like that, I think it's especially a big one. What it was made out was a big one anyway. I think you understand that that's his man.

He wants to do it. And again, it's the same for me with Bernd. But I think not until probably January. So I'd given it. It had been about three months or four months and we were both going at it and I'd trained him really well and the manager on numerous times had said how the level of training has gone up and that's what he wanted to get out of it and things. But after hearing that probably two or three times you probably understand that

that's not going to change his mind so I think in January I knew and me and my wife knew that it wasn't going to be the forever after and living there for the rest of our life and moving on from football in that part of the world

so yeah the last few months were tough I'm not going to lie and say there wasn't any So, yeah, the last few months were tough. I'm not going to lie and say there wasn't any days where I went in and was a bit down and things, but that's when your teammates and the people around the training ground pick you up and make you, just get you going, get you going really. You are only 26, but you've experienced quite a lot in football already haven't you really?

How much has the past year and what has happened at Arsenal made you stronger mentally if anything else? I know not to take things for granted. I thought I'd probably had enough in the bank or enough credit to probably have another year. Football changes like that. I signed a new contract, PFA team would earn them, three months later, done. How did you get your head around that? Took me a while, that took me a long time. Did you get any help or did you speak to anyone?

Yeah, spoke to some people outside of football. Never have been a massive person thinking about that, but I needed it. I just felt like I was on top of the world and then got dropped. And everyone's watching it as well, aren't they? Yeah, and everyone has their own opinions, but because it was so big, the opinions were so loud. Everybody was talking about it. It was in the papers, in the press. Any time a goal went in on Matchday Day, they would talk about it, it was in the papers and the press, it was anytime a goal went in on matchday they would talk about it.

So it was tough to process, but not the only thing, but I have some great people around me, my mum and dad and my brothers and my wife, my son being born, so I had always something to look forward to when going home. But at the same time it was quite exhausting for my wife who was being with the baby all day, gofalu amdano pan fyddwn yn mynd i'r cwm. Ond ar yr un pryd, roedd yn eithaf anoddol i fy mab, sydd wedi bod gyda'r baby ymlaen, gwybod y byddwn i wedi dod yn ôl ac yn debyg wedi cael diwrnod ddifrifol yn chwarae, ac wedyn ceisio, nid ddiddordeb, ond cymryd i fyny hefyd. Felly roedd yn eithaf anoddol i weight so I'm forever grateful for that. It's just been a tough year but everyone goes through it at some point. I think as I said it just got blown out of proportion. In a way that helped me as well though because it showed how much people admired me or had love for me or thought I was a goalkeeper.

They wouldn't have been talking about you if you were a rubbish goalkeeper. Yeah, so I did take some encouragement out of it. I am glad it's over. I'm glad I'm now back playing and just doing what I always wanted to do as a kid. Did you ever fall out of love with the game or did you feel like you could? You're asking some good questions here Kelly. What can I say? Yeah, in and around Christmas probably.

Just before I said I definitely knew I needed to leave was probably falling out of love with the game. Which is quite big for someone like yourself who you've said in previous interviews you really love football, it's such a big part of your life. Yeah, and I think as a kid all I ever wanted to do was play football. My first dream was play football for West Brom in the Premier League as a West Brom fan growing up and then that changed and just wanted to play in the Premier League and play for England. Never once in my mind it crossed that I wanted to win the Premier League when

I was younger. I just wanted to play there. But then when it's there? But when it's there, it's the greatest thing which can ever happen, but only if I'm playing. My biggest idol when I was growing up and biggest mentor was UC Ascalon at Bolton, who a lot of people regard as one of the very, very good goalkeepers in Premier League history. He played 10, 12 years in the Premier League and didn't win anything. And I would prefer that than sitting on the bench and winning the Premier League. I would prefer a career of 10 years playing in the Premier League, helping my team, seeing the joy of the clubs I play for,

rather than sitting on the bench and winning something. Is that because you want to have an impact? Yes. Because all I grew up doing was wanting to play football and playing football being a donkey and picking a goalkeeper there's only one position on the pitch was my fault that's a question I've got to you a bit later yeah that was my fault so that's down to me

but the club I wanted to join when I was younger when my son's in the league team had a goalkeeper so I had to go and sign for someone else because they needed a goalkeeper and I didn't know anyone in that team. Whereas the team I wanted to join, I knew every single one of them from school. Right. So if I can do it then when I was eight years old, I can do it now when I'm 26.

I have a wife and a baby. I can make these decisions quite easily. So of course I want to try and win something I've seen how close you can get and how good it can feel but I want to do it by playing I don't want to do it by sitting on the bench

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this is 5 Live Sports the Football Daily Podcast let's discuss why you were a donkey and became a goalkeeper then in your own words I'm not calling you a donkey

yeah dad asked me I said to my dad can we go play football and he said what positions do you want to do and I said goalkeeper

and he just turned around and said are you mad and I was like but why did you pick that what had you seen was there someone you'd watched no not until

my first interaction with goalkeeping was the 2006 World Cup with Buffon he had the 2006 World Cup with Buffon. He had the lovely gold shirt with a little white piece here, so it was like a v-neck with a white piece and a gold shirt, short-sleeved. Gold gloves. Alice Band, and he won the World Cup.

But that was a couple of months after I wanted to be a goalkeeper, so I don't know why. I don't remember the first reason why I wanted to be a goalkeeper. So I don't know why. I don't remember the first reason why I wanted to be a goalkeeper. But then a couple of months later I saw Buffon and then it just cemented it. Now I wear a short-sleeved shirt. And no Alice band? I haven't got much left.

I don't think I can do it. So yeah, I think that was a huge impact for me. But at the very first time of saying I wanted to be a goalkeeper, I don't have any recollection of seeing or being influenced by something. I think that was a huge impact for me, but at the very first time of saying I wanted to be a goalkeeper, I don't have any recollection of seeing or being influenced by something. I read recently that you said your career has been full of setbacks, which I thought was quite an interesting statement for an England international and someone who's almost won the Premier League to say. What did you mean by that?

I just don't think no one's career is the same and no one's path is the same it's very hard to say that I'll never see another Jamie Vardy there might be but it's kind of one of his own just kind of like the things I've been

through, obviously I've been to this is my fourth different Premier League club but the reasons why I went to a different Premier League club is because I was relegated from the first one so I went and found a new one and I got relegated again so there's two setbacks but from them setbacks come a new challenge and

a new lift you know a new purpose a new challenge so it's purpose, a new challenge. So it's not the fact that the setbacks are the worst things ever, but my enjoyable times have come from setbacks. Right, and that enables you to, I guess, enjoy this new opportunity you've got. Yes, so obviously my setback being at Arsenal and getting dropped

is a big setback for me, but now I've got a new challenge and it's a new up. And I'm here and I get to be where I need to be and just be on my terms rather than other people or whatever it was, all the noise. Hopefully my dad stays shut this time. I said mouth stays shut as well this time. I was going to ask about your dad because he's become a little bit of a celebrity in his own right, hasn't he?

No, I would not say that, Kelly. He's going to see that and run with it. Keep that in the edit. Your dad's become quite well-known because he's quite vociferous and he's incredibly supportive of you yeah he is um follows me every everywhere um he's incredibly proud and supportive um people recognize him he's got the the fez hat he wears everywhere he's got an england one and other ones which he wears so he wears specific ones for certain games and stuff and listen I you know at some point last year he did a little interview little podcast um said a

few things about me losing my smile which did you know he was going to do that interview um I knew he was going on the podcast um he'd done it three or four times before. So it was Highbury House with the late Kevin Campbell. So my dad's got a way of meeting people and friending them. And Kevin Campbell absolutely loved him and used to ask him to be on the podcast every week. And to be fair, my dad used to say say no like it's not my place um but this one week he went on and he said a few things about me you know losing my smile and stuff and

um it made a big story and whatever and i personally i didn't think what he said was wrong um because i was feeling it at the time. It was the timing of the situation that didn't help. A few people then run with that and try and give you a bit of stick for it, which is completely fair, but I think it's a dad being a dad. I think it was the start of international breaks as well so there was probably hardly any news on so he got picked up and gathered some speed. But it's just, personally, I think it was just

Dad looking out for his son and speaking his mind and saying how it was, really. Is he happier now? Yeah, yeah, he is. He is happier. I think, yeah he is, he is happier I think although he doesn't like the ball playing side of it. Why is that? I don't know, I don't know, he doesn't like the risk taking. To be honest I can't imagine having a goalie son or daughter, I don't think I, even me being an ex-goalkeeper I don't think I'll be able to watch. Family's a big thing for you, isn't it? Because you've mentioned it multiple times in this interview already.

You've thanked your wife and your little boy, who unknowingly has probably got you through a lot of this last year, is it fair to say? Yeah, absolutely. Seeing the landmarks, how he changes. First time he holds his head up, first time he can sit on his own, first time he mumbles, blows bubbles, whatever it is. Started taking his first steps about a week ago so he started to do like two or three steps. It's gonna be one at the end of this this month so for him he has no clue like

he just remembers my face coming in through the door leaving in the morning coming through the door in the afternoon but for me it was the best part of my day for six seven months um walking through that door and seeing him and seeing him change and his smile and get more recognizable for me. So, yeah, he has helped majorly. So I'm forever grateful, and I know I've said it before, but obviously my wife takes, every footballer's wife takes a lot of strain, a lot of stress, even more so when her husband's a moody parker

because he hasn't been playing football. So I can't thank them enough. And, yeah, he's my little rare sunshine at the minute, yeah. So that's the next generation of Ramsdales. But your grandfather as well, despite passing away before you were born, did he pass away the day that your mum found out she was pregnant with you? He's had quite a big impact on your life as well, hasn't he? Yeah, so Grandad Ronald from the Black Country. So it used to be R. Ron.

Going to go see R. Ron. So I'm Aaron. And then my boy is Ronnie. So the day my mum found out she was pregnant with me, my grandad passed away. And funnily enough, my son got christened last month and it was the day he died, which we didn't know. Wow.

So my dad woke up the day of the christening and obviously did... Worked it out. Yeah, worked it out and realised. Well, he knew all along, but he didn't say anything. He was a bit upset and we wondered what it was and then my mum told me. So yeah, there's a good connection,

but he's made a big impact here so he was a goalkeeper um got offered a few contracts at sort of the west brom the wolves villa um and his dad told him to get a proper job and became a maths teacher um and a head teacher and so yeah he's he's been um passed away now 27 years my dad has a little a little bit of his ashes still which he carries around in a little pouch which at first at first I thought was weird really weird but I understand it now especially now I've got a son and and getting older yeah, he sprinkled his ashes over a golf club in the black country, the Bodezere. And then my dad kept a little bit in a little pouch when he comes to the games and stuff, yeah.

You talk there about getting older. We've had quite a lot of serious chat. You're still the same Aaron Ramsdale, the prankster that we've seen in other videos. Maybe we haven't seen it as much over the past year or so because of what you've been through on a football pitch, but are you still the same Aaron? Yeah, 100% and I think I try and be myself unapologetically the whole time,

but I do think over the last year I had to choose more carefully when I was being myself myself which again probably tired me out because you're hiding things and trying to be an actor and just worrying about other people rather than yourself and I'm still exactly the same I still it's still the same when I go away with people um with my friends obviously the big one the Southampton one in the playoff final when I was Hagrid watching David Brooks play Just explain that by the way to people that have just seen photos and are wondering what on earth you were doing

Anytime one of us play, there's a group of us about a group of eight of us who grew up at Sheffield United together and we all played from the Premier League, Championship League 2, Conference so whenever one of us gets to Wembley as a Club We'll always go in fancy dress

So the first year we watched a promotion With Tranmere as Tally Tubby's Second year was Halifax I think it was Tranmere again or Halifax Winning the FA Vars As wrestlers. So we were all in leotards and masks and belts and stuff.

And then this time we were Harry Potter. So I was Hagrid. We had a Dumbledore. We had a Harry Potter. We had a couple of Death Eaters. And we've won three out of three. What's next? Whoever gets to Wembley next.

Who decides? We just put it in the group chat. So this time it was a vote out of Toy Story and Harry Potter. Who would you have been from Toy Story? I'd have been Boz or someone probably, yeah. I thought you'd say that. So you are happier. I can see from the smile back on your face.

What Aaron Ramsdale have Southampton got now what version uh yeah the best the best one there's been I think I'm more mature I think I'm more calm um the experiences I've had off the pitch in the past year football wise and non-football wise so family family wise um I have a greater respect for people who have been in tough positions or do jobs which I've seen firsthand. And then on the pitch as well, my experiences of working with new coaches,

new players here, but also working tirelessly hard with the boys at Arsenal so you don't normally as a starting keeper get to endure the shooting drills or the 1v1s of Bakayo Saka and

Gabi Jesus and people like that so you learn as you go as well so they've definitely got the best version of me at the minute. And I know that still, you know, you want to evolve and want to get better. And it's something which I feel like I'm doing with this team because the manager wants to play a way and I want to play that way. And I still need to learn.

So you're back playing, you're back happy. Disappointment, though, this week not to be in the England squad. Did you expect to be? Expect is a big word word I hoped I was I feel I understood the reason last camp of I wasn't playing and you know Lee's come in and he was choosing the players who had played them all minutes so Kyle Walker was left out and a couple of others. So I understood that and then obviously got back playing. I didn't expect to because the goalkeepers were being picked and Nick Dean and Jordan are top goalkeepers. I was very

fortunate to still be getting picked for the past year when I wasn't playing. But when you get that sort of feeling of feeling really integral for a group and being really a part of something, I felt like since I've been back playing, I would get back in. But obviously, I still need to perform a little bit more consistently or better in their eyes and get back in for the next one. It is a challenge, it's going to be tough again watching, but it gives me another week with the boys here in practice

and then it gives me a bit of downtime as well with my son and my wife who are obviously going to turn one, but my goal is to be there and be training with them boys and playing with them boys so yeah it was a bit of a shock but I don't expect anything to be honest