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Everton new stadium reality now clear as David Moyes leaves supporters asking same question
Connor O’Neill
7 – 9 minutes
Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on the club’s new stadium and the upcoming game against Manchester United
A drone view of Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock during an Everton under-18 friendly match test event
A drone view of Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock during an Everton under-18 friendly match test event(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Everton’s resurgence under David Moyes continued on Saturday when they beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Beto’s first-half opener was cancelled out by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s opener before Carlos Alcaraz scored the winner 10 minutes from time.
The win lifted the Blues up to 14th in the Premier League table, a huge 13 points clear of the drop zone. Everton are now also five games unbeaten in top-flight. Off the pitch, around 10,000 Evertonians saw a glimpse of a bright, new future as Bramley-Moore Dock opened its doors for the first time on Monday night.
Two more test events are scheduled before the Blues make the permanent move to their home from Goodison Park. Next up is a huge game against Manchester United, and our Blues jury have returned to have their say on a big week for the club.
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Paul McParlan – A brighter future?
There is an unprecedented wave of optimism surrounding Everton at present and Evertonians are loving it. Four wins out of five, up to 14th in the table and a gleaming new stadium hosting a football match for the first time.
It almost feels too good to be true! The contrast with one year ago is stark. In January 2024, gloom was the default setting of Everton fans, and no wonder.
The club had been unfairly dragged back to the relegation battle after an unprecedented ten-point deduction from the Premier League. There were absolutely no new signings in the window, and it appeared that the club was in serious danger of not having enough money to survive the season.
Even worse, the owner, Farhad Moshiri, had agreed to sell the club to a bunch of hedge fund cowboys, the 777 group, who seemingly had no cash themselves but were hoping to secure funding by a series of extremely dodgy leveraged loans. Was it any wonder that pessimism prevailed?
Compare the start of this year to then. The ownership issue has finally been resolved with the Friedkin group taking over the club, a successful business operation with a clear plan and strategy for taking the club forward at every level. Unlike the dithering Moshiri, their swift action in appointing David Moyes to return to Everton after Sean Dyche departed was an indication of how they operate on every level.
And what an impact the returning Moyesiah has made! Suddenly Everton are playing attacking, entertaining football, which is producing results and moving the side up the table. His work on the training ground has been impressive, and his transformation of Beto into a clinical goalscorer has been remarkable.
There is a buzz of anticipation when fans go to watch the Blues now, which has been absent for far too long. I went to the new stadium on Monday evening, and it was magnificent. What an arena this is going to be.
The sense of anticipation as fans entered, followed by the feeling of awe and amazement when they saw their new home in its full majestic glory, was truly inspiring. It felt brilliant to be a Blue. One can only imagine how stunning it will be for the first game of the 25/26 season. Finally, Everton have a stadium that befits its stature.
Optimism and Everton can be an extremely dangerous cocktail. We have seen so many false dawns before and suffered some crushing blows when hopes had been raised. So, it is important to keep riding this wave of optimism and deliver another win against Manchester United on Saturday. Three points could move us up to 12th with a top-half finish within our grasp.
It feels different this time. With the new manager, owners, and stadium, we may have so much to look forward to. Could it be that for once, the future is bright, the future is blue?
James Kellett – Where do Everton look in the league table?
David Moyes has passed the one month mark in his second tenure as Everton manager, and he has spearheaded a remarkable turnaround. Prior to his first match against Aston Villa, the Toffees sat two points above the drop zone, and hopes were not helped by the 1-0 loss against the Midlands outfit.
But it appears the Scot has worked his magic, as the Blues are now 13 points above the bottom three and unbeaten in their last five league games. This brilliant run of form leads one to question, where do Everton look in the league table?
Look down and focus on the teams below to ensure Premier League status is guaranteed. Or look up and continue their ascent of the table?
Moyes made his happiness clear there was finally positive talk about Everton, and this is the mindset they should be striving for. There is no point in waiting for the next defeat and the negatives that come from it; take every game as it comes, and what will be, will be.
Six games remain at Goodison Park, so both team and fans alike should simply enjoy the honour of being a part of the grand old lady’s final season. On top of this, Monday saw Everton host the first game at their state-of-the-art stadium, which in turn only generated more buzz.
It has been a tough past few years for us, and although we’re not out of the woods yet, maintaining the positivity Moyes alluded to will be vital for the games and seasons ahead.
Alex McMonnies – A monumental week
A monumental week in the history of Everton Football Club is about to draw to a close. Monday saw 10,000 fans enter the sparkling new stadium on the Bramley Moore Dock for the very first time.
While there are still many concerns over surrounding issues such as parking and transport, it was pretty much unanimously agreed by everyone who attended the very first test event, in which the under-18s took on Wigan Athletic, that the stadium is an absolute masterpiece.
The general mood going into Monday afternoon was helped by an injury-riddled Everton side pulling off yet another win at the weekend as David Moyes continues to enjoy life back at the club.
Fresh off the back of their derby exploits from the previous Wednesday, a fixture that robbed them of both Iliman Ndiaye and Abdoulaye Doucoure, the Toffees earned their third away win of the season at Crystal Palace.
The Eagles were just getting their big players back from injury, with the likes of Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton coming on as substitutes. Meanwhile, Everton’s bench was full of youngsters who have never played so much as a minute of senior football.
Despite all that, in a performance chock-full of self-belief, Moyes’ side emerged victorious, with new signing Carlos Alcaraz marking his first start with an assist and the winning goal.
It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say that things are looking rosy for Everton both on and off the pitch, but that is certainly the case at the moment.
The same cannot be said for the Blues’ upcoming opponents, Manchester United, who are experiencing new depths of underachievement under young coach Ruben Amorim, who looks alarmingly out of his depth in the dugout. United seem to have been in crisis mode for many years now, and yet in the past few seasons, they have still always managed to comfortably beat Everton and restore some confidence around Old Trafford.
It would be very welcome indeed for the Toffees to alter that script when they host the Red Devils in Saturday’s early kick-off.
