The move to the new stadium could provide Everton with a secret weapon
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Everton could have a secret weapon up their sleeve when they move to their new stadium. When the Blues relocate from Goodison Park this summer, the move to their new stadium will enable them to play in front of the biggest regular crowds in their history.
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The new Everton Stadium holds 52,888 and only once have the club enjoyed an average gate of over 50,000 across a season (51,603 for the 1962/63 title-winning campaign). The structure at Bramley-Moore Dock also features steep banks of terracing and has been designed by architect Dan Meis – who believes the roar will be even louder than Goodison – to keep the noise of the crowd in and help generate an atmosphere through acoustics.
However, we’re not talking about that. One of the biggest concerns among Blues supporters – along with much-maligned transport issues for those who are unwilling or unable to walk to games – could actually prove to be a plus point for David Moyes’ side and indeed generations of future Everton teams by the banks of the Mersey... the weather.
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Already, after just two test events at Everton Stadium, spectators have commented on being open to the elements with icy winds swirling in from the river, but statistics have shown that the Blues should be able to use this to their advantage. The current international break has forced football journalists up and down the area to get creative with their content.
This has included the (Red) devil making work for idle hands through a mischievous report claiming Jarrad Branthwaite was expected to consider his Everton future after being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad. That’s strange given that his club colleague Jordan Pickford has won all 75 of his Three Lions caps while with the Blues.
However, Conor O’Neil of the Athletic has come up with a glorious article about how weather impacts Premier League results and it turns out that the old adage questioning whether fancy dan players are able to cut it on a wet, windy night in Stoke is actually true.
Armed by a database of meteorological statistics, the piece settled on the following criteria:
The match must take place on a midweek evening,
the temperature must be below 10C (50F)
wind speeds or gusts must exceed 13 miles per hour (20kmh) — the entry point for a moderate breeze according to the Beaufort scale.
Factoring all this in, O’Neil writes: “Sensationally, the results confirm that Stoke really are the masters of the harsher Premier League elements. They are undefeated in their 11 home games that fall under these criteria, averaging 2.27 points per game — a rate that, if applied to this season, would put them four points behind leaders Liverpool.”
However, despite spending a decade in the Premier League, the Potters, who saw a 0.75 points per game improvement in their home form when it came to playing midweek in cold, blustery conditions, have been back in the Championship since 2018, so who out of those still in the top flight enjoys the biggest such upturn? Step forward Everton with a 0.39 points-per-game increase.
Embrace that chill from the Mersey folks but remember to wrap up warm!