David Moyes has shared his thoughts on Goodison Park ahead of Everton's historic final fixture against Southampton
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Sport
13:34, 17 May 2025
David Moyes has lifted the lid on his favourite part of Goodison Park and revealed he’d have still attended Everton’s historic final fixture at the ground even if he’d not returned as manager. Some 133 years on from when they relocated from Anfield and constructed Goodison Park as the first purpose-built football ground in England, the Blues will be departing the venue that has hosted the most top flight matches for a new 52,888 capacity home by the banks of the Mersey, confirmed as Hill Dickinson Stadium on Friday after a naming rights deal, following Sunday’s high noon showdown against Southampton.
Although ‘The Grand Old Lady’ has been spared the bulldozers with the announcement that from next season she will become the home of club’s women’s team, ahead of the historic occasion, Moyes, who steered Everton to nine top eight finishes, including their highest ever Premier League position of fourth during his first spell in charge between 2002-13, was asked whether he has a favourite part of Goodison Park. The Glaswegian said: “Maybe the last bit of the tunnel, going down and going up.
“I was talking about it in a couple of interviews, you are nearly bumping into each other going down the tunnel. There weren’t many like that, Highbury had that, didn’t it, it was really narrow. At Goodison you end up having nearly to be single file in a way.
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“It is that tight going down the tunnel. Over the years the thought of the amount of people who’ve walked down the tunnel, there is just in general no room, it is so small in behind.
“Even the away dressing room because I’ve come back as the away manager, it is never a great place there, it was actually much better during covid because it was a big portacabin in the corner. It is just that sort of place – you are coming into an old stadium.”
Although Everton’s relocation to Vauxhall represents the march of progress and should not only improve the matchday experience for their supporters, but increase the club’s finances to help them start to become competitive again with the Premier League’s elites, Moyes acknowledges that something will be left from football by the departure from Goodison Park. He said: “We used to hear about the prawn sandwich brigade and that was a bit controversial at the time, but I do think football is moving into a world where there is a lot of money being generated and the money coming into football is phenomenal.
“It looks as if it’s continuing to grow and a lot of people want to invest in football and football stadiums. We’ve got to watch that we don’t stay in the past, we have got to move on.
“Everton need a new stadium, undoubtedly. I know we love Goodison but the facilities behind the scenes need redoing and people are looking for much more now in life.
“It will still attract the same people, the same people will go. The new stadium might attract a different breed, but I hope we still keep the community and the people still turn up at Bramley-Moore Dock.”
Everton’s revival since Moyes replaced Sean Dyche at the halfway point of this season ensures that they are able to look forward to their final fixture at Goodison Park without the spectre of relegation hanging over them and he insists “the training’s good, the players are in good spirits.” However, while the man who coined the phrase ‘The People’s Club’ when he first arrived from Preston North End over 23 years ago, admitted it was difficult for him to come back to the ground while he was out of work, he’d have always been attending this farewell fixture.
The 62-year-old explained how the rest of the Moyes clan will be present, just as they have been for most home games since he returned. He said: “My family will all be there. My dad is down, my brother, my wife and my kids will be there.
“When I wasn’t manager Darren Griffiths had phoned to invite me and my dad to a game and I thought, ‘That would be great’. But I was very much aware of the situation here and Sean’s position and I wasn’t going to come to a game while Sean was in that position in case it started stories.
“So I couldn’t come. If Sean had still been in place I definitely would have come (on Sunday).
“My dad loves it, so he’ll be down. He wants to come to all the games.
“He’s 89. It’s the Johnnie Walker black label, not his age, that’s the problem!”