David Moyes after the Premier League match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park. Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images
David Moyes after the Premier League match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park. Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images
David Moyes has hailed Everton’s entrance into a “new era” and demanded his players help supporters to make the transition a successful one.
The Blues move into their state-of-the-art new stadium next season, the 52,888-seater ground a symbol of the potential for a brighter future after years of turbulence.
For Moyes, the move comes with risks - he will not underplay the emotional toll of leaving historic Goodison Park and setting up life on the banks of the Mersey. But he thinks the Hill Dickinson Stadium can herald a transformation of Everton on and off the pitch.
Looking ahead to August, he said: “It’s a huge boost for the football club, and I think we’re all excited about the thought of the new stadium. I think everybody here has been waiting for a long time for the move from Goodison.
“I think we’ll be sad – sad that we’re moving on from Goodison, but I’m sure we’ll always think back to the great days and what it was like here. But to move forward into a new era, I think it’s what we need, and we’re all looking forward to that step.”
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Moyes has repeatedly cited the need to take the best of Goodison into the new ground, pointing to the ferocious atmosphere that has helped the Blues pull through some desperate times in recent years.
The Scot’s impact following his return in January ensured the Grand Old Lady was left on a high, with Everton comfortably safe from the bottom three and hitting form at the end of the campaign. A run of three consecutive victories included the 2-0 defeat of Southampton in an emotional send-off to Goodison last month.
Having said goodbye, the focus is now on settling in. Ahead of a busy summer in which his playing squad is set to be overhauled, Moyes told club media: “We’ve built an iconic stadium on the waterfront and I think, from a build perspective, it looks as if we’ve done everything we can to try to make it work for the players and the club.
“I don’t think it’s an easy thing – moving stadium – but I hope we can take the Goodison noise and all of the things we love about it into the new place. I think the new stadium is similar to Goodison in that the supporters will still be close to the pitch but it will be really important now for the supporters to feel at home quickly – and, of course, the big thing is giving everybody a team they can shout about.”