- Everton have won just one of their last seven Premier League home games
- Moyes argued on talkSPORT that new-stadium struggles are common in football
- Toffees’ manager believes pattern can be reversed before the end of the season
David Moyes used his talkSPORT appearance this week to say what clubs moving into new stadiums rarely admit: it has made things harder, not easier. At least for now.
Everton have been better away from home than at Hill Dickinson Stadium this season. Before the 2-0 win over Burnley, they had failed to win any of their previous six home matches, while becoming one of the league’s better away sides. The overall points return is only fractionally down on their final season at Goodison Park, but the split between home and away is clear.
Why the move is still a football problem
On talkSPORT, Moyes argued that the pattern extends well beyond Everton, and pointed to the specific contrasts between Goodison Park and the new ground.
“If you look back, all the teams that move into a new stadium, I think just about them all have struggled in the first year back in,” he said. “You’ll all have played at Goodison, you’ll know what it’s like, the pressure, the tightness of the stadium, the crowd there. Suddenly, we’ve got a fantastic, big, new arena with new seats for all the supporters as well so there’s lots of things that factor in it.”
He also identified a dynamic that works against the home side in the early months of any new stadium: visiting teams arrive energised rather than intimidated. “I actually think the away supporters coming to Hill Dickinson are loving it because obviously, coming to a new stadium, a chance to see it,” he said.
The contrast between Goodison’s intensity and the scale of the new arena involves more than just atmosphere. The pitch at Hill Dickinson is five metres longer than Goodison’s, and a piece on BBC Sport suggested the extra length exposes Everton’s centre-backs when they lack pace in certain pairings.
Tactical fit away, tactical tension at home
Liverpool Echo analysis has noted that Moyes’ defensive organisation fits more naturally away from home, where Everton can sit compact and counter. Home games at the new ground demand a more open, proactive approach, which is a different job for a squad built around structure and discipline.
Reporting from Royal Blue Mersey has described fan frustrations over atmosphere, transport, stadium access and the disruption of long-standing matchday rituals that gave Goodison its character. Those off-pitch issues are part of the same thing Moyes described in conversation with Ally McCoist and Gabby Agbonlahor.
Moyes said on talkSPORT that he believes the pattern can shift before the season ends. “We’ve got to get back and hopefully we can turn it around,” he said. “I’m hoping before the end of the season we can turn some of them home games into wins if we can because we have some big games, a lot of the big teams to play yet.”
The big question is when Hill Dickinson Stadium stops being new and starts being home.
