David Moyes to stay away from Everton’s new stadium, reason revealed
Everton Stadium is just months away from becoming the new home of David Moyes’ side, but he’s yet to experience it for himself.
The Toffees’ state-of-the-art new ground finally opened its doors to 10,000 lucky Everton fans on Monday, hosting a maiden test event which saw their Under-18s side suffer a 2-1 loss to Wigan Athletic.
Further test events and matches involving the Blues’ youth sides are planned for the coming months, with the next, involving their Under-21s, set to see 25,000 Everton fans come through the gates.
A third with “near to full capacity” will follow before the Toffees leave Goodison Park at the end of the season, waving goodbye to their home of 132 years and moving across the city to Bramley-Moore Dock.
David Moyes makes Everton Stadium stance clear
Relegation to the Championship at season’s end would be nothing short of disastrous for Everton ahead of their stadium move, and David Moyes is doing his best not to put any jinxes on the new ground.
Asked by Sky Sports journalist Vinny O’Connor if he’d attended at Monday’s test event alongside various club officials and journalists at the impressive Everton Stadium, the Scot gave a somewhat surprising response.
Moyes said: “I wanted to ask you what it looked like – I’ve said I’m not going to go down there until it’s confirmed that we’re a Premier League club.”
David Moyes well on course to book Everton Stadium visit
Moyes’ pragmatism is well known, and understandable when it comes to setting his teams up against more attack-minded sides, but it’s surprising to learn that he’s yet to set foot inside Everton Stadium.
The 61-year-old is one of the most recognisable faces in the Toffees’ modern history – even before his return to Goodison Park – and as such, you’d expect him to have been a guest of honour on Monday.
| Position | Team | Points |
| 14 | Everton | 30 |
| 15 | Manchester United | 29 |
| 16 | West Ham | 27 |
| 17 | Wolves | 19 |
| 18 | Ipswich Town | 17 |
| 19 | Leicester City | 17 |
| 20 | Southampton | 9 |
His almost superstitious stance, however, appears to be working brilliantly, with Everton winning four of their last five Premier League games to move a whopping 13 points clear of the relegation zone.
That certainly wasn’t the case upon Moyes’ arrival last month, inheriting a misfiring Everton side two places above the bottom three with just 17 points to their name, and in serious danger of going down.
However, with a 13-point cushion to the drop zone and Manchester United, West Ham and Wolves all closer to relegation than the Blues, Moyes’ visit to Everton’s new home may come sooner than expected.