Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton’s new home on the banks of the River Mersey, is a spectacular arena built in the old docks area that puts it right at the heart of the city’s seafaring heritage.
A couple of hundred yards away, the famous hexagonal clock of Victoria Tower, once the standard by which arriving trans-Atlantic passengers set their watches, stands proudly by the water’s edge, even if it is in need of restoration now.
It is still one of the first things visitors see as they stand on the decks of ships and ferries sailing up the Mersey estuary but alongside the army of red cranes at Seaforth, it is the majestic 52,769-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock that is the landmark that grabs the most attention, a new symbol of the city.
There is little to quibble about as far as the move to the new stadium goes, except this: Everton are finding it rather hard to win in it. Their defeat by Manchester United last week meant that it is now seven matches, a run going back to December 6 against Nottingham Forest, since Everton won at home.
The poor home form is not for want of attention to detail in the attempt to turn the stadium into a fortress right from the off. The steepling South Stand, the designated home end, rises sharply at an angle of 34.99 degrees, right at the 35 degrees legal limit for stadium gradient.
It sets the tone for the design of a stadium where the crowd is on top of the players and the atmosphere does not disappear into the open air, as it does in some of the new generation of identikit bowl stadiums. The volume of support was still loud last Monday night. It would be louder if Everton started winning.
Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton’s new home on the banks of the River Mersey, is a spectacular arena built in the old docks area that puts it right at the heart of the city’s seafaring heritage
There is little to quibble about as far as the move to the new stadium goes, except this: Everton are finding it rather hard to win in it
Everton’s travails are not unusual when a club moves to a new home. Of the seven teams which have migrated to a new stadium in the 33 years of the Premier League era, six have seen a decline in their home performances in their first season in fresh surroundings.
The only team that performed better after their move was Derby County when they moved from the Baseball Ground to Pride Park in 1997-98, rising from 12th to ninth with nine more points.
The rest – Southampton, Manchester City, Arsenal, West Ham, Tottenham and Everton – all dropped off. And all have endured troubled times since they moved from stadiums that had been their home for generations.
Finance is obviously one reason for that. Arsene Wenger was lambasted and mocked and vilified by Arsenal fans in the latter years of his reign at the Emirates Stadium but the truth is that he was managing the club with one hand behind his back.
He was the architect of the move away from Highbury. Arsenal’s achievements under him allowed it to happen but paying for the move meant the club could not compete with Manchester United and Chelsea, and later Manchester City, in the transfer market.
Arsenal won the title four times in their last 15 years at Highbury. They have not won it once in the 20 years since they moved to the Emirates. That is the longest gap between top flight titles in the club’s long and glorious history.
Spurs are not faring any better. In fact, they are faring worse. Arsenal’s home record looks positively invincible compared to Spurs’ equivalent since they moved into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2019.
Spurs’ new home is widely recognised as one of the best new-build stadiums in the world but they have lost nearly as many Premier League games there in seven years (46) as Arsenal have at the Emirates in 20 years (49).
Arsene Wenger was the architect of Arsenal’s move from Highbury, and their achievements under him allowed it to happen – but it cost him the chance to compete in the transfer market
Spurs’ new home is one of the best new stadiums in the world but they have lost nearly as many league games there in seven years (46) as Arsenal have at the Emirates in 20 years (49)
Part of the new-ground-blues may be related to the drain on the club’s resources as they pay for it but part of it is about something that is harder to measure. West Ham have struggled desperately since their move away from Upton Park to the London Stadium, which is deeply unpopular with their supporters.
There is a soullessness about the London Stadium that is the antithesis of Upton Park. One ground was rooted in its community – although that community was changing by the time it left – and the other is in the middle of a wasteland in Stratford.
The seething resentment felt by the fans at the abandonment of their history, the disdain they feel for owners who forced the move and the unsuitability of the London Stadium for hosting football are all contributing factors to the club being locked in a desperate battle to avoid relegation this season.
It also has to be accepted – this applies to Spurs and to Everton – that sometimes, the beauty of a new stadium can inspire a visiting team more than the home side. Some of the intimidation factor associated with an old ground disappears.
I asked Everton boss David Moyes about that issue after the defeat by United last week had left his club in 14th place in a Premier League table for home results. They have only recorded four wins from their 14 home league games, compared to seven in 14 on the road, where they are the top flight’s third-best team.
Moyes pointed out wryly that Everton’s form at Goodison Park was not exactly sparkling but he did acknowledge an issue with the transfer to Hill Dickinson Stadium. The pitch at their new home is significantly bigger, too. It all makes a difference.
‘There is probably a change,’ he said. ‘Other teams come here and enjoy it, for one thing. You think of Goodison – narrow tunnel, the players can touch you. It feels a bigger space than Goodison.
‘Tonight, we lost a goal when we were a bit wide open. There are things about it which are different and we have to get used to. Our games are better than at Goodison but our team is better. It isn’t as though we were winning every game at Goodison.’
There is a soullessness about West Ham United’s London Stadium that is the antithesis of Upton Park
The closest Everton have come to a landmark moment at Hill Dickinson Stadium was Jack Grealish’s stoppage-time winner to seal a comeback win over Crystal Palace in October
The problem for many clubs is that history takes time. Both Everton and Spurs are still searching for a signature moment that can be a landmark in the evolution of their new stadiums as homes.
The closest Everton have had to that at Hill Dickinson Stadium so far was when Jack Grealish scored a stoppage-time winner to seal a comeback victory over Crystal Palace at the beginning of October.
It was a magic moment but it was against Palace. A late winner against Liverpool? That would be different. The marriage between a club and its new ground is about a team building a sense of identity.
Some clubs never achieve it – West Ham are heading down that road – but Everton, in particular, have everything in place. They just need a few of those signature moments to turn things around. A win in the Merseyside derby next month would be a start.
