Latest news with #GrandOldLady
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'A renewed sense of hope' - fans on Everton's season
We asked for your views on Everton's season after David Moyes' season finished up with victory at Newcastle. Here are some of your comments: Paul: If I am completely honest, Sean Dyche going and Moyes coming in was the brilliant change at the right time and it was a solid performance from us to finish 13th. A really nice way to the end of season. There will be plenty of optimism going forward to our new home and we will now look forward to next season. Mark: Moyes has transformed an under-performing squad, who were drifting towards another relegation dogfight. Somehow, he has managed to get goals and wins out of a squad that was only drawing and not scoring under Dyche. Finishing 13th is a very respectable position in the Premier League table, given where we started from and we've finished ahead of Manchester United and Spurs. There is a lot of work to be done in improving the squad over the summer, but it feels like Everton can look upwards for the first time in several seasons. New owners, new stadium, new start! Ben: It's been nice just to enjoy football these past few weeks, to say farewell to the Grand Old Lady, and now look forward to pastures new with a renewed sense of hope. There hasn't been much of that in recent years. In Moyes we trust. Marcus: Like a boxing match with one fighter getting a knockdown in round seven. Jeff: They have been brilliant since the turn of year, and I would not be surprised if they finished in the top five or six next season. Dixie60: A season that hit some lows but, since January, with a not-so-new manager back in the fold, also hit some highs. Everton have been rejuvenated since his second spell at the club. There is a strong basis here for success, a new beginning, a new stadium and new owners. Players who love the club and played their part this season: Jordan Pickford, Seamus Coleman, Beto, Dwight McNeil and Iliman Ndiaye to name a few all became part of Everton folklore. Additions like Orel Mangala, Tim Iroegbunam, and the forward-thinking Carlos Alcaraz have given supporters hope for the future. Onwards and upwards for a club loved, worshipped and supported locally without fault. Truly rare in these Premier League days. William: Pickford is Everton's most consistent player game after game. At the other end of the pitch, players get highly praised for scoring 'relegation-saving goals' but Pickford has saved Everton consistently year on year, and he remains loyal to Everton. Long may Pickford stay at our beloved club.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sylvester Stallone sends Goodison Park message as Everton legend delights with return
Following Everton's final Premier League fixture at Goodison Park, a 2-0 win over Southampton, an End of an Era ceremony took place on the pitch as the Blues departed their home for the past 133 years. It was an emotional tribute to the Grand Old Lady that saw Everton legends from a number of eras paraded on the pitch, live music, interviews and much more. Here's a look back at some standout moments from the once-in-a-lifetime event. READ MORE: Grown men cry, strangers hug and Everton legends get emotional in perfect Goodison farewell READ MORE: I saw unprecedented scenes on my way to Goodison Park this morning - this doesn't happen in England Cheer we goWhether it's someone falling over or a referee being hit by the ball, there are some occurrences at football matches that are guaranteed to make crowds roar, but when it comes to Evertonians, 'Operation Goodison,' a stadium security drill always hits the spot. So, it was one of the wittier elements of the post-match entertainment to announce the commencement of 'Operation End of an Era.'The declaration, over the P.A. system, prompted a big belly laugh from seasoned Goodison patrons but while fan favourites like Duncan Ferguson also got big cheers, there was also a rousing reception for an old friend. While the stages and seating were being set up and the current players had returned to the changing rooms before returning for their post-match lap of appreciation, a number of video messages were displayed over the stadium's big of course were from former Everton favourites who couldn't be present on the day, plus other admirers from the world of football like Ian Wright, Arsene Wenger, Gary Neville and Alan Shearer, but one of the biggest cheers was reserved for Hollywood's biggest Blue Slyvester Stallone, who became an instant hit with the fanbase when he declared he was one of their own at the Grand Old Lady back in gig for RooneyBack in 2004, when he departed Everton for Manchester United while still aged just 18, few could have imagined Wayne Rooney being back on the pitch as part of Goodison Park's End of an Era ceremony, but there has been enough water under the bridge over the subsequent 21 years to fill the Mersey. Turning 40 later this year, Rooney of course came back for a second stint in a royal blue jersey in the 2017/18 season having won every major honour in the game with the Red Devils and leaving Old Trafford as their all-time leading have forgiven but they haven't forgotten and the lad from Croxteth who once displayed a t-shirt with the slogan 'Once a blue, always a blue,' was reminded of his controversial defection over two decades ago. As he spoke to address the crowd, Rooney, arguably Everton's most-gifted home-grown talent was drowned out by a chorus of 'Manchester is full of s**t.'To be fair, he took it well and acknowledged that while he'd had his 'ups and downs' with the supporters, he still loves the club. Game for a laughIt's often said that all Scousers are natural comedians and there will still plenty of light-hearted moments from the ceremony, starting with John Bailey, the joker in the pack among Howard Kendall's side, striding out onto the Goodison Park pitch wearing a replica of his oversized top hat worn on the Wembley turf after the 2-0 win over Watford in the 1984 FA Cup final. Host Gethin Jones asked Leighton Baines about the unique experience of playing as a full-back at Goodison with the crowd so close to him and the now first team coach admitted it depended on how well he was doing, but he'd passed a lot of messages on from the touchline over the Reid, a player who Kendall described as Everton's most-important since the Second World War and the most fervent example of a local lad who was a Red turned Blue, spoke poignantly about the feeling of moving on and it being a case of 'thank you' to Goodison rather than 'goodbye,' but he also had everyone in stitches when he quipped: 'Sorry about the sunglasses, but I was on the lash last night.' Strength in numbersIt was also great to see Reid's team-mate Neville Southall, who won the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year award in 1984/85 when his midfield colleague was named PFA Players' Player of the Year, also out on the pitch with so many former Everton stars. The former Wales international goalkeeper had confirmed his attendance on Friday but feared his recent health problems would prevent him from taking to the playing Pickford's baby slept through the whole affair while his eldest two children enjoyed some rough and tumble on the grass but joining them all were the following: Tony Kay, Bob Latchford, Billy Wright, Jim Pearson, Dave Jones, Ken McNaught, George Telfer, Steve Seargeant, Mike Pejic, Duncan McKenzie, Roger Kenyon, Ronny Goodlass, Johnny Morrisey, Martin Dobson, Brian Kidd, Derek Temple and Joe Royle. Adrian Heath, Derek Mountfield, Neil Pointon, Neville Southall, John Bailey, Pat van den Hauwe, Ian Snodin, Gary Stevens, Kevin Richardson, Wayne Clarke, Paul Wilkinson, Neil Adams, Paul Bracewell, Trevor Steven, Alan Harper, Mark Higgins, Peter Reid and Andy Limpar, Paul Rideout, Joe Parkinson, Barry Horne, Graham Stuart, Matt Jackson and Dave Watson. Peter Beardsley, Thomas Myhre, John Ebbrell, Michael Ball, Danny Cadamarteri, Tony Cottee, Gareth Farrelly, Stuart Barlow, Mike Newell, Tony Grant, Pat Nevin and Duncan Davies, Mark Pembridge, Gary Naysmith, James McFadden, Tomasz Radzinski, Marcus Bent, Steven Naismith, Jermaine Beckford, Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry, Victor Anichebe, James Vaughan, Oumar Niasse, Francis Jeffers, Leighton Baines, Leon Osman, Wayne Rooney, David Weir, Alan Stubbs, Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill.
The Herald Scotland
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Wayne Rooney gets stick from Toffees as great and good say goodbye to Goodison
As the former England international tried to answer a gentle question about his feelings on the day the ground, still almost at capacity, broke out in a chant of 'Oh Manchester, is full of s**t'. Having allowed it to subside Rooney, who made his debut as a 16-year-old in 2002, responded: 'I am am a f*****g Scouser, by the way. 'I grew up a young boy loving the football club. I know we have had ups and downs, but it is very emotional being here today.' Tens of thousands had packed the terraced streets around the ground hours before kick-off armed with smoke canisters and assorted pyrotechnics and such was the concentration the planned team coach welcome had to be abandoned. There was a party atmosphere inside, with the volume at kick-off and final whistle as loud as it has ever been. That continued in the post-match celebrations as the great and the good of the club's history were joined by the current squad on the pitch to share their memories. While it was a day of sadness for some, with tears being shed for the Grand Old Lady by numerous fans in the stands, former striker Andy Gray summed it up when he said: 'We may be leaving Goodison but Goodison will never leave us.' Tim Cahill, one of manager David Moyes' key players in his first spell, spoke for many who have passed through the stadium's doors by saying: 'Being part of the Everton family is something I grew into.' The Australian, who could be seen waving a Goodison corner flag he was given to commemorate his famous punchbag celebration, added: 'It will be part of me forever and it gave me some of the best moments of my life. So thank you Everton.' Cahill's former team-mate Leighton Baines, perhaps understandably now he is on Moyes' coaching staff, was looking forward to the future. 'To play for these fans in this stadium will live with me forever. It's the end of an era but the start of a new one which we should all be excited about,' he said.
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Goodison goodbye shows real power of football as love for Everton shines through
Expected goals, corporate hospitality, set-piece coaches, projects, technical directors, podcasts, low blocks, mid blocks. Subscription television, padded seats, transitions, choreographed celebrations, tunnel clubs, double pivots, false nines. And every other item of modern football paraphernalia you can think of. You can have them all. Enjoy them. But under a royal blue sky on Merseyside, the real power of football - not the commercial power, not the political power, not the macho power - was laid bare. The tears of the men, women and children inside Goodison Park were not for the cameras, they were for a way of life. They were for fathers, for mothers, for grandfathers, for grandmothers, for ancestors, for friends never forgotten, for bonds never broken. And they were for history, as in real history, not Premier League history. And if you know your history, it's enough to make your heart go … etc, etc. You know the tune. When the players from eras dating back to the Sixties were called onto the pitch at the start of the farewell ceremony - bookended by the likes of Joe Royle and Wayne Rooney, Roger Kenyon and Tim Cahill - it was a truly special reminder that the Grand Old Lady is the home of a grand, old club. The different generations of supporters gave special cheers for their own favourites - for Royle, for Peter Reid, for Duncan Ferguson, for the incomparable Neville Southall, for Cahill. And through the tears and cheers, there was, inevitably, humour. Big Dunc brought the house down when he addressed the Gwladys Street end but when, perhaps ill-advisedly, Rooney took to the microphone, the mass response was immediate. 'Oh Manchester is full of s***,' they sang. Forgiven but not forgotten. 'We've had our ups and downs,' smiled Rooney. In the case of the mens team, the ups and downs of Goodison Park will now be only memories and their fortunes will unfold at Bramley-Moore Dock. And after a 2-0 win over Southampton made sure of the perfect Goodison finale, David Moyes struck the perfect note to link the past with the future. He said: 'We might be a club that is coming back together. Before, there was a real break-up of a love affair between the players, the supporters, the owners. We are all trying to get back in bed together, if you know what I mean. 'If we can take what we had today to the new stadium, it really will be something. The scenes outside the stadium were incredible. It felt like a club which needs some big days in the future, so let's hope this is the start of it.' And under Moyes and the ownership of The Friedkin Group, inside a state-of-the-art venue, there could well be some big days ahead. But then again, this is a community of fans that have experienced many false hopes and this day was overwhelmingly about knowing your history. And with the afternoon's third rendition of Z-Cars, the closing ceremony drew to an end. It was almost fitting that the blue fireworks barely raised a sparkle and the sound system struggled to make itself heard. Goodison Park has never been about the gimmicks. You can have them. Enjoy them. 'We are leaving Goodison Park,' said Andy Gray. 'But Goodison Park will never leave us.' And THAT is what Goodison Park is about. In an often-phoney world, a truly special day.
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Everton's Moyes told players to make sure Goodison finish was positive
LIVERPOOL, England, - After all the emotional build-up to Everton's heart-wrenching farewell game at their beloved Goodison Park, manager David Moyes was concerned the moment might be too much for his team. He need not have worried as his players handled the occasion with ease, Iliman Ndiaye scoring twice as they beat relegated Southampton 2-0 on Sunday as the stadium known as the Grand Old Lady hosted its final Premier League game after 133 years. "I was worried today. Everybody's been talking about this for so long," Moyes told reporters. "The scenes outside the stadium were incredible, really. It felt like a club which is needing some big days, some big things in the future. So let's hope this is the start of it. "But I tried to make a point to the players that what couldn't happen was that we left here not finishing it off right. we've done the job which we needed. We've got 45 points . "The pressure was off the players today because of that , but it was also on because of the occasion, because of the greats who were sitting watching them." Dozens of Everton icons, including Tim Cahill, Wayne Rooney and Duncan Ferguson, were at Goodison to take part in a post-game celebration that had fans in their seats some singing, others sobbing long after the final whistle blew. "I've been here a while and I know what it means. It's been a great stadium," said 62-year-old Scot Moyes, who managed Everton from 2002-2013 before rejoining the club this year. "Some questions make me think, 'My goodness, this is difficult to take some of these,'" he added. "I think more the feeling that there might be a club which is coming back together, signs that before there was a real breakup of a sort, of a love affair with the supporters, the players, the club, the owners. So we're all trying to get back ... together." Everton end the season at Newcastle United on May 25, and then will move into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock for the next campaign. The club announced earlier this week that their women's team, who play in the Women's Super League, would make a permanent move to Goodison from next season.
