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BBC News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Transport to new Everton stadium 'functioning well'
Everton's inaugural fixture at Hill Dickinson stadium took place at the weekend, with more than 50,000 fans watching the Blues play AS game was the first full-capacity match at the 53,000-seater stadium on the Mersey waterfront, following Everton's move from Goodison follows concerns, in recent month, over how large crowds of supporters would travel to and from the new ground at Bramley-Moore who attended the match have been sharing their views on the available public transport and the parking options at the event, with a city councillor saying the travel infrastructure "functioned well". Parking Amy Wilson, who is a blue-badge holder, drove to the game and parked in a side street near the ground."We got back to where we parked with no difficulties," she said, adding the road surface was accessible with drop kerbs and tactile pavements in place."It took about seven or eight minutes from leaving the stadium wall to getting back to the car," she said."It was pretty empty by the time we got back to where we parked, so there were no difficulties in getting away from the side streets."We know it won't be like that every game, and we were probably quite lucky to have found that space, but the day was pretty successful for me as a blue-badge holder." Trains Neil Vaughn caught the train, but said a lack of taxis meant he had to walk back into the city centre to pick up his rail connection."When I left the stadium there were no taxis available anywhere near the ground, when we were led to believe there would be drop-off and pick-up points," he said."We had to walk to Moorfields station when we got on the train. The trains were absolutely ram-packed."We expected that, but I think they really need to get the taxi situation - and drop-off pick-up points - sorted out for future games."In a post on X on Saturday, Merseyrail shared footage of crowds moving through Sandhills station, the nearest station to the football ground, and thanked travellers for their cooperation. Buses Peter MacFarlane, from The Blue Room podcast, caught the bus - which he described as "plain sailing"."Myself and my dad got the 918, which is the new service which goes from Kirkby," he said."It was just £2 journey - really smooth - and had the added bonus of going past Goodison Park on the way."After passing Goodison Park, it was "straight through to the new stadium" with no stops, he on the way home he said had a "slight issue", after finding all the Kirby buses had already left and he had to take the Bootle bus instead. Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said feedback from Merseyrail had indicated services at Sandhills station had worked "really well"."Shuttle buses, road closures and the parking restrictions equally functioned well," he told BBC Radio Merseyside's Kev Duala."I think we've got into a good place, but there is still more we are going to focus on improving over the next couple of weeks and beyond."I'm sure over the football season ahead little things will keep on popping up because it's new for everyone."This is years of planning and it was absolutely fantastic to see how Saturday went, but, most importantly, just how much Evertonians really enjoyed being in the brand new stadium." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Everton player ratings as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and one more impress at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Everton played their inaugural first team fixture in front of fans at Hill Dickinson Stadium but Roma's Matias Soule spoiled the party on the Mersey waterfront by netting the only goal of the game. The Blues lost left-back Vitalii Mykolenko to injury early on with summer recruit Adam Aznou coming on after 10 minutes to replace him but the teenager struggled and was caught out of position for what was the only goal of the contest, midway through the second half. Before that, Thierno Barry and Iliman Ndiaye had both had inviting chances to fire David Moyes' men in front, but both produced disappointing finishes. Jordan Pickford 7 The England number one had to be at his best at key moments, including keeping out a shot from Neil El Aynaoui following a defensive scramble after Ndiaye's defensive lapse, although he couldn't get to Matias Soule's well-placed finish. READ MORE: Everton vs Roma LIVE - Legends game, Soule goal, highlights, Hill Dickinson Stadium reaction READ MORE: Everton suffer early injury scare in Hill Dickinson Stadium friendly Jake O'Brien 6 Playing in the right-back role, he had several decent forays forward and continues to look a handful in a coltish way, pushing up from wide. Vitalii Mykolenko Nightmare start for the left-back at Hill Dickinson Stadium as he was forced off injured after just 10 minutes, having pulled up making a challenge to concede a corner kick. James Tarkowski 6 Captaining Everton on an historic day, he had to make some vital interceptions and looked solid on his first start on English soil since his hamstring injury against Manchester City in April but should have done better directing an early headed chance from a corner. Jarrad Branthwaite 6 Was left isolated for Roma's goal but a generally assured display on his return having stayed back in England to work on his fitness while the rest of the squad went to the USA. Idrissa Gueye 6 Solid showing ahead of a fourth season back at Everton, the veteran showed why he was worth a new deal, bossing the engine room. James Garner 6 Continuing in his deeper role, he kept plugging away but it would be nice to see a bit more of his silk as well as steel. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 7 Only signed three days before this game, the debutant was Everton's standout performer of the first half, looking a threat going forward himself and feeding others with his quick feet. Charly Alcaraz 5 Deployed on the Blues' 'problem position' of the right wing – given they have no natural options there – he tested Mile Svilar with a headed chance after the hosts had fallen behind, but while there were some nice touches, he was often on the fringe of proceedings. Iliman Ndiaye 5 Went close to an equaliser with a stinging shot palmed away by Svilar, the hope is that he can excel on this big, open pitch, but at the other end he almost gifted Roma an opener with a wild back pass that played Pickford into trouble. Thierno Barry 5 Making his first start since his £27million transfer from Villarreal, he got himself into some decent positions and worked hard but was guilty of fluffing his lines when a big chance came his way, scuffing his shot as the goal gaped. Substitutes Adam Aznou (on 10 for Mykolenko) 4 Tough debut for the young left-back as he was forced on early to replace the injured Mykolenko and was out of position for Roma's goal before making way for Coleman late on. Beto (on 61 for Barry) 6 Put himself about in the final half an hour but couldn't work any openings. Dwight McNeil (on 61 for Dewsbury-Hall) 5 Must know that he's now got a fight on his hands for a starting jersey, and while there were a few silky touches, he needs to show his manager he's worth a recall. Tim Iroegbunam (on 61 for Gueye) 6 A half-hour run-out in a deeper role as he remains on the fringes of the squad. Michael Keane (on 79 for Branthwaite) Late cameo at centre-back. Seamus Coleman (on 79 for Aznou) Ditto, at left-back, where he made his Everton debut almost 16 years ago. Youssef Chermiti (on 79 for Alcaraz) Same again, but in a left-sided attacking role.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Everton cannot escape transfer reality after Hill Dickinson Stadium warning
Depending on where you want to start, this was a day either four years, nine years or even 133 years in the making for Everton on the banks of the Mersey. The Blues started construction of the 52,769 capacity arena that would become Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2021 when they came on site at Bramley-Moore Dock. They first identified the enviable location for their future home in 2016 when architect Dan Meis and then owner Farhad Moshiri – back here today – were both present among a delegation to assess the location. Then, if we go back to 1892, that's when Everton moved across Stanley Park from Anfield to construct Goodison Park as the first purpose-built football ground in England. Over her existence, 'The Grand Old Lady' as she became known, was for a long time the pre-eminent club ground in the country and by the time she closed for men's senior football, had staged more English top flight fixtures than any other venue. READ MORE: Everton player ratings as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and one more impress at Hill Dickinson Stadium READ MORE: Everton suffer early injury scare in Hill Dickinson Stadium friendly However, in the modern era, many of Goodison's rivals overtook her and by the time she finished, she was in the Premier League's bottom three in terms of generating matchday revenue. As David Moyes wrote in his programme notes: 'It will take us some time to get used to our new surroundings but the important thing is we know that we are now in our new home, and we want to enjoy many special times here over the next hundred years. 'I am incredibly privileged and honoured to be the manager who is taking us into this new stadium. I am excited about the future which looks so much brighter for Everton Football Club as we move away from some dark days in the past. 'We are starting from a blank page. We have built the stadium, and we are starting to rebuild the team.' That was evident here though as the Blues – whose only win in pre-season came in a behind closed doors game here against League One Port Vale – were beaten 1-0 by Roma. Moyes won by the Trent against Nottingham Forest and by the Thames at Fulham last season, but with Everton recording just five Premier League home victories in their final season at Goodison – the joint lowest in the club's history – it's clear that there is still a lot of hard work to do on the pitch.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Roma players and staff pay classy tribute to Diogo Jota before Everton friendly
AS Roma has paid tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva ahead of its pre-season game against Everton this afternoon. It will be the Blues' inaugural first-team match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in front of fans. The friendly will be followed by a Legends game featuring former players from both clubs, creating a double-header on the Mersey waterfront. Ahead of the game Roma manager Claudio Ranieri and midfielder Paulo Dybala visited Anfield to lay flowers at the temporary memorial outside of the Main Stand. The pair looked somber as they laid the flowers in what was an emotional moment in the morning sunshine. READ MORE: Alexander Isak 'refuses to accept' Newcastle owners' decision to block Liverpool transfer talks READ MORE: Crystal Palace has 4 players missing for Liverpool game ahead of Community Shield Like many clubs around the world, the Serie A side following the tragic events of last month when Jota and Silva passed away in a car crash in northern Spain. On X, the club said: "AS Roma joins in mourning the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother André. Our deepest condolences go out to their family, loved ones and everyone affected by this loss'. Thousands of tributes—ranging from flowers and scarves to jerseys—have been left outside Anfield. Over days and weeks, the memorial grew, drawing visits from Liverpool players past and present, as well as the brothers' family. Since then the club has slowly started to store away tributes to be recycled into a permanent memorial. Floral tributes will be composted and used in flower beds across all club sites, while the remaining elements are to be recycled. A temporary reflection area remains in place at the stadium for those who wish to pay their respects. In consultation with his family, Liverpool has also retired the number 20 shirt across all levels of the club in honor and memory of the 28-year-old. Liverpool paid tribute to the siblings before matches against Preston North End, AC Milan, and Yokohama. on the Reds return to Anfield, club legend Phil Thompson and Bilbao president Jon Uriarte laid a wreath on the pitch in front of the Kop End ahead of Monday's first match. A billboard around the pitch read, "Rest in peace Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, You'll Never Walk Alone," as fans chanted Jota's name both when Thompson and Uriarte entered the field and at kickoff. At the 20th minute, players and fans will pause to applaud Jota, honoring his memory. Liverpool's matchday program cover featured photos of Jota and included an obituary titled "Forever our no.20." Sunday afternoon's Community Shield at Wembley against Crystal Palace will mark Liverpool's first competitive game since the brother's passed away. For the Premier League season opener against Bournemouth on Friday, August 15, a special fan mosaic and a minute of silence are planned.
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Inside Everton's torrid summer: 12 player exits, seven failed moves and six signings still needed
David Moyes was on a break from management the previous time he visited Atlanta. It was February 2019 and he had been invited to Super Bowl LIII. The game itself was not the most memorable, with Tom Brady's New England Patriots defeating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in the lowest scoring Super Bowl in history, but the after-party certainly was. Snoop Dogg was among the performers and, while Moyes is no fan of gangsta rap, it was almost impossible not to get swept up by the spectacular carnival atmosphere and celebrations. Unfortunately for Moyes, who has been back in Atlanta with Everton as part of the Premier League Summer Series which wound to a close on Sunday night, he has had less cause for cheer this time around. The excitement around Everton's move into their new 53,000 capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium has been tempered by a summer of struggle and setbacks in the transfer window, and troubling results and performances on the pitch. It has led Moyes to declare that Everton are 'not ready' for the start of the new Premier League season, with only a fortnight before they kick-off away to newly promoted Leeds United, and left the club playing a frantic game of catch-up with 27 days until the close of the window. Transfer plans have stalled In truth, it was possible to detect a slight lightening in Moyes' mood over the weekend. He hopes to have a couple of new faces in before Everton play Roma in their new ground on the banks of the Mersey on Saturday. Everton agreed a deal worth around £25m with Chelsea for midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on Monday and the chase for Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling continues. Everton have submitted a third bid worth around £40m including add ons after Southampton rejected offers worth £27m and £35m. Southampton are holding out for more and Everton are carefully weighing up their next move. He was also encouraged to see his side twice come from behind to draw 2-2 with Manchester United at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday evening in a greatly improved display from the defeats by Bournemouth and West Ham, which were both littered with individual mistakes. Equally, the news that England defender Jarrad Branthwaite was, 'with a little bit of luck', set to return to training on Wednesday following injury was another boost at a time when Moyes has been down to the bare bones and in desperate need of reinforcements. But the manager was not going to sugarcoat the situation and has encountered enough disappointment in the window already to remain a little uneasy. 'We've picked up but not enough and not as far as we need,' he said. 'I would have hoped we'd be much further down the line than we've been. I would love to be able to have a couple of players in [before Saturday] so I could tell the crowd: 'This is the start.' 'I think there will be deals [this] week – I think we're getting much closer – but I've got to say I felt that four or five weeks ago as well. We're getting near the tickly bits and we've got to get some things done.' Dozen exits left a threadbare squad, then a series of transfer failures Everton have spent around £52m on four signings this summer. Argentinian midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, who performed well on loan last season from Flamengo, has joined permanently and the promising young France Under-21 striker Thierno Barry arrived from Villarreal. Teenage left back Adam Aznou was signed from Bayern Munich and goalkeeper Mark Travers brought in from Bournemouth as back–up to No. 1 Jordan Pickford. The problem is it is not nearly enough. A dozen players exited at the end of last season, including striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré, who was asked to take a cut to his £5m a year deal but declined. Moyes, in turn, has been left with a squad critically low on numbers and in urgent need of an injection of quality, particularly in midfield and out wide. Injuries have only compounded his problems and left the manager working with around 15 senior players for the duration of Everton's stay in the US. Moyes wants up to six more signings, including a No 6 and a No 8 midfielder and two wide players but, even for a man who has seen most things during a 27-year career in management, this summer has tested his patience like few others. Indeed, the number of players Everton have missed out on is heading towards double figures. It is not just Newcastle manager Eddie Howe who is encountering repeat frustration. Everton had a medical lined up for Kenny Tete only for the Netherlands defender to decide to stay with Fulham. The exciting young Portugal winger Francisco Conceicao opted to join Juventus permanently after a loan from Porto rather than move to Merseyside and another wide target, Lyon's Malick Fofana, has his sights set on a switch to a Champions League club. There have been other disappointments, too. The Colombia midfielder Richard Rios chose Benfica and the Belgium winger Johan Bakayoko swapped PSV Eindhoven for RB Leipzig in Germany. Real Sociedad were asking for too much for the Japan winger Takefusa Kubo and then there is Joao Palhinha, whom Moyes would have loved to bring in only for the Portugal midfielder to join Tottenham on loan from Bayern. Tomas Soucek was a favourite of Moyes at West Ham and he wants to add a midfielder of similar profile to the Czech. Management upheaval cannot hide recent relegation struggles Certainly for Everton fans desperate for a new era of success in a new stadium under a new management structure and new owners after an emotional farewell to Goodison Park in May, it has been a rather sobering couple of months. Moyes worked wonders last season after returning to the club he had led for 11 years before leaving to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013. Everton were 16th in the Premier League, a point above the relegation zone with only three wins from 19 games and unable to buy a goal, when Moyes replaced Sean Dyche as manager on January 11, just weeks after the Friedkin Group bought the club. They would lose just four of their next 19 matches, amassing 31 points in the process to finish in a comfortable 13th, above Spurs, Manchester United and another of his old clubs, West Ham. There is, naturally, a desire to build on that momentum, just as Everton's new US owners have wasted no time implementing a raft of changes to the management structure. Angus Kinnear was snared from Leeds to become chief executive and Nick Hammond appointed head of recruitment. Nick Cox has joined as technical director from Manchester United and James Smith will take over as director of scouting and recruitment in September after being poached from Manchester City. Yet Moyes fears that, for all the club's lofty ambitions, recent years spent fighting relegation battles are having an impact and influencing players' decisions. He has also noted that there are nine Premier League rivals who are able to offer European football to prospective targets this summer. That is making it doubly hard for Everton. Similarly, he is mindful that bedding in a clutch of new players once the season is underway will be no small task and presents its own challenges. As the Everton defender Michael Keane, 32, acknowledged in recent days, there is a huge onus on the senior players to step up during this difficult period. Grealish the signing Everton's owners can get behind There may be some light at the end of the tunnel before this week is out, though. The Merseyside club have also made a third bid for Dibling but Southampton are still after more and it remains to be seen if an agreement can be struck for the 19-year-old England Under-21 midfielder, who was one of the few success stories at St Mary's last season. The Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, formerly of Aston Villa and Manchester City, has Premier League experience and is surplus to requirements in Turin. Leicester's James Justin and Ben Doak, the teenage Liverpool winger, are other potential options. And then there is Jack Grealish. While it is clear Moyes has other players he wants in first, it is also easy to see why a loan deal for the Manchester City and England attacking midfielder could hold such appeal to Everton's American ownership. He is the kind of name and maverick talent fans could really get behind and, with the World Cup finals at the end of the season, Grealish has added motivation to get back playing regularly after being omitted from City's Club World Cup squad in June. Everton also have the benefit of being North West based although with Grealish earning around £300,000 a week at City, any deal would be costly and there is likely to be stiff competition for the 29-year-old. Napoli and West Ham are among the other clubs who have been linked with the player. Moyes has a long-standing reputation for developing young domestic and overseas talent. But he wants Everton to be looking towards the top half of the table, not getting sucked towards another relegation battle and, as such, he has been keen to find the right blend between potential and Premier League experience. He needs players, yes, but he will not sign them for the sake of it. The value of experience has certainly been clear to see on Everton's tour of the US, with the team instantly looking more assured at the back once centre-back James Tarkowski returned from a three month injury lay-off. Everton's data analytics operations are being led by Chris Howarth, who sold his company Insight Sport to the Friedkin Group. Moyes is heavily involved in the recruitment process and, for a manager who has always had an eye and a nose for a player, there is a fine balance between trusting the data and his own instincts. Everton, though, need a breakthrough. The clock is ticking and Moyes knows it.
