00:00Well, let's look at Everton and just on the stadium move again.
00:05Obviously, it's had a bit of a naming right situation as well with the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
00:11So it's becoming a bit more of a clearer image of what the future holds, you know, a massive change for Everton.
00:19And we've spoken before about Goodison and the way that a bit of mediocrity sort of overshadowed it over the last 20 or so years.
00:26You know, it's obviously a fine line and so, so hard to sort of push on from being, you know, managing to survive and then going further and further at the Premier League table.
00:38But they are seemingly taking the right steps.
00:40You know, David Moyes has really, really come in and took charge and really revived Everton last season.
00:48Just on the stadium, how excited are you to go? How excited are Everton fans to go?
00:52And I'm sure the group of players are as well, and Moyes as well, in terms of this new modern technology that everything involved with the stadium, it's all sort of a positivity for the city as well.
01:06Yeah, and I think it'll drive Everton on and off the pitch, to be honest with you.
01:11I mean, we're talking off the pitch, revenues are going to be boosted markedly, which unfortunately, Everton couldn't do much more than they were doing at Goodison Park just because of the infrastructure.
01:23But they've built a stadium to drive them into the modern era and, you know, whether that's inside for the irregular punter, irregular match day goal or the hospitality, which the hospitality, that is something that drives the real revenue on a match day.
01:43The name and right you mentioned, Hill Dickinson, you know, that'll be big for Everton, multi-million pound deal, long-term deal.
01:54And I think it's right that maybe Everton, I've had a local company who was sponsoring the stadium, you know, a touch of, I don't want to, it just seems, it just seems apt, you know,
02:10but Everton are trying to keep roots to the city and rather than going out and maybe getting, look, I don't know, for me personally, you know, a Qatar airway, something like that,
02:23was mooters, you know, linked, just wouldn't sit right with me. You want someone who's maybe got loads of the city or, so that'll help in terms of revenue coming in every season.
02:37And as you say, the players, why wouldn't you want to go and play in this stadium? Because it's magnificent now, you say, the two tests have entered on,
02:44the third one against AS Roman on the 9th of August. I think by then, all the sponsorship, et cetera, will be done around the stadium.
02:53That's sort of the last touches, which is understandable, you know, why that's getting left so late.
02:59You know, the main thing is making sure that the stadium's ready to go for the first home game, which is against Brighton.
03:09So there's real excitement. And as you say, David Moyes has now got to assemble a squad to compete and start moving up to the upper echelands of the Premier League again.
03:18He said, I think it was in his first press conference after arriving back, that he needs elite players for an elite new stadium.
03:27And that's what Everton have got to do in the summer because it's a big summer transfer window.
03:32Eight players from the squad of the 24-25 season leave and probably a couple more who have set it apart as well.
03:40So it's a big summer. And I don't want to say that Everton are going to be in the upper echelands next season, the season after.
03:50But David Moyes is looking to fast track Everton back to challenging for Europe, which, you know, you've got a magnificent state-of-the-art stadium.
04:02And that's what it's built for, to host those sorts of nights. So that's what he'll be eyeing.
04:07And I don't want to say this season will be a transition because Everton will want to make progress.
04:13But maybe the season after, then that's when they'll have a real good go of getting back into Europe.
04:18But David Moyes is ambitious, don't get me wrong. And if Everton were pushing for Europe this season, then it would be a massive surprise.
04:24Yeah, let's just have a look at those first few fixtures that Everton have.
04:29Obviously, Leeds United promoted incredible home record at Ellen Road.
04:34They go to there on the first Monday night football of the season.
04:37And then they host Brighton in that first game at the new stadium, then travel to Wolves and then host Aston Villa.
04:43And then it's the Merseyside derby. I mean, in terms of how first five fixtures go, what's your thoughts?
04:49What's Everton's thoughts? I mean, you know, away at Leeds is going to be a tough test.
04:53Especially on an evening game, you feel it's got that bit of a buzz of an atmosphere at Ellen Road and then Brighton at home.
05:00You know, the pressure is going to be on Everton with the new stadium to make sure that they do generate some home form and really, you know, transfer that energy from Goodison Park.
05:10They need to make sure that that's done fairly quickly into the new stadium.
05:13Yeah, and to be honest with you, Everton needed to improve at home as well because they were excellent on the road after David Moyes came in.
05:22They're outstanding. And maybe there are a few results that were just disappointing at Goodison.
05:25And, look, Everton have got to adapt to the new surroundings and that might take a little bit of time for the players.
05:33And the opposition are going to be gone to the Hill-Dickinson stadium and, right, let's go and prove a point here.
05:39Let's go and upset the start of the new journey for Everton.
05:43Brighton, as you say, Leeds is going to be a difficult game.
05:46Being interested in some of the Leeds, what they do in the transfer market, how are they recruiting just to stay up pretty much?
05:55Are they recruiting to have a decent goal?
05:57I think their chairman's come out and said they'll spend as much money as they can in terms of PSR.
06:04Brighton's a difficult game.
06:05I mean, an established top-ten team are the Wolves, magnificent sums of Vitor Pereira in the second half of the season, built real momentum.
06:16Aston Villaid, don't need to speak much more about them doing the job that Unai Emery's done.
06:21And then the Merseyside derby as well, David Moyes has ever won at Anfield.
06:26So, they're five difficult games for Everton, but if they can get a good start, then, you know, you're looking at then two home games, West Ham and Crystal Palace,
06:37then can you build a little bit of momentum from there?
06:42Fixtures for me, you've always got to play teams twice, haven't you?
06:45But I don't think when I was assessing them, there wasn't like a real daunting run.
06:49Like, there was that time in December for Everton in the latest season, albeit they actually did quite well and picked up a few points in that period.
06:59But for me, you've got to play every once, twice, haven't you?
07:03As much of a cliche as it is, I think Everton get off to a decent start, build some momentum, get a couple of wins under the belt.
07:13Because the transfer window, the business might go late into the window and if Everton has a good start,
07:23then that might just give them an extra little push, a little boost in terms of attracting players later on in the window.
