Goodi-gone Park

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

BBC News North West are reporting that Everton have been given permission for a new 52,000 stadium to be built on one of the docks on the waterfront. Local objections dealt with, it's now with the govt minister who has 21 days to (find which mates he can award the contracts to) finally approve the permission.

[torres]

It’ll be sad to see the old place go. It was one of the best grounds in the country at one time and I hope the new one tips a hat to Archibald Leitch and keeps the blue Xs on the stand facias.

[cantagalo]

Must get to Goodison Park before it goes.

I still regret missing out on Maine Road, Roker Park and Ayresome Park.

[Gangster Octopus]

Done Goodison Park and Maine Road, but the only game that I've seen in the North East is at Victoria Park.

[Third rate Leszno]

Goodison does have character but the away section bogs and concourse area is fucking unpleasant. The new location isn't exactly out of town but there's fuck all round there at the moment and a lot of matchgoing Blues will miss their pubs that are a very short walk from the ground. They'll be hoping Ancelotti can keep them on an upward curve for 3 years too, if they'd got this stadium built during much of the last two decades they'd have struggled to fill it, but right now they might be ok.

[Foot of Astaire's]

In a nod to Goodison, any chance the new ground could have those semi circular terrace sections behind each goal? Was it unique to Goodison? I cant think of seeing it anywhere else

[Capybara]

In a nod to Goodison, any chance the new ground could have those semi circular terrace sections behind each goal? Was it unique to Goodison? I cant think of seeing it anywhere else

My only visit to Goodison was for this game. I can remember Willie Maddren's equaliser like it was yesterday. Someone said the other day that the strange terrace sections were put there to enable the lengthening of the pitch for the 1966 World Cup but I can't find that confirmed anywhere, and it doesn't look like it was necessary anyway. Does anyone know? Anyway, Willie Maddren: -

[Patrick Thistle]

I can say I've ticked Goodison off the list but it was a long time ago. They got beaten 3-0 by QPR. Ray Wilkins was playing for QPR.

[The Mighty Trin]

Early 2019 I went to Everton v Bournemouth and was sat on the back row of the Gwladys Street end right behind the goal. Only one post blocked my view of the pitch and It felt like a visit to one of the last great English football grounds. I bloody loved it and spent most of the match looking at the stands. It belted it down and the fans in the Lower Bullens got soaked. Despite all the obstructed views, lack of corporate facilities and a severely restricted site at Goodison, I'm not convinced that a move is a good idea.

[mirko bolesan]

Not that anyone really keeps tabs on this sort of thing but when Everton leave Goodison Park it'll mean only Hillsborough, Old Trafford and Villa Park remain from World Cup 66 venues. Roker Park, Wembley, Ayresome Park and the quizmaster's favourite White City all having been demolished since 1966.

[Uncle Ethan]

I went to Goodison once - in in March 1975. It ended up 1-1 with Mick Lyons equalising in the last minute. This was one of our away trips where Mum came along too. It was decided we should have an overnight stay in Wales before heading back. Then the clutch went on our gloriously trendy Austin 1800.

After an somewhat hairy tow from the AA we ended up staying in a bitterly cold caravan for four nights while the car was fixed. The Tuesday was spent listening to a borrowed radio as Town drew 0-0 in the third replay of an FA Cup saga against Leeds. We finally drove home on the Thursday - in a blizzard. The third replay was taking place that night at Filbert Street so as we arrived home Dad announced we were going, swapped cars and off we headed. Mother was not impressed.

Town won 3-2 with Clive Woods scoring the goal of the season to win it. A bloke called John Wark made his debut that night. I wonder what happened to him?

[Sporting]

Went quite a few times in the 70s and found the home fans much friendlier than those at Anfield.

The semi circles were quirky but meant you were that much further from the action.

The toffee girls were fun, though; and best of all I got to see Duncan Mackenzie.

[Baptiste]

Someone said the other day that the strange terrace sections were put there to enable the lengthening of the pitch for the 1966 World Cup but I can't find that confirmed anywhere

During the first lockdown I watched Match of the 60s, 70s & 80s, and I think there was a clip where they were building them. I looked it up and it was because of a series of opposition keepers having coins thrown at them.

Only visited Goodison once, for the famous 3-0 beating we gave them in 2001. We were on the back row of the Upper Bullens right on the halfway line. This meant we were amazed to watch a series of people exit via a door in the back wall out onto a suspended platform high above the street, to then climb some steps onto the roof. They then walked across the roof and dropped down onto the gantry below. The highlight was shaking hands with Tony Gubba as he went past, standard cream suit and all. But then! A loud thud from the roof above. Everyone looked up. Someone had fallen. My memory said there was a silence as we feared the worst for Gubba. But there probably wasn’t. There was a round of applause as he stepped onto the gantry seconds later. Nothing on the noise that followed during the match of course, at least for 6,000 of us.

[Capybara]

During the first lockdown I watched Match of the 60s, 70s & 80s, and I think there was a clip where they were building them. I looked it up and it was because of a series of opposition keepers having coins thrown at them.

That's interesting. They were there for the 1966 World Cup so it must have been the early-ish 60s at least when they were built. This came up in a discussion about Ayresome Park where it transpired that the reason the net at one end was so much shallower than at the other (not something most people would notice, but very evident to those familiar with the ground) was that the pitch had to be lengthened for the World Cup. Someone then said that the oddities at Goodison were for the same reason. Do we know when they were removed? There's nothing about this in Simon Inglis' book.

[Sporting]

https://playupliverpool.com/1963/11/...ur-goalkeeper/

Saturday, November 9 – 1963
Yeah, yeah, yeah … the new Liverpool Sound may be a baby-faced Beatle telling you that she loves you.

But according to Mr. Danny Blanchflower, captain of Spurs, it is: “A dart whizzing through the air and hitting a goalkeeper’s head.”
The dart which has set the feathers flying among Soccer fans all over Brttain was the one that ended up in the hardpressed Spurs goalmouth when Tottenham visited Everton the other week.

Once again the Merseyside “terrors” – supporters of Everton and Liverpool – are branded as the roughest, rowdiest rabble who watch British Soccer.
Yeah, yeah, YEAH? How justified is this charge against the football fans of Britain’s Beat City?

Mr. E. Holland Hughes, an Everton director, told me in a memorable understatement: “When you get a crowd of 50,000 you are bound to get a little conduct that is not quite parliamentary.
“It doesn’t only happened at Everton, of course. At a London match I’ve seen them throwing toilet rolls.”

“They do that at Everton,” I said.
“Ah, yes, but not so many,” parried Mr. Hughes in a deft move worthy of any Everton defence.

Over at Anfield last Saturday, where Liverpool were entertaining Leicester, apple cores, orange peel and a chewed pork chop were disgorged from the 15,000 on Spion Kop.
The “piece of wood” reported to have been thrown at Leicester goalkeeper Gordon Banks was, in fact, a thin slice of plywood the size of an exercise book. It was lobbed about four yards from the goal when play was in midfield.
It may well have had the numbers one to twenty written round it. For one Scouse wit shouted as Banks walked on to the field: “Don’t worry about the arrears, Gordon – we’ve got a dartboard!”

But let’s put throwing into perspective. Plenty of other soccer fans chuck things in the tense heat of a Saturday afternoon. At Preston, bus ticket rolls are preferred to toilet paper.
George Bailey, president of the Everton Supporters’ Club, told me: “The trouble is that this city make news. One dart and we become a mob of dart throwing hooligans. A chip of wood tossed on to the pitch eventually becomes a block.
“No one is condoning the throwing of missiles. It gives the team and the city a bad name. But in our experience practically all the trouble is caused by youngsters.”

From my investigations on Merseyside this week I think he is right. Much of the rowdiness is sheer kid’s stuff.
Bill Brown, Spurs goalkeeper, complained of being pelted with marbles and rice blown from peashooters. I find it hard to picture a tough Liverpool docker with a mounthfull of rice operating a peashooter.

Everton Football Club appreciate this problem. This week they banned unaccompanied children from using their parents’ stand season tickets for Central League games because of the trouble some of them have caused.

British Railways at Liverpool told me: “There has only been damage on one Everton football excursion train this season.
“We investigated and found that the damage had been caused almost entirely by youngsters. As a result, we have stopped issuing half fare tickets on football trains from Liverpool – lots of lads over fourteen were getting these tickets.
“The first excursion since the ban – to Blackpool last week – was trouble free. We feel we have stopped the main cause of the damage.”

Everton directors, who are investigating the dart-throwing incident for the Football Association, have eye-witness reports which claim that the Spurs goalkeeper picked up the dart when he arrived at the goalmouth at the start of the second half.
George Bailey says: “No one can tell when it was thrown. Who knows, one youngster who had a dart in his pocket might have said during the interval, ‘I bet I can hit the goal post.’”

Police precautions taken at Everton’s ground at Goodison Park are among the best in the country. For a normal game, Everton pay ?198 11s. for an inspector, six sergeants and 56 constables on a four-hour shift – ?4 5s. for an inspector, ?3 9s. each for sergeants and ?3 2s. for constables.
For the Spurs match, the police bill was ?318 7s. 6d. for 81 police doing a five-hour stint.

Chief-Superintendent E. Jones, head of the Liverpool division which includes Goodison Park and Anfield, told me: “The crowds are well-behaved. In the nine years I have been here there have been no charges arising out of hooliganism. There’s been no necessity.”
No one is calling the Merseyside football fans angels. They may be more fervent in their support than most. They certainly take their football seriously.
One Everton supporter said: “We are tremendously possessive people. If anyone lifts a boot to our Alex Young that sets us off.”

[gavc23]

I preferred the old away section behind the goal at Goodison, if you got there early there were a few good spots on that paddock. Never sat upstairs. The current away bit isn’t great, and there’s only so much cladding one stadium can take.

My mate sat next to me there as the rarely seen home fan in the away end once. It was a particularly drab 0-0 draw in the death throes of Keegan’s time at City, that twilight period when David Seaman was in goals looking lost.

[Nesta]

Not that anyone really keeps tabs on this sort of thing but when Everton leave Goodison Park it'll mean only Hillsborough, Old Trafford and Villa Park remain from World Cup 66 venues. Roker Park, Wembley, Ayresome Park and the quizmaster's favourite White City all having been demolished since 1966.

All four sides of Villa park have been replaced, so in a sense that's as gone as old Wembley. I think Old Trafford as well, unless the railway line side stand was there in 66. Don't know about Hillsborough.

[Artificial Hipster]

Neither of us having been Mrs H and I have already penciled in a trip to Goodison next season on the twin assumptions that Norwich get promoted and fans are allowed to attend in sufficient numbers.

Does anyone Liverpool based know if the site for the new ground is anywhere near to Clarence Dock where John Cale played a couple of years ago which was very much a wasteland ripe for development - both sites are in Vauxhall? I'd worry about traffic issues if so as my recollection of the area is of being one road in and out.

[Third rate Leszno]

Does anyone Liverpool based know if the site for the new ground is anywhere near to Clarence Dock where John Cale played a couple of years ago which was very much a wasteland ripe for development - both sites are in Vauxhall? I'd worry about traffic issues if so as my recollection of the area is of being one road in and out.

Yep, it's two docks to the north, about 500 yards further away from the city centre than Clarence dock - just round the corner from the Titanic hotel and Stanley dock tobacco warehouse which is slowly being converted into flats.

[E10 Rifle]

The railway line side at Old Trafford is basically unchanged, save for seats being put in the lower paddock.

Goodison is a fucking fantastic big old urban football ground, though I echo the comments about the away section's facilities being pretty grotty. The old away end behind the goal was worse in that regard though, and it seemed like you could only really see if you went in the seats (which I did on the one occasion I went in it, a League Cup 2-2 v Orient in 89).

If Everton fans are happy with the move though, I suppose we should accept it. How far is it to walk from Goodison to Bramley Moor Dock?

[Artificial Hipster]

Yep, it's two docks to the north, about 500 yards further away from the city centre than Clarence dock - just round the corner from the Titanic hotel and Stanley dock tobacco warehouse which is slowly being converted into flats.

Thanks. If I ever make it to the new ground I'll have to hope I fare better than I did at John Cale where I spent most of the concert in the first aid tent having collapsed from a combination of heat exhaustion and having been on my feet for several hours (increased security meant we queued for at least 2 hours) having spent the bulk of the previous few months laid up with a bad back.

[Southport Zeb]

The railway line side at Old Trafford is basically unchanged, save for seats being put in the lower paddock.

Goodison is a fucking fantastic big old urban football ground, though I echo the comments about the away section's facilities being pretty grotty. The old away end behind the goal was worse in that regard though, and it seemed like you could only really see if you went in the seats (which I did on the one occasion I went in it, a League Cup 2-2 v Orient in 89).

If Everton fans are happy with the move though, I suppose we should accept it. How far is it to walk from Goodison to Bramley Moor Dock?

It's about a 20-30 minute walk from Goodison (the walk the other way is a bit longer as it's uphill). The new ground is close to Sandhills station, where the Soccerbus service runs to and from on matchdays, although I think there are plans to open a new station even closer, which will presumably be designed to cope with larger crowds.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Is goodison, the addition of seating aside, basically untouched since the 1966 world cup?

I don't think anyone can dispute that everton need a new stadium. 2017-18 was a season where everton were playing in the europa league, and they made ?16.1 million from ticket sales. That's really not great. But on the plus side, covid won't hit them too hard. The ?4 million they missed out in ticket sales last season does rather pale alongside their losses of ?150 million. that's on top of a loss of ?100 million. I hope Everton aren't planning on seeing the inside of a Uefa competition any time soon. They have been absolutely taking the raging piss out of FFP, and any rules that the FA might have.

[E10 Rifle]

They built the Park End stand in the 90s, and I presume the big main stand - which looks very dated now - was built sometime in the 60s.

[torres]

Only the Bullens Road stand survives from pre 1970. It was built in the 1930s hence all the comments about how awfully shit it is.