Koeman: Stadium move very important for Everton

Lyndon Lloyd Thursday, 5 January, 2017 13comments | Jump to most recent

Ronald Koeman has welcomed talk of a new stadium for Everton and Farhad Moshiri's ambitious talk for the club's future but he admits landing silverware this season is going to be difficult.

The prospect of the Blues leaving Goodison Park was prominent on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting last night and the manager was asked for his thoughts on the issue, as well as Moshiri's argument that the club's stature will be judged on Premier League performance over that in the cups.

“That's the reason why a signed a contract with Everton — [it] was about the project,” Koeman said in regard to the stadium plans, brushing off a question about his reported inclusion on Barcelona's shortlist should Luis Enrique not extend his contract at the Nou Camp this summer.

“We know we know we need time to change but in that perspective a new stadium is very important for the club because it means more fans and more money.

“We would like to grow, on the pitch and off the pitch, and in that case a new stadium is very important.

“I think the fans and the Board will have a much better idea of what is the best location for a new stadium than I have,” he concluded when asked whether he preferred a waterfront site for the Blues' new ground.

Koeman was in attendance at at the AGM where major shareholder Moshiri spoke of his ambition for the Everton and his desire to win.

The manager was asked for his thoughts on Moshiri's comments which tally closely with Koeman's own outlook on the club's future in terms of ambition even if he interpreted the British-Iranian businessman's comments as pertaining to this season rather than the next few years as a whole.

“I agree with his comments,” Koeman said. “Step one is to tell everyone what we want; more difficult is to show it but I think it's important to have the owners totally involved in this project.

“I like both the FA Cup and the league. I think [to win both is] impossible but we know everybody can have his own dreams. To win an FA Cup is really very difficult but to win the Premier League this season is impossible.

“The FA Cup is a very difficult competition because everyone knows the importance of cup football and we want to stay a long time in all the draws.

“This competition [represents] a title and, of course, if you ask every manager, they like to win titles but we know it's difficult because we know that bigger clubs like to win the FA Cup as well.

“We take it very seriously and I showed that also in the Capital One Cup. OK, we lost against Norwich but it was not about a lot of changes in the team. We will go for it and we will fight for everything this Saturday. It's going to be a tough game against Leicester.“

Reader Comments (13)

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Colin Glassar
1 Posted 05/01/2017 at 19:46:24

Nice to see you have some ambition, Ronald.

Liam Reilly
2 Posted 05/01/2017 at 21:00:32

"OK, we lost against Norwich but it was not about a lot of changes in the team."

Errrrr... Yes, it bloody was, Ronald; minimal changes for Saturday please.

Paul Tran
3 Posted 05/01/2017 at 21:08:36

Did we lose against a Norwich team that made wholesale changes because we made changes? No. We lost because we were poor, they scored a deflected goal and a kid came on and scored a worldy.

That team was good enough to beat a second string Championship team. He carries the can for the defeat, but that argument is another anti-Koeman myth that doesn't stand up to basic scrutiny.

Damian Wilde
4 Posted 05/01/2017 at 21:45:56

Paul, had he played our full-strength side, do you think that would have strengthened our changes of progression?

It was Koeman's fault, plain and simple. After that, everything went down hill. It was a disgrace.

Liam Reilly
5 Posted 05/01/2017 at 22:11:00

I'm not anti-Koeman, Paul; on the contrary, I think he deserves time.

But call it like it is; those changes didn't need to be made, as it's not like we play 60 games in a season.

Peter Laing
6 Posted 05/01/2017 at 22:14:06

Let's move on from Norwich?

John Raftery
7 Posted 05/01/2017 at 22:28:59

The Norwich defeat demonstrated most of the fringe players are not good enough and never will be good enough.

I would have preferred Koeman to field a team of Under-23s. It would have been good experience for them and we might have learned if any of them were ready for a chance in the Premier League.

Jeff Armstrong
8 Posted 05/01/2017 at 22:45:16

Damian, Barkley played that night, any thoughts on his performance? Or was it just Koeman's fault?

Peter Kowalski
9 Posted 05/01/2017 at 23:13:38

Koeman, come on. You are the best.

Clive Mitchell
10 Posted 05/01/2017 at 23:57:19

I'd just like to say, apropos of nothing in particular that's under discussion here, that I'm worried about Koeman's & Walsh's judgement of players.

The list of people that makes me worried is Stekelenburg, Williams, Bolasie, Deulofeu, Schneiderlin, McCarthy and possibly Barkley. The list of people that is reassuring is Gueye.

Mike Keating
12 Posted 06/01/2017 at 10:14:45

I visited the Clarence Dock yesterday and can't understand why this is not still under consideration (if Bramley-Moore Dock is the preferred option). It is closer to town and was filled to make way for a power station so is a ready-made brownfield site for a new stadium.

Currently the Liverpool Waters master plan makes vague reference to the site being used for "another cluster of tall buildings" and a "cultural building of some sort". If yer know yer 'istory and all that – what better celebration of local culture could you have?

But a recent Echo article by Liam Murphy suggests that Clarence Dock not Bramley-Moore Dock is the site under consideration. Can anyone clarify this?

Bill Gienapp
13 Posted 06/01/2017 at 20:07:11

Honestly, I agree with Paul. This notion that Koeman punted the League Cup by fielding some sort of clown-car lineup is a bit overstated.

This was the starting XI: Stekelenburg, Coleman, Holgate, Williams, Funes Mori, Cleverley, Gueye, Barkley, Lennon, Valencia, Deulofeu.

Lukaku was nursing a minor foot injury and was never going to play. Jagielka, Barry and Baines were rested because they're all in their 30s – doesn't seem unreasonable. Not to mention, all I've heard for weeks is people loudly proclaiming that they want Jags and Barry nowhere near our starting XI.

Bolasie and Mirallas (both of whom came on as subs) were probably the preferable options, but Lennon and Valencia were more than capable. Lennon had some outstanding cup performances last year.

I understand there's something to be said for maintaining momentum and keeping together a winning side, but if we'd won that match (as we frankly should have), I don't think anyone would have given that lineup a second thought.

Chris Gould
14 Posted 06/01/2017 at 20:44:09

Well said, Bill. If he had fielded a bunch of kids then that would have been considered throwing the cup. He selected a team that should have won. They aren't even fringe players. They all contribute in the league.

Norwich made 10 changes from the team that played in the league. Koeman did nothing wrong. It was just one of those days. Who's to say it would have made any difference if Bolasie, Barry, or Mirallas played?

As Bill said, he wanted to rest the over-30s for the league games. Some of you just like to use it as a stick to continue to hit him with. It's tiresome.

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