Everton

Everton are English football’s great tragedy, and the move to Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium has done nothing to change the fact that this is a club that has been dining on its history for the better part of four decades. The Toffees are founding members of the Football League, they have spent more seasons in the top flight than any other club, and their nine league titles are a reminder that this was once one of the most powerful institutions in the English game. The last of those titles came in 1987. Everything since has been a slow, excruciating exercise in diminishing returns, interrupted only by points deductions and ownership crises that would have destroyed a club with a less stubborn fanbase.

The new 52,888-capacity stadium on Liverpool’s waterfront is undeniably magnificent — a gleaming monument on the banks of the Mersey that represents either the dawn of a new era or the world’s most expensive consolation prize. David Moyes returned as manager, bringing the stability and organisational discipline that this club desperately needed after years of turbulence. Moyes knows Everton, understands the expectations and the limitations, and his pragmatism is exactly what is required when the foundations have been crumbling.

For Australian fans, Everton will always mean Tim Cahill. Eight years at Goodison Park, a club legend, and the kind of raw, emotional connection between player and supporter that money cannot manufacture. Cahill’s legacy ensures Everton retain a permanent foothold in the Australian sporting consciousness.

Club Information

Club Profile

Everton’s 2025-26 season — their first full campaign at Bramley-Moore Dock — is either the beginning of a genuine renaissance or further proof that bricks and mortar alone cannot fix what ails a football club. The new stadium has injected energy and optimism, boosted matchday revenue dramatically, and given the fanbase something tangible to celebrate after years of suffering. Under Moyes, the Toffees are targeting a top-half finish and attempting to establish the kind of consistency that has eluded them for over a generation. The capacity is there. The history is there. The passion has never been in question. What Everton need now is something they have not had since the 1980s: sustained competence in the boardroom and on the pitch. The new chapter is being written, but the ending is far from guaranteed.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com