Growing Pains – Analysing Everton’s struggles at Hill Dickinson stadium

Everton’s relocation to the £760 million Hill Dickinson Stadium was meant to herald a bold new era, yet nine months on the Grand Old Lady’s successor still feels like an awkward first date rather than a lifelong partner. Only five victories have been harvested from 15 league fixtures on the dockside, the most recent a 2-0 success over Nottingham Forest that now sits more than two months in the rear-view mirror. Results, however, are merely the visible tip of a much larger iceberg.

Supporters arriving at Bramley-Moore Dock encounter a maze of pinch points. Two narrow exits carved into the historic dock wall turn the final whistle into a slow-motion evacuation, while Sandhills station remains ill-equipped for the sudden surge of passengers. Shuttle buses have improved, yet the 20- to 25-minute hike to Lime Street can feel twice as long on a rain-lashed Wednesday evening, prompting a growing exodus before stoppage-time.

Inside the bowl, the acoustics tell their own story. The steep south stand, complete with rail seating, was engineered to amplify decibels; stadium tours even demonstrate how sound ricochets back like a sonic boomerang. Away fans insist their corner regularly vibrates, suggesting the architecture is not the culprit. Instead, the fragmentation of Everton’s most vocal bloc has diluted the old Gwladys Street roar. Season-ticket allocation, however equitable, scattered long-standing groups across unfamiliar sections, and the slightly roomier, regulation-compliant layout makes it harder for spontaneous song to snowball through the stands.

Fixture schedulers have done the club few favours. Only three of 15 home assignments have kicked off at the traditional Saturday 3 pm slot, none since early December. Leeds and West Ham were shunted to Monday nights; Wolves, Bournemouth and an upcoming Burnley date occupy mid-week frost pockets. The combination of biting weather and late finishes discourages fans from congregating in the fan plaza, truncating the pre- and post-match rituals that once oiled Goodison’s vocal cords.

Nostalgia inevitably colours judgment. Social-media clips of James Tarkowski’s Merseyside derby header rekindled memories of cramped, creaking Goodison Park, where every pillar and corrugated roof held decades of emotion. Yet the truth is that the old ground’s atmosphere had itself flat-lined during recent relegation dogfights; the difference is that Hill Dickinson has yet to author its own signature moment—no last-gasp survival, no derby stormer, no trophy-lifting sunset to forge fresh mythology.

On the pitch, the statistics are stark: five wins, four draws, six defeats, a goal difference of minus four. Players insist the superior training amenities and pristine surface ought to be an upgrade, but the unfamiliar surroundings appear to have eroded the marginal gains of home advantage. Whether the fault lies in tactical setup, squad depth or simply the debilitating swirl of negativity is the chicken-and-egg debate now stalking the blue half of Liverpool.

The club hierarchy acknowledge the teething troubles. Season-ticket holders will be allowed to request seat relocations this summer, while concourse signage and catering options are under continuous review. External agencies, meanwhile, are being lobbied for better post-match transport infrastructure. But the antidote, most insiders concede, is not architectural or logistical; it is temporal. Time for new routines to bed in, for supporters to recognise the strangers beside them as fellow travellers, for a young squad to feel the ground tremble beneath them and respond with a performance that converts sceptics into believers.

With Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool all due on the dockside before May, the stage is set for a statement afternoon or evening that could yet transform Hill Dickinson from impressive edifice into a true fortress. Until then, Everton must endure the growing pains of a move that, like any house relocation, cannot be hurried into feeling like home.