Everton bade farewell to 50 years of history last week by leaving their claustrophobic training ground at Bellefield for an impressive new complex at Finch Farm on the southern outskirts of Liverpool, complete with yoga room and hydrotherapy pool.
It was an emotional occasion for a diehard fan like centre-half Alan Stubbs, who used to wait outside Bellefield as a schoolboy to collect the autographs of his heroes, Graeme Sharp and Peter Reid.
More importantly, the move to their new training ground in Halewood is perhaps the biggest outward sign that the modern Everton are ready to mix it with the big boys again after finishing fourth, sixth and seventh in recent seasons.
That will be emphatically underlined if David Moyes's men can secure a second successive Merseyside derby victory at Goodison Park next Saturday.After being written off by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as a 'small club' and told by Peter Crouch that their 3-0 victory was 'obviously a big moment for them', Stubbs is suitably motivated for the occasion.
"Of course the derby means as much to Liverpool as it does to Everton," said the centre-half,who knows any repeat of last season's big Goodison win will heap pressure on Benitez, whose rotation policy is under the microscope after a worrying run of only two wins in seven games.
"If it doesn't, they have a big old problem. If you're not really that bothered about winning against your local rivals, maybe you should be looking at yourself.
"We don't see ourselves as a small club, not at all. If they feel they are that much bigger than us, they should have been getting better results. Like winning the League. When you spend that much money, £40-50 million, you would expect to be closer than they have been. That's what Liverpool fans would say if you asked them. We beat them 3-0 — and you don't get a result like that by luck."
Relations between the clubs have been strengthened off the field by their shared grief following the shooting of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, an Everton season-ticket holder.Liverpool won widespread praise in the city by playing Z Cars,Everton's theme tune,at Anfield following the tragedy.
But in football terms, a great deal of hostility remains. Crouch's recent autobiography touched the old wounds after Everton had taken four points off their rivals last season, with a slightly patronising recall of the latest derby triumph.
"When Everton win they tend to rub it in a lot more than we ever do," he wrote. "The Liverpool lads couldn't believe it when we found out that days after the game, Everton had rushed out a DVD of the match. It was obviously a big moment for them."
As you would expect, Stubbs is quite happy to stick up for his club and believes the reason behind Liverpool's chirping is their own inability to win the Premier League, a 17-year drought that the 36-year-old defender expects to continue this season, despite Benitez's massive summer outlay on Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel.
"I do think (Manchester) United will win it and Arsenal will be the serious challengers this year," said Stubbs. "United are already right up there without having hit top form yet. Arsenal used to rely on Thierry Henry too much. Without him the onus is on the young players and they have been inspired by that.
"The thing about Liverpool is that I don't know if he (Benitez) has found his best team. I don't know if he has found the balance he's looking for. He keeps saying he will pick players who are looking good in training. I think sometimes you get training-ground players who don't do it in a game. And sometimes you get players who aren't good in training but are much better in a match situation.
Benitez has done a good job since he arrived but a lot of Liverpool fans are getting disgruntled. They want to be challenging but have seen them getting draws at home to teams they think they should be beating because he has been resting players. I hope he picks the wrong team against us although for me, in Steven Gerrard they have the best midfielder in the world."
Typically for Stubbs, a 'traditional' kind of centre-half, he left Bellefield with a war wound to carry into the derby after a joke with a fire extinguisher and goalkeeper Tim Howard backfired, and Stubbs ended up with a cut on his forehead.
"It's a leaving souvenir from Bellefield — I butted one of the doors," said Stubbs, with a sheepish smile. "It's no joke. I turned the hosepipe on Tim, drowning him with freezing water, and as I turned round to run away, one of the doors was opened and I accidentally butted it.
"There was so much history at Bellefield. I used to hang around at the gates for autographs, so it was surreal when I was stopped for mine. It's sad there won't be any more kids there but I understand the game has moved on an awful lot and the new facilities are fantastic.
"Bellefield was very limited in space.This new place has a yoga room, video room, hot and cold Jacuzzis,three physio rooms — everything that people think you need for the modern game.
"It will take time to develop character but the pictures are going up soon,which will help. Not just Everton pictures, but pictures of sportsmen such as Tiger Woods who have reached the top of the tree.
"It's part of where the club is going. Our aim now is to be around the top six every season and progress from there. I don't think we're ready to challenge the top four yet but on our day we can give them a helluva game."
It was an emotional occasion for a diehard fan like centre-half Alan Stubbs, who used to wait outside Bellefield as a schoolboy to collect the autographs of his heroes, Graeme Sharp and Peter Reid.
More importantly, the move to their new training ground in Halewood is perhaps the biggest outward sign that the modern Everton are ready to mix it with the big boys again after finishing fourth, sixth and seventh in recent seasons.
That will be emphatically underlined if David Moyes's men can secure a second successive Merseyside derby victory at Goodison Park next Saturday.After being written off by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as a 'small club' and told by Peter Crouch that their 3-0 victory was 'obviously a big moment for them', Stubbs is suitably motivated for the occasion.
"Of course the derby means as much to Liverpool as it does to Everton," said the centre-half,who knows any repeat of last season's big Goodison win will heap pressure on Benitez, whose rotation policy is under the microscope after a worrying run of only two wins in seven games.
"If it doesn't, they have a big old problem. If you're not really that bothered about winning against your local rivals, maybe you should be looking at yourself.
"We don't see ourselves as a small club, not at all. If they feel they are that much bigger than us, they should have been getting better results. Like winning the League. When you spend that much money, £40-50 million, you would expect to be closer than they have been. That's what Liverpool fans would say if you asked them. We beat them 3-0 — and you don't get a result like that by luck."
Relations between the clubs have been strengthened off the field by their shared grief following the shooting of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, an Everton season-ticket holder.Liverpool won widespread praise in the city by playing Z Cars,Everton's theme tune,at Anfield following the tragedy.
But in football terms, a great deal of hostility remains. Crouch's recent autobiography touched the old wounds after Everton had taken four points off their rivals last season, with a slightly patronising recall of the latest derby triumph.
"When Everton win they tend to rub it in a lot more than we ever do," he wrote. "The Liverpool lads couldn't believe it when we found out that days after the game, Everton had rushed out a DVD of the match. It was obviously a big moment for them."
As you would expect, Stubbs is quite happy to stick up for his club and believes the reason behind Liverpool's chirping is their own inability to win the Premier League, a 17-year drought that the 36-year-old defender expects to continue this season, despite Benitez's massive summer outlay on Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel.
"I do think (Manchester) United will win it and Arsenal will be the serious challengers this year," said Stubbs. "United are already right up there without having hit top form yet. Arsenal used to rely on Thierry Henry too much. Without him the onus is on the young players and they have been inspired by that.
"The thing about Liverpool is that I don't know if he (Benitez) has found his best team. I don't know if he has found the balance he's looking for. He keeps saying he will pick players who are looking good in training. I think sometimes you get training-ground players who don't do it in a game. And sometimes you get players who aren't good in training but are much better in a match situation.
Benitez has done a good job since he arrived but a lot of Liverpool fans are getting disgruntled. They want to be challenging but have seen them getting draws at home to teams they think they should be beating because he has been resting players. I hope he picks the wrong team against us although for me, in Steven Gerrard they have the best midfielder in the world."
Typically for Stubbs, a 'traditional' kind of centre-half, he left Bellefield with a war wound to carry into the derby after a joke with a fire extinguisher and goalkeeper Tim Howard backfired, and Stubbs ended up with a cut on his forehead.
"It's a leaving souvenir from Bellefield — I butted one of the doors," said Stubbs, with a sheepish smile. "It's no joke. I turned the hosepipe on Tim, drowning him with freezing water, and as I turned round to run away, one of the doors was opened and I accidentally butted it.
"There was so much history at Bellefield. I used to hang around at the gates for autographs, so it was surreal when I was stopped for mine. It's sad there won't be any more kids there but I understand the game has moved on an awful lot and the new facilities are fantastic.
"Bellefield was very limited in space.This new place has a yoga room, video room, hot and cold Jacuzzis,three physio rooms — everything that people think you need for the modern game.
"It will take time to develop character but the pictures are going up soon,which will help. Not just Everton pictures, but pictures of sportsmen such as Tiger Woods who have reached the top of the tree.
"It's part of where the club is going. Our aim now is to be around the top six every season and progress from there. I don't think we're ready to challenge the top four yet but on our day we can give them a helluva game."
Comment