A new stadium is not always the answer, just ask Coventry City fans

The situation at Everton Football Club isn't great both on and off the pitch. The new stadium being built at Bramley-Moore Dock is about the only positive thing currently happening for Everton fans, but even that has been hit with controversy after the Premier League announced they have referred the club to an independent commission for an alleged breach of rules.

Since that announcement, it has also been claimed that this could lead to a delay in the completion of the stadium, which is at the moment scheduled to be ready in the 2024/25 season.

This weekâ€™s scheduled stadium drone update will be with you on Sunday - on schedule... just like the project itself. pic.twitter.com/PG4Ahw4S2W
— Everton Stadium (@EvertonStadium) March 31, 2023

Remember what happened when Coventry City left Highfield Road?

So what more can go wrong for the long-suffering Everton fans? Well, as Coventry City fans can testify to, getting relegated on the eve of playing in a new stadium, doesn't bode well for the future. And as things stand, the threat of relegation for the Toffees is as real as it can get.

At the moment, Everton are in the thick of the relegation dogfight. At odds of 7/4, the Toffees are fourth favourites to go down. This puts them behind Southampton at 1/5, Nottingham Forest at 8/11, and Bournemouth at evens. These odds will change from match to match, and there will also be in play football betting available on the Premier League, as well as all the usual football betting markets throughout the rest of the season.

Everton's current situation is similar to that of the Sky Blues at the time. Coventry City, like Everton are now, were struggling financially, and they were also struggling on the pitch, whilst the new stadium was being planned.

Originally scheduled to be opened in 2001, the stadium was hit by snags and delays, and wasn't ready until 2005. By this time, Coventry City had already been relegated.

And the bad times didn't end there for the Sky Blues. Coventry City went all the way down the football pyramid to what is now League 2, and are only just on their way back - now competing for a playoff place in the Championship. The club still doesn't own the stadium either. Due to financing problems, the stadium was never owned by the football club, and this led to disputes between the club and the stadium owners, which eventually saw the stadium sold to London Wasps Rugby Club.

Even when Wasps went into administration in 2022, Coventry City still didn't manage to purchase the ground, and to this day, they are still tenants in what was supposed to be their own home.

BREAKING! Mike Ashley's Frasers Group has completed the purchase of the Coventry Building Society Arena. pic.twitter.com/GjqPEaewLY
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 17, 2022

Is moving ground the problem?

Many a Coventry City fan will say the clubs' problems started when they left Highfield Road. The truth is that like Everton's Goodison Park, the Highfield Road Stadium was out of date, and in a built-up area, not suitable for the required expansion.

But Everton fans should beware. Coventry City being relegated on the verge of moving into a new stadium is an example the club will certainly not want to be following. Fans of the Sky Blues know only too well what can go wrong. So Everton fans had better hope the club remains in the Premier League, as moving to a new stadium as a Championship team, could lead to more problems than they could ever imagine.