Everton manager David Moyes hasn’t stepped foot in their new stadium and won’t until one thing in particular is completed.
Since Moyes returned to the club after 12 years away, the Toffees have lost just once in their last 10 Premier League fixtures.
Thanks to their newfound steely resolve, Everton have moved 17 points clear of the relegation zone with nine games remaining.
It is a remarkable turnaround given the Merseyside club sat one point off the drop when Moyes returned following Sean Dyche’s axing.
Everton’s form under Moyes has allowed fans to breathe a little easier knowing they are almost guaranteed to play in their new stadium as a Premier League club rather than a Championship one.
Toffees supporters have already been treated to two test events at the 52,888-seater venue at Bramley-Moore Dock ahead of the club fully moving in next season.
Everton’s players paid a visit to their new home prior to the start of this season, although there was still plenty of work to be done around the venue.
But one individual who has not been given a tour is Moyes.
In fact, the Scot refuses to step foot at Bramley-Moore Dock until survival is a certainty.
“I’ve not been to the new stadium yet because I’m not going to go until I feel as if we are safe,” Moyes told talkSPORT’s Jim White.
“It looks a lot easier, the league table, than when I first came in. It’s a much better feeling than what I had when I arrived.
“But I have to say, we look as if we’re in a good position. It will be tough for a lot of teams below us to catch us.
“But we hope to try and keep winning and get ourselves into an even stronger position.”
Moyes confirmed he had not even had so much as a sneak peek.
“If we were going to be a Championship team, I don’t know if it’d have been me who’d still be doing that job,” Moyes said.
“I want to make sure that when we go, we’re a guaranteed Premier League team. It’s looking like that at the moment, but football can change.
“I’m not counting my chickens yet.”
If Moyes’ worst fears are to come true, it would require Everton losing six of their next nine fixtures and either Leicester City or Ipswich Town, both on 17 points, picking up six wins.
However, given Everton are fifth in the Premier League’s form table since Moyes took over, it’s difficult to see a monumental collapse taking place.
It is that impressive run of results that has Moyes dreaming about bringing back European football to Everton next season, especially given the types of clubs who are in the mix for continental cups this term.
“I think you look at the Premier League and you look at the teams who are challenging for the European cup competitions this year,” Moyes said.
“I think the league this year’s thrown up a lot of teams who think ‘Hey, we’ve got a chance of making those competitions’.
“The year I had at West Ham, we’d just avoided relegation and the next season we went on to qualify for the Europa League. I’m going to use that as my inspiration in what I’m looking to try and do here at Everton.
“If we can try to keep the club pushing forward, we know we need to make a lot of changes. We’re moving to a new stadium which itself could bring difficulties, which a lot of teams have found when they move to new stadiums.
“But hey, I want to be positive. I want the club to change in the way they’re looking at things and we want to look up and see if we can challenge a lot of the top teams.”
