Goodison Park is one of the most famous stadiums in English football, but whilst the fans there can help carry Everton to victory, they can also have another unintended effect.
England International Conor Coady spent last season on loan at Everton, where he made 25 appearances before the club decided not to make his stay permanent.
The former Wolves captain has now opened up on his time at the club, and has spoken about the impact the Everton fans at Goodison Park can have on the team.
Coady on Everton fans
Speaking to BBC Five Live Sport, Coady admitted that playing in front of such a loud crowd comes with pressure, and whilst the crowd can be uplifting at its best, at times the negativity can in fact help the opposition.
“I mention there about Goodison Park and playing there as a home player, I have played there as an away player as well. There’s pressure, I’ll be honest,” he stated.
“You have to be strong enough to want the ball and receive the ball and play well because that’s what the supporters want. The supporters want you to go and give your absolute all for the blue shirt. It’s something you need to do, so you have to be strong when playing there.
“I have played there as an away player as well and I’ll be completely honest with what I’m going to say there, and that’s if you go there and make a few passes and get on top in the game, you know it can be such a bad day for the Everton players at that time as well.”
Is Coady right?
Everton’s struggles in recent years have meant that the frustrated Goodison Park crowd, which can often be intimidating for opposition players, may also be impacting the home side.
Whenever an Everton player makes a mistake or loses the ball now, he instantly feels the frustration and pressure from the crowd, and that can sometimes have an unintended negative impact.
Coady’s comments come from a player who has played at Goodison both for and against Everton, and his fairly lacklustre campaign last season may possibly highlight how difficult it is to play there now.
The standards within the club have dropped in recent years as Everton’s decline on the pitch has become apparent, but the fans of what is such a historically successful club are now more frustrated than ever.
There should always be some pressure when playing for a club like Everton, but Coady does raise a good point about how opposition players may now aim to turn the crowd against the Blues now.
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