I was asked by the Guardian newspaper to provide answers to a series of questions relating to this weekend’s game against Southampton, our final first team game after 133 years at Goodison – the article will be published over the weekend. I did so happily as it’s good to share our experiences of our home with other football fans and a wider audience.

Later, I reflected on what I had written. I realised that all of the major positive points concerning
Goodison occurred in its earliest days and that certainly the last 25% or more of our tenure, apart from isolated games, offered nothing in the context of our earlier achievements on and off the pitch.

For sure, there have been memorable moments, but the reality is that the Goodison gruel has been very thin in that time – apart from the passion, actions and custodianship of our fan base, especially in adversity, the relationships amongst supporters, those who sit close by, only known through a nod and a smile, and the sheer resilience of a fan base determined to cling onto Premier League status in the hope of better times ahead.

I have said myself, as have many others, that Goodison Park is a cathedral, unique throughout its history and definitely unique within the modern game. Goodison’s uniqueness though is not the result of some master plan, designed to maintain the traditions of the oldest purpose built stadium. Far from it – Goodison today, and the fact we are still in it it is a reflection of the appalling mismanagement of the club since the early 1970s, more than a third of our time at Goodison.

Our ownership of Goodison Park, and the club’s relationship with it is far more complex than what might be described today as we leave the stadium. Whilst Goodison Park will always be synonymous with Everton (and vice-versa) the fact is we have spent many years trying to change the ground or move away from it.

The fact we’ve not moved says more about the ownership of Everton across the decades than it does about Everton’s (as a corporate body) attachment to the ground.

As early as February 1963, a plan was put forward to the Everton board to move from Goodison Park. The plan involved constructing a 100,000 seat stadium in an unspecified location in the city centre. The plan included an athletic track around the pitch. John Moores ultimately rejected the proposal on the grounds of cost – something which concerned him a few years later with the construction of the new Main Stand on Goodison Road.

The replacement of the magnificent, but even then, outdated Goodison Road stand at the end of the late 60s was to a degree, compromised. The pillars and the resultant obstructed views in the Main Stand reflect the decision not to build a cantilever stand. The additional cost of doing so equated to approximately 6% of the £1 million cost. It was one of the earliest signals of the Moores’ retraction and a foretaste of leaner times to come.

With the impact of the opening up of clubs to the capital markets in the late 1980s and the post -Hillsborough, Taylor Report requiring all seated stadia, Goodison and indeed Everton (despite the glorious mid 1980’s side), became increasingly out-dated and uncompetitive.

The replacement of the old (Leith designed) Park End stand with a single tier stand in the early 90s is yet another example of compromise. Originally, there were plans for a two tiered stand, but again cost became a consideration rather than the revenue generating opportunities of a larger capacity and the single tier stand (ironically with the best views of the pitch) is what it is today – slightly incongruous against the majesty of the remaining stands.

Despite the new Park End Stand, Peter Johnson was keen to explore options including a move away. In the final game of the 1996/97 season Johnson issued more than 30,000 brochures with a survey -“It’s your move – the choice is yours”.

In the brochure he stated “We have recently completed a feasibility study for the redevelopment of Goodison Park. Sadly, the study shows that this option is not viable. However, this means that we now have an opportunity to move to a purpose built stadium just four miles away which boasts all the facilities that a club of Everton’s status demands.”

Approximately 85% of fans who responded to the survey preferred the option of moving to an unspecified location rather than staying in a stadium too expensive to redevelop. Nothing ever came of the scheme and in 1999, Johnson sold his controlling interest in Everton to the Kenwright controlled True Blue Holdings (what an oxymoron that company name was).

Incidentally prior to that Johnson had interest from Joe Lewis and Lord Grantchester. With Kenwright in control, Everton launched plans to build a 55,000 seat stadium at Kings Dock, on the banks of the Mersey, in the heart of the city centre. Much has been written as to the reasons why Kings Dock never materialised (primarily because Kenwright was not prepared to cede control and did not have the necessary funds himself). Despite Kenwright stating “The King’s Dock is a great opportunity for Everton and one we cannot afford to miss” – miss it we did and the plan was abandoned in April 2003.

The most controversial attempted move was the infamous Kirkby stadium plans of 2006 involving another “ true blue” Terry Leahy in his role as CEO of Tesco. The move would have been an unmitigated disaster for the club, for the City and perhaps even Kirkby itself. Thankfully, due to the sterling work of Keep Everton in our City (KEIOC), the plans failed (in 2009) and Everton remained at Goodison Park.

In the early 2010s Walton Hall Park was muted as a potential new home for Everton Football Club. A 50,000 seat stadium designed by IDOM was proposed but the idea never really materialized and was ultimately dropped in 2016.

February 2016 saw the arrival of Farhad Moshiri and it was clear from the earliest of days, a move away from Goodison Park was a key priority. Moshiri’s “people” investigated the possibility of the Bramley-Moore site before his initial purchase of Everton.

Such was the appalling manner in which Moshiri ran Everton Football Club, it is difficult to give him much credit for the completion of Bramley-Moore. Whilst it is true that in the early days of the move from Goodison Park to Bramley-Moore, the project was driven by his willingness to fund the early development of an abandoned dock, it is also true to say that Bramley-Moore ultimately was completed despite Moshiri, not because of. It is also true to say that the stadium was delivered later than the original anticipated date and at a cost far greater than the original estimates.

Perhaps, just for this weekend though we can put that to one side. The fact is that Everton men’s team will play their last home game ever at Goodison on Sunday.

When Evertonians gather for one last pint in the crowded concourses below the Gwladys Street, the day is about savouring the rituals passed through generations, it’s about the shared experiences of the people who have sat in close proximity to each other for decades. For the majority of fans under the age of say 40, it will not be about the memories of trophies being paraded around Goodison. What an indictment of the manner in which the club has been run.

It will ultimately be about the people. It will be about those closest to us, family members, generations and friends. It will be about the guy you shuffle past to get to your seat. You’ve seen him or her for years, nod and say “‘’scuse me” every week even if you’ve not yet got round to sharing names. It will be about the kid who kicks the back of your seat. It will be about memories of those that used to go to the match with you, or before you, but are no longer with us.

It will be for the lucky, the eldest, about past trophies being paraded around Goodison. For the younger fans it will be about Dunc scoring against Liverpool or United; about the Cahill corner flag celebrations, about Arteta’s famous drive or even Rooney’s goal against West Ham. For some it might be about escaping relegation in recent years, it will definitely be about being covered in blue from the flares during the coach welcomes.

Sunday is about the individual and collective experiences of the fans. It is not, in my opinion about the club leaving Goodison – it’s about the fan base leaving to a newer, brighter future down the road. Don’t be hooked into the idea of it being a major corporate occasion or indeed a media occasion – it’s not that in the slightest.

It’s about the people who have stood on the terraces, who have sat in the stands, who have cheered, sang, smiled, wept and wailed. Enjoy that one more time, with all the people around you.

Football, genuinely, is nothing without the fans. That is the case with Goodison and Everton. Sunday is not the end, it’s just the beginning of a new chapter in a book where the one constant is us the fans