After months of delays Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium is finally ready to open officially.
A first test event at the new ground saw Spurs’ Under-18 side take on Southampton and win 3-1 in front of a 30,000 strong crowd, while a legends match delighted supporters in the second game.
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The first-team will play their opening match on Wednesday, April 3 for their Premier League match against Crystal Palace – the first of five league matches at the new ground before the end of the season
There is reported ‘trepidation’ among Mauricio Pochettino’s men about moving into the new stadium at such a key point in the season.
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Pochettino was there to check out the new stadium
So this got us thinking, how well have Premier League teams who have moved stadiums in the 21st century performed in their first five league encounters at their new home?
Below you can see the records of the other teams and see if the Spurs players’ alleged fears are justified.
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Southampton – St Mary’s (2001)
Southampton left their old home of The Dell to move into a 32,500 capacity St Mary’s in time for the beginning of the 2001/02 season.
Saints got off to a pretty terrible start though, losing four and drawing one of their first five Premier League matches, however, they recovered well to finish 11th in the table.
Win rate: 0 per cent
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Southampton’s first game at St Mary’s was a 2-0 loss against Chelsea in August 2001
Leicester City – King Power Stadium (2002)
The opening of the then-branded Walker’s Stadium in July 2002 was a bit of a PR disaster as Leicester had been relegated out of the Premier League only a couple of months earlier. Not even Gary Lineker opening the ground with a giant pair of scissors could save the embarrassment!
Their record in their first five games was exceptional though, winning all of them. In fact, they only lost two at home all season as they won promotion back to the top flight.
Problems on and off the pitch occurred at the club in future years before they pulled off a spectacular Premier League title triumph in the 2015/16 season.
Win rate: 100 per cent
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England football legend and Leicester-born Lineker was given the honours of opening the new ground
Hull City – KCOM Stadium (2002)
It’s a brave decision to move into a new stadium with a capacity of over 25,000 when you’re playing in the fourth tier of English football but that’s what Hull did in December 2002 when they moved into the KC Stadium, now the KCOM Stadium.
However, the Tigers enjoyed a brilliant rise up the divisions and were promoted to the Premier League in 2008.
As for their first five league matches, Hull had an indifferent record of winning two, drawing two and losing one – in that order as well.
Win rate: 40 per cent
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Hull share the ground with rugby league team Hull FC
Manchester City – Etihad Stadium (2003)
City left their famous Maine Road ground to move into a new arena fit for Premier League champions in time for the 2003/04 season – even if they didn’t know just how big a club they were going to become years later.
Their first Premier League match was a flat 1-1 draw to Portsmouth but their record was acceptable – winning two, drawing one and losing one of their next four fixtures at the ground where athletics happened during the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
But times change and winning only two out of five home league matches would be not too far off a sackable offence for any manager in charge of City now!
Win rate: 40 per cent
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Kevin Keegan was manager when City moved into the City of Manchester Stadium, now Etihad Stadium
Swansea City – Liberty Stadium (2005)
The first Premier League ground in Wales was opened in July 2005 when Swansea were playing in League One in the 2005/06 season so their record was pretty good – winning three, drawing one and losing one.
However, it wasn’t long before the elite teams would come to the Liberty Stadium, with Swansea getting promoted to the Championship in the 2007/08 season and then the Premier League in the 2010/11 season.
Win rate: 60 per cent
Arsenal –Â Emirates Stadium (2006)
Arsenal left their beloved Highbury at the end of the 2005/06 season after snatching Champions League football off Tottenham on the final day of the previous campaign.
However, the Gunners did not take to their new home well at the start as they could only manage two wins and three draws during their opening five Premier League matches. And those wins came against newly-promoted Sheffield United and Watford.
Win rate: 40 per cent
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Gilberto Silva’s stoppage-time strike against Aston Villa spared Arsenal a defeat in their first Premier League match at the Emirates
Cardiff City –Â The Cardiff City Stadium (2009)
Cardiff outdid their Welsh rivals Swansea when they built a new stadium in May 2009 which has a capacity of over 28,000 compared to the Liberty Stadium which has a capacity of of just over 25,000.
The Bluebirds were in the Championship at the time and managed to win three but lost two of their opening five league matches at the new arena.
They finished fourth that season but lost in the play-off final to Blackpool before winning promotion to the top flight in the 2012/13 season.
Win rate: 60 per cent
Brighton – Amex Stadium (2011)
Brighton’s Amex Stadium was opened in time for the 2011/12 season as they looked to make that jump from the Championship to the Premier League.
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Brighton celebrate getting promoted to the top flight in April 2017
However, their first five league games at the new ground got off to an indifferent start – winning two, drawing two and losing one.
They eventually did reach the top flight at the end of the 2016/17 season after going close a number of times.
Win rate: 40 per cent
West Ham United –Â London Stadium (2016)
As part of Lord Sebastian Coe’s big drive to ensure the Olympic legacy would last, West Ham inherited the Olympic Stadium from the 2012 games, moving in for the 2016/17 season.
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West Ham won their first Premier League game at their new ground, beating Bournemouth 1-0 in August 2016
However, West Ham haven’t really taken to it and their first five Premier League matches saw them win two, draw one and lose two.
Some Hammers fans have suggested that the club should never have left Upton Park despite the huge enthusiasm for the London Stadium in the lead-up to the 2016/17 campaign.
Win rate: 40 per cent
So it’s a pretty mixed bag for teams settling into their new homes and it’s actually Arsenal just come out on top with two wins and three draws for top-flight wins. They edge past City and West Ham, who have the same amount of wins but the Gunners didn’t lose any of their first five games.
Leicester, Hull, Swansea, Cardiff and Brighton were playing outside of the top flight when they moved into their new home, so maybe the fears the Spurs players might have are with good reason.
They face Palace, Huddersfield, Brighton, West Ham and Everton at home in the league before the climax of the 2018/19 campaign and there will be pressure on Spurs to win all five of those games.
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