How it feels to move stadium: 'They brought in a pagan witch to exorcise some sort of curse over the ground'

The sad thing for me was that, when we did move into the Stadium of Light, we had just been relegated from the Premier League. I was worried it would all be a bit flat. The supporters were great and they filled it the following year even though we weren’t in the top flight anymore. 

The stadium move gave us fresh momentum after relegation. That first season, we lost in the play-off final, but the atmosphere was great and it became a huge advantage. The year after that, the place was rocking and we got promoted. Everything seemed to click and after that, there were two top-seven finishes in the Premier League. 

Micky Adams

Leicester manager when they left Filbert Street for the Walkers Stadium in 2002 and Coventry manager when they left Highfield Road for the Ricoh Arena in 2005...

The most important thing is to start well, to set your stall out early on how you want to play and hopefully get off to a good start.

We won our first game at Leicester 1-0, we didn’t play particularly well but it settled everyone down. You certainly don’t want teams coming to your new stadium feeling relaxed and dominating the games.

I don’t think Spurs will have any problems because the season is nearly over and the Champions League game will obviously take care of itself, in terms of atmosphere.

I’m sure Mauricio (Pochettino) will already have a good feel for the place and had a massive input on how it looks and feels inside. The one thing you can’t replicate is the atmosphere but I’m sure Spurs will have already got the players used to it, so it's not all fresh and new.

Francis Benali

Southampton defender when they left The Dell for St Mary's in 2001...

When we initially made the move there was that sadness to be leaving what was our home. As players, supporters and staff we knew every inch of that ground.

The supporters were within touching distance of the team so for visiting teams it was probably quite an intimidating place to come and play.

It took a long time to settle, and results didn't click straight away. They even brought in a pagan witch to try and exorcise some sort of curse over the ground.

It’s not just the players but the supporters who don’t feel at home. For generations families have been going to the previous stadium and it becomes a routine.

But football moves on and in Tottenham's case now there’s a need to progress and move on. What’s good for Spurs is they’re still at the same location.

Justin Hoyte

Arsenal defender when they left Highbury for The Emirates in 2006...

It was amazing to be a part of the first game at the Emirates, and it’s an achievement I will always remember. It’s history. I remember it was a fantastic day, the weather was nice, and I played left-back. We ended up drawing 1-1 against Aston Villa.

As a team, we needed some time to get used to the new stadium. Highbury had been home for so many years. You move into a bigger stadium, a bigger pitch, and everything was completely different. It took a bit of time to adjust to that but once we had adjusted, we started playing great football there.

Highbury was so close, and the pitch was so tight. Arsenal just knew how to play there. Moving to a different pitch, you had to readjust your position and make different runs.

It was the same for the fans, too. The diehard fans used to be in one section but at the Emirates they were scattered all over the place and they had to get used to that. Suddenly the same chants were coming from different parts of the stadium.

It was the same feeling as walking into a new house. Everything was brand new, and we then had to start making it our home.