No Gray Areas - Everton rewarded for risk
Fair play to Everton. Five years ago, there were was plenty of interest in this Aussie goalscoring midfielder at Millwall going by the name of Tim Cahill, but the Toffees were the only ones who were prepared to take a gamble on him and put the cash on the table and boy have they reaped the rewards.
I struggle to think of many midfielders who have consistently scored as many goals as him in the Premier League over the past five seasons and that's huge credit to the lad because at times Everton don't actually create too many chances.
He's an awkward player to play against. For starters, he wanders in between the midfield and the front line, making him difficult to pick up, especially when he's making those late runs into the box.
He's not that tall but he's got some leap on him and he's certainly not afraid to get stuck in and put his body in places where he might get hurt. He's a real menace in that box and plenty of defenders have told me over the years that they don't enjoy playing against him.
At 30, you wonder if it's too late for him to make a move to a club playing Champions League football or whether he'll see out the rest of his career at Goodison Park. He's good enough to have played for a side consistently in the top four but at Everton he's virtually the first name on the team-sheet and popular amongst the fans; a move at this stage of his career could go wrong.
Cahill will be in action on Monday night against Sunderland and I've already said I expect this to be a high-scoring game, so wouldn't be at all surprised to see the man himself amongst the goals. Back him at [3.65] to score at anytime.
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 22 Nov 2010
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