What The Papers Say - 23 January

A round-up of the day's paper talk.

The views on this page are taken from the local and national media and do not necessarily reflect the views of Everton. 

Blackburn will argue they were due the touch of fortune that gave them a potentially crucial point.

By David Moyes' own admission, his Everton team were lucky to leave Ewood Park with all three points earlier this season and it seemed Blackburn were to be cruelly denied here.

They twice struck the frame of Everton's goal and went behind to a controversial goal in a first half that heaped more pressure on Blackburn manager Steve Kean.

As Tim Cahill turned away in joy and relief after scoring for the first time in 13 months, Blackburn appealed in vain that Marouan Fellaini had handled to create the opportunity for the Australian.

TIM CAHILL got a pat on the back and a flea in the ear from David Moyes after ending a 13-month goal drought.
 
The Everton midfielder grabbed the opener against Rovers but was then at fault for blasting a goalline clearance into David Goodwillie for the equaliser.
 
Boss Moyes insisted: "He had a chance to clear the ball for their goal — either control it first time or your control has to be tighter, so you don't hit it against someone coming in.
 
"But Tim's performances are improving and because of that he's looked more liable to score, so I was glad we got it into the net."

STEVE KEAN took charge of Blackburn just days before Tim Cahill last scored for Everton.

At that point in December 2010 neither man knew the hellish year they would face.

 For Cahill (above), his crown as one of the Premier League’s most prolific goalscoring midfielders slipped as his surprising drought refused to come to an end. For Kean, his rookie tenure as Rovers boss went from bad to worse as a shortage of results brought an overflow of scorn from his own fans.

 With the helping hand of Lady Luck, in the guise of Marouane Fellaini’s arm, Cahill finally ended his 13 months of misery.

EVERTON FC manager David Moyes may throw Marouane Fellaini back into a makeshift attacking role in an attempt to bolster EFC's limp strikeforce.
 
The Goodison outfit were again disappointing going forward as they struggled to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
 
Tim Cahill hotly-disputed opener ended a 13-month goal drought for the Australian and was only Everton FC’s seventh goal in their last 10 Premier League games.
 
No Goodison striker who has started a league match this season has scored, prompting Moyes to redouble his efforts to seek reinforcements before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
 
And while reticent to employ Fellaini as a dedicated forward, the Everton FC manager could play the Belgian in a more attacking role – once Everton’s injury list eases.
 
“We started on Saturday with Fellaini, Darron (Gibson) and Tim in there hoping to join Louis (Saha) and with Landon (Donovan) and Victor (Anichebe) as well,” said Moyes.
 
“Fellaini made some runs into the box towards the end which made us look a little bit of a threat from that position, so it might be something we have to think about.
 
“We wouldn’t play Fellaini as an out-and-out centre forward.
 
“And while we need Phil Neville and Johnny Heitinga at the back, we are short of more holding type midfield players – we need Jack Rodwell for that as well.
 
“Not many of the injured players look like making it against Fulham. Sylvain Distin and Rodwell are the two closest. I don’t know when, though.”

TIM HOWARD welcomed Tim Cahill’s return to goal-scoring form against Blackburn but rued Everton FC’s failure to beat relegation-haunted Rovers at Goodison Park.
 
The USA international overtook Neville Southall on Saturday to lead Everton FC’s goalkeeping appearances chart in the Premier League.
 
But Howard took little consolation from the milestone, as he admitted his frustration that the Blues did not capitalise on Cahill’s 24th minute opener – the Aussie’s first goal in more than a year.
 
He said: “We were glad to see that goal celebration again. It was exciting. He scored with a poacher’s finish and we need to scramble more goals like that home, and do the ugly business.

“As professionals we know what our individual speciality is, and we put pressure on ourselves to do it well. It’s important for all of us to do our jobs and feel like we’re contributing. He contributes in a lot of other ways but to see him score was really good.
 
“When you get on top of teams you need to put them away. If you get one goal it makes them have to come out and take risks in areas they don’t want to and you have to expose that. We didn’t do that against Blackburn and we could have really put it to bed with a second one.”
 
Howard, 32, insisted he was fouled in the run-up to David Goodwillie’s second half equaliser for Rovers, but did not offer that as an excuse for an overall lacklustre Everton display which seems them slide down to 14th in the Premier League.