What The Papers Say - Feb 7

Distin on Pienaar, plus thoughts on Everton's January spending.

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

SYLVAIN DISTIN says Steven Pienaar was irreplaceable for Everton FC as he hailed the playmaker’s impressive return.

Distin, 34, who also made a comeback in the 1-1 EFC draw with Wigan after recovering from a hamstring injury, believes the South African’s presence is key to the Blues keeping possession.

Pienaar’s link-up play with Leighton Baines also created six out of Everton FC’s seven chances against the Latics, and Distin believes the on-loan midfielder’s presence helps the entire team.

He said: “We really missed him when he left and we never really had a player to replace him. He just always wants the ball. Even if he has a player sat on his back he wants the ball.

“That makes it easier for us at the back – we kept the ball a lot better and that was largely down to him.

“He’s a great player.”

Distin said it was good to be back after returning to his reassuring best at the DW stadium – his first game since the defeat by Spurs on January 11.

“I felt good. The end of the game was tough because I have not played much football lately,” he said. “I had an injury and then came back and had another injury and that is the first time I have had two injuries in a season.

“So I was a long time out and it felt good to be back but it was very cold, there was a lot of running and I am 34 now!”

Distin insisted a point was an acceptable outcome given the poor state of the Wigan pitch, which he blames for the own goal Everton conceded.

He said: “I thought we played quite well but a draw was probably fair.

“We came back well and conditions were difficult and the pitch was poor.

“I know people expected us to win but the Premier League is tough and a point away from home is okay.

“It was not a mistake from Tim, it was a deflection but due to the pitch the ball changed direction at the last second and went into the net.”

Distin was equally upbeat about the signing of Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic, who joined Pienaar as a late recruit on transfer deadline day.

“I only just saw him at training last week so it’s difficult to judge. He has a good touch and an eye for goal all the time, and he’s looking to shoot and score goals so he’s quite promising.

“It will take him time to get to know us on the pitch and for us to get used to how he plays, but I think he has a good future here.”




Move over George Osbourne.

When it comes to someone who can cut spending and generate growth, there is no-one better than David Moyes.

I know it was a couple of Jock Chancellor of the Exchequers who got the country into the unholy mess we're in, but Moyes has shown at Everton how to get out of it.

His business over the transfer window would have had Arthur Daly purring in admiration as he wheeled and dealed like no other.

Best of all, he generated the money he spent so shrewdly in the transfer market himself by offloading Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.

Finding a club willing to pay money for someone who has proved as useful as a chocolate fireguard was inspired and he used the cash to sign Nikica Jelavic from Rangers.

Although there is no guarantee that the Croat striker will reproduce the prolific form he showed at Rangers at Goodison Park, at least Blues fans have new hope that they have someone who can score a few goals.

The £1million Moyes spent on buying Darron Gibson from Manchester United was also a great bit of business and the Irishman repaid that fee on Tuesday against Manchester City with one swing of his boot.

Even if he does nothing else this season, that winner against City will still be long remembered.

Signing Gibson was such a no-brainer and while Sir Alex Ferguson may have felt he was not good enough to command a regular place at Old Trafford, his goalscoring exploits from midfield mean he was worth a punt for Moyes.

Goalscoring midfielders are worth their weight in gold and with Tim Cahill still struggling to find the back of the net, Gibson provides a great option.

Then there was moving out Louis Saha on deadline day and bringing back Stephen Pienaar on loan.

Offloading the injury-prone Saha with his suspect temperament was jaw-droppingly good business and at 33, I still can't believe Harry Redknapp has signed him.

Better still, Harry allowed Pienaar to move the other way and if any manager can get the South African winger playing again, then it's Moyes.

So incredibly, the transfer window closed on Tuesday night with Bilyaletdinov and Saha gone and Jelavic, Pienaar and Gibson in for the same money.

Suddenly, Evertonians have fresh hope this season and they will fancy their chances in the FA Cup after another home draw in the fifth round against the winners of Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday.

Once again, Moyes the magician has pulled another rabbit out of the hat.

Now, about that one trillion pound bill the country has got to pay back....




Jack Rodwell has returned to full training with Everton as he looks to put his latest injury nightmare behind him.

The midfielder has not played since aggravating a hamstring injury just 19 minutes after appearing in the defeat by Bolton on January 4.

Rodwell's fitness problems have interupted what had been an encouraging campaign, but he has managed just 103 minutes of action since making his full England debut against Sweden in November.




Ian Snodin: IF I’M going to take any consolation from a frustrating draw against Wigan, it’s largely from the return of Steven Pienaar for Everton FC.

I’ve said many times that during his last spell at Goodison Park, the midfielder and Leighton Baines became the best left-flank partnership and possibly the most potent of either flank in the Premier League.

I’m sure some fans may have misgivings about the way Steven left, but when you think back he was leaving for a potential crack at playing in the Champions League for a club he believed were better placed to win trophies.

Okay it hasn’t worked, and it should always be a big deal when a player decided to walk away from Goodison, but I feel Pienaar did nothing wrong in the way he left, and should be welcomed back without any lingering resentment.

I’m sure the vast majority of Evertonians will get behind him anyway, and especially so after the influence he had from the start against Wigan at the DW stadium.

It’s in Pienaar’s make up to work hard and battle for his team-mates and he’ll always cover for Baines when he wants to get forward to such potent effect.

So over all, seeing the South African sparkling again was a major plus against Wigan, and if you’d asked many Evertonians a few weeks ago if they’d take progress into the last 16 of the FA Cup and four points from games against Manchester City and Wigan they’d have taken it without a doubt.

If anything the success against Fulham and Man City raised expectations sky high and when next-up is the team which is bottom of the Premier League with a terrible home record, it’s only natural to expect a hat-trick of good results.

It didn’t work like that and in the end we had to fight to salvage a point against Roberto Martinez’s men, who didn’t play like a side that believes it’s destined for the drop.

Of course we all expected Everton to win, but then you have to consider the thorny subject of motivation.

Let me start this by saying no Everton player should, in a perfect world, ever be anything less than 100% motivated to play for the club and represent its amazing fans.

But the DW stadium and that awful pitch must be a difficult stage to rouse much passion.

If it wasn’t for the travelling Evertonians the ground would have been nearly half empty, and the atmosphere was only saved by those away supporters.

The pitch was about as scrappy and chopped-up as you’d expect in that part of the world during February, and it certainly didn’t help Tim Howard when it came to conceding that first goal.

Watching it live you’d have thought the American goalkeeper dropped a slippery ball but it took an unbelievable kick off a divot.




Ian Snodin: WHAT a fantastic night for Everton FC against Manchester City.

The ground was buzzing like only Goodison can, but I must admit to feeling a bit disappointed if not irritated by Roberto Mancini’s post-game comments that he took Everton too lightly, and had not prepared his side properly.

Some will insist the Italian was trying to deflect the blame for a bad result from his players, but for me it smacked of a lack of respect and a bit of arrogance.

Everton have a tremendous record against City and one that should have ensured Mancini was never going to take victory on Merseyside for granted.

He’s either foolish or overly confident.

Ask any of the top four or managers like Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger and they’ll say they don’t like coming to Goodison.

It is always a game when Manchester United, Arsenal and all the top sides have to be at their very best if they’re going to win.

Even though we weren’t at our best last Tuesday, we got at City and made it very hard for them, and ultimately they weren’t good enough on the night, despite having a wealth of top players.

It’s a night we haven’t had enough of lately and for that reason it was special, and capping it off with those two signings was fantastic.