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Another Oz topping the charts?

By Joe Carroll :  18/08/2010 :  Comments (36) :

After recently scouring through the famous books of our illustrious history/the archives section of the website, I stumbled upon a section listing Everton's goal-scoring achievements.

The archive lists Everton's top 3 or 4 goalscorers in every season since the founding of the football league, something that makes for interesting reading on it's own merits. It delighted me to see the names of Dean, Lawton, Vernon, Pickering, Royle, Latchford, Sharp and Lineker topping the charts for their respective seasons, and in more recent years Cottee, Kanchelskis and Ferguson.

The club's top scorer for each season is remembered and honoured over those that come runners up, and rightly so. Yet looking at our most recent history I noticed the same name cropping up, not for his appearances at No 1 but for his ever presence within the top 3 goalscorers since his arrival at the club.

This man has been a member of this top 3 club every season since he came to L4 in 2004, netting no less that 7 goals in any given season. Consider that this has been achieved by a midfielder, and you get a better understanding of this man's importance to the club. "Can yer tell who it is yet?" If that didn't give it away you should be ashamed...

Tim Cahill, of course, is the man dominating these charts season after season. The fact that he is such an ever-present is testimony to the greatest thing to come out of Oz since Kylie Minogue. It also highlights his importance to Everton, a sentiment I would like to voice loud and clear amid recently hearing various Blues calling for the Aussie to be benched.

Tiny Tim netted a remarkable 12 goals in his debut season at Goodison Park. Bear in mind that the 04-05 season was his first season in the Premier League, then 'remarkable' really does fit the bill.

His second season yielded 8 goals ? not a bad return, and his third campaign saw the ex Milwall man contribute 7. Think back to the 06-07 season and you will remember that Cahill suffered two serious injuries: one in November at home to Aston Villa ? no thanks to his then team mate Lee Carsley- thanks Lee; the other towards the end of the season (March I think) against Sheff Utd. Who was the culprit on that occasion? If I'm not mistaken it was brought about by our now very own Phil Jagielka... thanks Phil.

But we forgive and forget, and 7 goals in those circumstances is by no means a bad haul for a midfielder. The next season he broke the 10 goal mark, the season after he recorded 9 and last season he came runner up to Louis Saha with another 10.

Cahill is a natural goalscorer. I don't think any of us are naive enough to say that he is a great footballer; technically, he comes way down the pecking order in those charts headed by Arteta and Pienaar. But he has proven, year-in, year-out that he can and will score around 10 goals a season. Take Cahill out of the team and you take away this amount of goals and God knows how many points to go with them.

Tim Cahill is a vital part of this team, and if we have any hopes of finishing at the business end of the table this year, then we'll need Cahill to be once again at the top of our scoring table.

"I Should Be So Lucky"?...with this Aussie, luck has nothing to do with it.

Reader Comments (36)

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Brendan O'Doherty
1 Posted 19/08/2010 at 00:53:26
Yes Joe, not just his goals but the importance of them in vital 1-0 wins against opposition like the RS.

The scourge of opposition managers, we vastly miss him when he's not playing.

Legend.
Kevin Hudson
2 Posted 19/08/2010 at 01:26:50
I love his mischief at corners, his astonishing ability to out-jump massive defenders, his knack of timing and his abundant passion for the club. Cult hero.

One of the modern players you'd just love to have a pint with. :)
Keith Edmunds
3 Posted 19/08/2010 at 02:13:29
Love the way he dances around Fellaini at corners. Looking for a repeat on Saturday.
Adam Fenlon
4 Posted 19/08/2010 at 02:23:34
Not convinced 7 or 8 goal seasons from a goalscoring midfielder are much to write home about.

Good player though.
David Thomas
5 Posted 19/08/2010 at 08:54:32
A brilliant servant for Everton and still an influential player. Scored goals at Emirates, Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. Also, scored numerous times both home and away in Merseyside derby matches. Love his attitude and work rate.
Tony J Williams
6 Posted 19/08/2010 at 09:06:17
For me it's not just his goalscoring record that impresses, it's his winding up of the opposing sides better players and his defensive duties. I would say that 80% of the clearing headers from corners come from Tim.

Limited footballer with his feet but one I would always want in the side.
Sam Hoare
7 Posted 19/08/2010 at 10:06:32
No doubting his hero status or work ethic or importance to the squad but if i'm honest I'm not convinced he is quite the 'undoubted starter' that the likes of Arteta, Baines and Fella are.

He just doesn't really fit as well into our more cultured (supposedly) style of football at the moment as touch and passing are probably the weakest parts of his game. Also has been mentioned before his aerial prowess can actually encourage the useless hoofball we saw last Saturday.

Yes, he is annoying to play against, but so is paul dickov. Doesn't mean I want him in my starting 11.

Yes he scores around 10 goals a season but considering he plays predominantly as a second striker this is the minimum we'd expect surely?

As for 80% of all defensive headers...seems generous to me.

Love the guy, but I for one would prefer to see Billy start in that role this weekend with Timmy being my first planned substitution if things aren't working out.
Eric Myles
8 Posted 19/08/2010 at 11:03:09
Sam, Cahill is hardly a target for the aimless hoofball, his prowess in the air that has been referred to comes mainly from corners or set pieces.
Charlie Percival
9 Posted 19/08/2010 at 11:05:51
Would love to see people ages when reading comments then I may understand certain points of view better.

Sam Hoare what a ridiculous and uneducated comment you have just made.

If you are 12 then I don't expect any genuine sense; if you're 25 you should know better; if you're 60 then I respect your thoughts being a veteran.

Tim Cahill is more to us than Duncan Ferguson was. Look at the stats, look at him off the field. SHOOT ME DOWN.
David Thomas
10 Posted 19/08/2010 at 11:08:04
Sam,

Please don't mention Paul Dickov in the same breath as Tim Cahill with regards football. Cahill is a proven international footballer who has a 1 in every 2 record for his country and has scored in consecutive world cup tournaments.

Also, if you were to keep a record of who clears the majority of the corners everton concede this season i bet you will see 80% is not being generous.

Also, is it really Tim Cahill's fault if our defenders punt the ball down the pitch to him? Is it not more a fault of the defenders for not playing a more simpler ball into the midfield were our more creative players can dsevelop the play?
Sam Hoare
11 Posted 19/08/2010 at 11:24:48
Alright. Calm down.

Expected this.

Eric- yes, true. And its not his fault. However i do think that his main talent being in the air is not helpful to our new style of play. Did you see last saturday?

Charlie- Don't know what to say as you accuse me of being a 12 year old without actually making any exact criticisms.

David- I am not of course comparing Cahill directly to Dickov. Just pointing out that being a nuisance on the pitch while useful is not anywhere near enough. We usually have about 8 defenders for set pieces...80%?! Really?! Maybe 40% at a push. Which is impressive and is one reason I love timmy. And yes, it is the defenders fault.
David Crowe
12 Posted 19/08/2010 at 12:53:12
Adam, 7 or 8 goals from a midfielder is very good really for a season considering he was out for maybe a third of it (in 06-07) and, he would still average around that 12 goal mark had he been fit for even close to the full season.
Tony X Williams
13 Posted 19/08/2010 at 13:44:42
Tony #6 thats a bit harsh mate, 'limited with his feet.' What about his overhead scissor kick goal at Chelski a few years back?
Duncan McDine
14 Posted 19/08/2010 at 14:09:35
Spot on Tony... that over-head kick was one of the greatest goals I've seen - better than Pele in 'Escape to Victory'!!!

The technical ability to perfom that skill is something to be admired. Of course he should always be in the starting 11. Preferably in the 'Cahill' position.
John Daley
15 Posted 19/08/2010 at 14:00:19
So it's sacrilege now to suggest that Cahill should no longer be a guaranteed starter every game?

Yes he's been an important player and fantastic servant for Everton, popping up regularly with match winning goals and his enthusiasm and endeavour are there for all to see. However, he is without doubt the least technically proficient of our current midfield players (note I am not classing Phil Neville as a midfielder) and is no longer as crucial to the side as he once was.

For years Moyes has stubbornly persisted with a rigid 4-5-1 formation, partly to accomodate Cahill in his favoured position playing just off the front man. When deployned in central midfield he has often looked lost and simply ran around giving away needless fouls and contributing little else but nuisance value. The strict adherence to this 'Cahill' formation means that we are often extremely predictable in our play.

There is no reason why we should be so reliant on Tim anymore and he should not be slavishly selected simply because he is one of Moyes favoured sons. We now have a number of players capable of sharing the goal scoring burden from midfield. Bilyetdinov, Arteta, Rodwell, Fellaini, Pienaar, and even Osman will all get their fair share and all of them are much more comfortable on the ball than Cahill.

We're continually being told that this is the best squad Moyes has ever had, so let's utilise it. If certain opposition call for Cahill's tenacity, arial ability and aggression then play him. If a more patient, passing game is required, or a 4-4-2 formation looks to be the better option, then bench him.



Sam Hoare
16 Posted 19/08/2010 at 15:20:55
Thank you John Daley.

Agree wholeheartedly.
Peter Anthony
18 Posted 19/08/2010 at 15:54:31
Cahill is without doubt a very valuable (in footballing rather than financial terms I use the word valuable here) squad member and also on many occasions a very valuable team member.

I agree he should not be an automatic starter unless form and circumstances permit. I hold that view for everyone of Everton's squad... No point having a squad that permits competition if that is not brought to bear. For example, I would prefer to throw on a fit and hungry James Vaughan pretty damn sharpish if Louis Saha is not putting the required effort in.

The point re comparing Dunc to Cahill is also relevant. Big Dunc was also a hero of his time, that time being perennial relagation battles mainly of course.

If onwards and upwards is the direction, then competition for squad places must be evident by means of playing form players on merit; fuck knows why Coleman was not even on the bench vs Blackburn, he would have been a valuable sub in my view and as we were losing we had nothing to lose either. Nothing ventured and nothing gained, as seen last week, sadly.

More attacking verve needed against another opposition on Saturday who will be happy with a point so need to be got at from the off in my view. Go for it, Davey!

Michael Kenrick
Editorial Team
19 Posted 19/08/2010 at 17:14:45
Charlie (#9) ? I'd prefer not to see this ageist kind of rational deployed as yet another ad hominen method for denigrating people's opinions on here. Better to provide some basis for disagreeing with the poster than implying that his opinion is coloured one way or the other by his presumed age. Thanks.
David Alexander
20 Posted 19/08/2010 at 17:36:09
I love Arteta, he's our best player by a mile but it's the No.17 I have on my shirt every year. Cahill's about lots more than some good headers, he brings a passion and drive and commitment that all the great Ozzy sports stars seem to have bred into them. He's like Ponting or Michael Lynagh only in a football shirt. You just can't value that enough.

Plus take Cahill out of the current team and who's going to hold the ball up?
David Thomas
21 Posted 19/08/2010 at 18:43:54
"Plus take Cahill out of the current team and who's going to hold the ball up?"

Coleman.
Michael Lynch
22 Posted 19/08/2010 at 18:47:21
As much I love Tim Cahill, i think he has to be the fall guy if we are to play to our potential. Arteta, Fellaini and Rodwell should all be starting when fit. Cahill would be much more effective as a sub when we are chasing the game. Cahill doesn't offer much other than aerial ability and workrate.

He will always be an Everton legend though.
Jon Cox
23 Posted 19/08/2010 at 19:18:42
Here's the way I see Cahill. This is a bloke who in football terms, is known as a "free spirit". There have been a few players that have been picked for their clubs because of this. The advantage for the different clubs for these type of players is obvious.

That advantage of course is that defenders never know where that player is going to be on the football pitch so that they can mark and close down. This is why Cahill is not only the guy who will always be picked when fit, but for Everton this is our man that no opposing manager will be able to give his team and strategy evaluation a concerted way to eliminate Cahill from his team talk.

As a loyal non hassle Evertonian, then yeah the guy is getting very near to all-time Evertonian legend.

Stay with him, Davey. Build around him he is the real Neville.
David Hodgson
24 Posted 19/08/2010 at 20:26:12
Agreed Jon Cox, I really can't believe some people's opinions on here about TC. Here we have at our disposal one of the best goalscoring midfielders in the prem at the peak of his career and all some can do is pick at his so called 'limitations' as a footballer.

Like Joe Carroll points out just look at the facts, the guy is a legend and would be one of the first names on the team sheet for me. A true goalscorer who you also get the impression would play anywhere he was asked for our club and even more importantly a damn proud Evertonian. You'll do for me, Timmy lad. NSNO

Michael Kenrick
25 Posted 19/08/2010 at 21:01:56
So Dave... "at the peak of his career"? I wonder if what we are seeing is that he is possibly past that peak and maybe his influence on games waning. That at least would explain what we see more and more now when he plays. He can't go on forever at the highest level.
David Hodgson
26 Posted 19/08/2010 at 21:13:30
Like I said, Michael, look at the stats. Do they read like a player past his peak?? More like a player who has consistently hit the net for us season-in, season-out even when missing a fair bit through injuries.

Maybe I'm getting the wrong end of the stick here when you talk about his influence waning but for me, I think Timmy's style of influence on games is his never-say-die spirit and lifting of team mates and ultimately sticking the ball in the back of the net, which in my eyes and when I have watched him has never waned.

He may not have the ball playing skill and vision of say Arteta or Pienaar (although his sublime through ball for Pienaar at the Emirates last season says maybe im doing him a disservice there) but I think he still has a hell of a lot to offer the team and, at 30, still has at least a good two or three years in him.

Michael Kenrick
27 Posted 19/08/2010 at 22:11:45
Dave: "I think Timmy's style of influence on games is his never-say-die spirit and lifting of team mates and ultimately sticking the ball in the back of the net, which in my eyes and when I have watched him has never waned."

Okay, then perhaps I shouldn't have said waned... I should instead have said "completely disappeared" ? because that's what he did against Blackburn. In that game, he did nothing like what you describe, which begs the whole question on the thread...
David Thomas
28 Posted 19/08/2010 at 22:22:08
Michael,

Against Blackburn Arteta, Fellaini and Piennar did sod all as well. Maybe their powers have "completely disappeared" as well.
David Hodgson
29 Posted 19/08/2010 at 23:09:07
Ok then, Michael, I can see its getting a little petty now; if you're going to single out games then, as David above says, perhaps all our midfielders' influences are completely disappearing compared to last Saturday's performance. If you're expecting Cahill to go out and turn it on every game, week-in, week-out to back up your opinion that he can't influence games much anymore, then you have to afford him the same amount of dismal performances some of our other so-called star players put in as well, eg, like last week.
Martin Mason
30 Posted 20/08/2010 at 01:02:06
I agree with John Daley. Tim has stood out as a scorer in a team where nobody scores many and in which he plays as a second striker. I believe that, as a player, he is now holding the team back although he could be a great impact sub. At the moment he dictates both team selection, its formation and eventually its tactics as we play to his strengths in the mostly misguided assumption nowadays that he will score.
Afzan Yusuf
31 Posted 20/08/2010 at 05:30:43
If I'm not mistaken, Moyes did comment about Cahill while touring DownUnder... "If we gonna win something, it's while Cahill with us..." something like that... Nuff said... he's starting this Saturday..
COYB!!!
Michael Kenrick
32 Posted 20/08/2010 at 05:37:38
Sorry, Dave & Dave, I didn't realize I was meant to be talking about ALL our mifielders ? for some silly reason, I thought this thread was about Cahill.

Here's a thought for you (and David Moyes... but I know his mind is elsewhere): play Cahill off the bench!

He'd be fresher, when opposition players are getting tired or jaded. He can do something very different from the other starters... what a concept.

In his six-season league career at Everton, Cahill has been used as a sub by Moyes on just three occasions.
Mike Green
33 Posted 20/08/2010 at 08:55:57
Good idea, Michael ? I love Cahill for the goals he's scored for us and his commitment to the cause but he's a fighter not a footballer and the more we play it on the deck the less influence he seems to have. Trialling him as an option on the bench could be a great idea.
David Thomas
34 Posted 20/08/2010 at 12:51:44
Mike: "but he's a fighter not a footballer". Do fighters score goals like the overhead kick at Stamford Bridge or score in consecutive World Cup tournaments? No. Good footballers do.
Mike Allison
35 Posted 20/08/2010 at 11:40:30
I think the opposite Michael (31), start Cahill and replace him with someone like Bily from the bench. Cahill isn't the type of player who benefits from being fresh, he's not quick, agile or tricksy, he's a solid player and knows his limits so plays within them. These are starting players who give you a foothold in the game, then you introduce the 'higher risk' players who are more likely to do something a bit special.

Of course, I accept it could work both ways, and I guess that is the crux of squad rotation, one game Bily starts and Cahill gets to come on fresh and in another the opposite happens. This is not something that I think Moyes is used to, although he has moaned in the past that most/many Premier League games are won by the substitutes and Everton have rarely had the bench to change games. I think we can agree that a bench with Bily/Cahill, Yakubu/Saha, Beckford, Gueye and maybe Coleman, Osman/Anichebe or someone else gives game changing options. It's up to Moyes now to show he can use them.

Incidentally, my post refers to the players we have. With 12 or so days to go and loan players seemingly available around Europe, I think we're still two players short of the squad we need. I've referred to them in the past as Kanchelskis and Bergkamp. Obviously two players of that quality will make anyone better, but I'm really talking about the position they play in. We need a new starting right winger, and a new starting 'off-the-striker' capable of dropping off the opponents back four and offering the 'triple threat' of pass shoot dribble. Cahill doesn't really offer any of them and does his best work off the ball, making runs for others to create. If we're to genuinely improve, the 'Cahill' position should be the most creative person in the team, whereas he's one of the least.
Brendan O'Doherty
36 Posted 20/08/2010 at 15:06:52
"He's a fighter not a footballer "

Hence the punch-up with the corner flag I suppose?

To say that TC is "not a footballer" is doing him a gross injustice.
Mike Green
37 Posted 20/08/2010 at 16:11:59
I'm sorry chaps, I'm a big fan of Lord Timothy of Cahill but if you honestly think his game isn't built on scrapping for the points you're deluded.

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