Farewell to a Everton hero

It’s been revealed on the official Everton website this morning that Everton midfielder Tim Cahill is set to move to the MLS with New York Red Bulls for a nominal fee, believed to be in the region of £1million.

The news will be sad for most Everton fans, as Tim Cahill is a true Everton hero.

Epitome

Tim Cahill is a player that epitomises the Everton spirit under boss David Moyes.

He is a player that fights to the finish of the game, never gives up and leaves absolutely nothing on the pitch when he comes off.

Cahill is a modern day Everton great. He may not have won the trophies like the great players of the 60’s or the 80’s, but he has played a major part in turning Everton’s fortunes around in recent years.

Bargain

Tim Cahill will have to go down as one of the best bargains in Premier League history. The 32 year-old Aussie arrived from Millwall in 2004 for a fee of just £1.5million and has duly repaid that fee with effort and goals.

David Moyes has a habit of picking up bargain  buys and I’m sure the Scot will admit that he would be one of his best buys. Cahill made 274 appearances for the Toffees and scored 68 goals, not a bad record for a midfielder.

Late

David Moyes has always preferred a system of one up front, with a player behind and Cahill played that role to perfection at times. The number of times that he scored goals arriving late in the box was incredible.

His heading ability is also incredible for a man of his size. He has beaten so many 6ft plus defenders in the air its unbelievable.

Time

Unfortunately for the Australian international time has caught up with him. Last season he was no longer a guaranteed starter and his body struggled with the demands of Premier League football. He tried his best and gave his all and played through the pain barrier for the love of the club.

Love

Its very rare that you get a player that truly loves a football club, but I believe that Tim Cahill really does love Everton. It comes across in every interview he does. As a foreign player you don’t expect so much passion from a player.

The passion he showed for Everton endeared him to the fans and in return they love Tim Cahill. I don’t know many Everton fans who don’t crack a smile when you mention Tim Cahill’s name.

Right

I think the time is right for Tim Cahill to move on. The demands of Premier League football were too much for Cahill’s body to take last season. Although he battled on it was plain to see that he wasn’t able to compete like he used to.

The MLS isn’t as demanding and Cahill should be a star in the American top flight. Even at 32 he could play on for a few more years and continue to play the game he loves.

Farewell

I have to say that Tim Cahill is one of my Everton heroes. As Everton fans we could always count on Tim Cahill to give his all and that’s all you can ask as a football fan. I think most Everton fans will concur with me when I say thank you Timmy and good luck for the future.

Should Tim Cahill be leaving Everton?