It would sound a cliche if you didn't know him, but for Tim Cahill, Everton FC is a family.

And you know what they say about never criticising someone's family!

Get the Toffees' talisman on the subject, and there is an immediate passion that transcends the usual footballer-speak - a genuine affection and belief in the spirit and togetherness that has seen the club through the hardest of times.

That is why Cahill is quick to jump to the defence of chairman Bill Kenwright, even though he is - painfully - aware that to do so will not be entirely popular with a certain section of the fans.

The Australian midfielder has a theory - that the love of the club gets into your blood if you're there long enough.

That, he muses, could be why people like him, Kenwright and manager David Moyes have stuck around when it might have been easier to leave.

"It's a Catch-22 with the ownership here. Look at other situations, where they have sold the club to millionaires and it hasn't worked out. The chairman has said he wants to sell, but he wants to sell to the right people," the Australian midfielder explained.

"These things take time, and probably a bit like all of us here, we probably love the club too much and it's so hard to let go.

"Whether that's my failing, the chairman's failing, the gaffer's failing... but when you have invested so much time and effort into something you love, it can work against you.

"At the moment, it's working against the chairman. But the main thing is, when he does sell it, the fans can be happy enough, because it will be with the right due diligence and in the knowledge he will be selling it to someone who truly cares about it.

 "That is the thing about this club. For me, the decisions I've made have been part of my life because of my family, but also because of the chairman, the manager, the players at the football club, the fans, and because of loyalty, and a love of the club."

Cahill has shown that loyalty.

There were times when he could have walked away from Goodison, when his irrepressible energy drew strong interest from clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United,

Add to that a superstar status back home in Oz and in the lucrative Asian market, where he vies with the likes of actor Russell Crowe for space on the front pages, such is his level of fame, and he undoubtedly would have proved an attractive signing for one of Europe's top clubs.

But for him, Everton felt right and still feels right, even if they are going through what he admits is a really tough time at the moment.

"If you stay at a club, it's harder," he said. "It's easier to leave, really - it's easier to have a fresh challenge, because you join a new team, you have a clean slate, you nick a few goals and you have a fresh impetus.

"But I've found it's harder to stay because every year gets harder, expectations get higher, fans may get complacent about players and what they want them to achieve. They want a difference, they want a change.

"I've always said I will leave only when this football club is done with me. I think loyalty goes a long way, and I've always wanted to repay the faith this club had in me, when I came from nothing.

"As for major decisions in life there have been plenty of opportunities, but I have never conducted it in the media. I respect this club too much that create things that might be there, might not be there."

The cynical may suggest that Cahill should have got out of Goodison when he could, because things seem to getting bleaker, without the major investment required to strengthen the side... particularly in the goal-scoring area.

But for him, that is merely the latest challenge in a life full of them.

"I came over to England with nothing, started low and worked my way up, and if I've learnt anything, it is you need to work hard at everything you do," explained the 32-year-old, who spent six seasons at Millwall before moving to Goodison in 2004.

"I've learnt at Everton that yes, you can be up against it - and we've definitely up against it now - in situations with a small squad, injuries, trying to break the next barrier, even 'Where are we going to get our next win from?' But we can only do it together, and by sticking together.

"I believe attitude is the most important thing a footballer can have. It goes a long way, it's what I always say to children. It goes such a long way - the attitude, making sure you are respectful. Have the right attitude, then the football looks after itself."

He means it too.

They are not just empty words, but a philosophy by which he leads his life... and a message he is desperately keen to impart to the next generation.

Cahill is such anicon back home, that he is on the front cover of copes of the EA Sports FIFA 2012 game sold Down Under - the ultimate accolade among the computer generation.

It makes him instantly recognisable, and a role model for millions of kids, and for this passionate, dedicated footballer, that opportunity is one he is not going to let pass by.

"For the last three years I've been fortunate enough to do the cover of the FIFA game, it's massive - it's over everything, that is what kids play, and it makes you an ambassador for your sport," he explained.

"When you look at the Christmas advert, with Rooney and Kaka and the like, then people do recognise you. But I started with nothing, I came to England with nothing, and went to Millwall, started at the bottom and worked hard.

"I always remember where I started, the amount of work I had to do, and it gives me the appetite to train hard, and do more things. It's a massive accolade, and it's a responsibility.

"I have worked the last two years on a programme in Australia, through my website, for coaching clinics. I want to change grass roots football in Australia. Basically that's what I'm doing now. I want to help kids understand they can change things with hard work.

"I'm running another clinic in January in Australia. With me playing in the Premier League and having 15 years experience in England, playing over 500 games, I hope I'm taking away elitism, bringing in participation, and making sure that girls and boys are being active."

He is also trying to steer Everton out of their current predicament -and himself too, after a year-long goal drought that has become a recurrening question for him.

When is he going to score again? Like everything in his life, Cahill - speaking at the FIFA 12 Pro Player Challenge - responds with a deep-rooted certainty.

"I won't even answer the question about goals, because it takes on a life of its own when it is an irrelevance," he explained.

"I work hard, and when the time comes it will come, and that's it.

"The whole thing  - just train hard, work hard, try and be consistent and contribute, and then I can get to sleep at night.

"If I score, then it's brilliant, if I don't score, then I've left everything on the pitch, and that's the way I'd like to look at it."

* Tim Cahill was playing in the FIFA 12 Pro Player Challenge. EA SPORTS' FIFA 12 is out now, go to to watch football stars from across the country go head to head to find football's greatest FIFA 12 player.


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