Everton midfielder Tim Cahill insists his cash-strapped club can still be a force in the Premier League as long as supporters don't lose faith.
Several hundred Everton fans staged a peaceful protest before Saturday's 2-2 draw against Aston Villa in a bid to show their frustration at the lack of investment under chairman Bill Kenwright.
Kenwright recently admitted to a group of supporters that Everton are unable to sign players because the club's bank is no longer willing to fund their transfer activities.
Everton supporters were angered again on transfer deadline day when star midfielder Mikel Arteta was sold to Arsenal for £10 million, while strikers Jermaine Beckford and Ayegbeni Yakubu also left with no permanent replacements brought in.
Organisers carried a cake to Goodison Park to mark the second anniversary of the last significant transfer fees the club paid.
Yet lifelong Everton fan Kenwright, who has long said he will sell the club if a suitable buyer emerges, remains popular with many other supporters and was applauded during the game when he appeared on the big screen.
Cahill, 31, took heart from that positive atmosphere and he is convinced the club will progress if everyone is fighting for the same cause.
"I think for us as players we want to try to show the fans that this isn't a club in stagnation," he said.
"We need them to back us to the hilt. The club are trying to balance the books and make sure we are here for years to come.
"We can understand their frustration. As an Evertonian, whether it is good times or bad times, you have got to roll with it.
"The protest when you look at it now was probably something that shouldn't have happened. But I know deep down they appreciate the chairman."
Everton boss David Moyes was only able to make two loan signings on deadline day and it remains to be seen whether he will be given any money to strengthen in January.
Yet Cahill insists Arteta's sale was good for the club as it raised valuable funds to keep them afloat.
"It is difficult for everyone but the reality is this is football, this is what we live in," he said.
"If we had a couple of hundred million like they do across the park at Liverpool it would be a different story, but it is not.
"It is hard, Mikky was one of my closest friends and someone I admire a lot, but the whole scenario was right for everyone.
"Mikky might go on to play for his national team and he is going to play in the Champions League, which is something he wanted.
"It is also good for the club. He is off the books and raised a lot of money.
"We never want to lose a player like that that has given so much to the club but we want to make sure this club is alive for years to come."
Source: AFP
