Everton FC always fight to the end: Sylvain Distin

11 December 2012 00:00
Everton defender Sylvain Distin believes the club has an inherent winning mentality which is impossible to ignore.

And the Frenchman admits if, as a player, you do not grasp it within a couple of weeks of arriving manager David Moyes is quick to point it out to you. The players’ never-day-die attitude was exemplified in their last-gasp 2-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday when Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic scored within 88 seconds of each other to secure a deserved three points after Clint Dempsey’s deflected opener against the run of play.

“We always believe we can win and we proved it again,” said the centre-back, who stressed they were not happy to settle for a draw after Pienaar’s 90th-minute equaliser.

“We were unfortunate with the goal we conceded but we never stopped believing and we always kept fighting.

“We don’t have to think about it, that is the mentality at Everton and after two weeks at the club that is how you behave because you follow the rest of the squad.

“Whether we are 1-0 down or 2-0 up, we play from the first second to the last second.

“Personally I’ve always been like that but if you are a player who is not too much like that you change your attitude pretty quickly and you follow everyone going in the same direction.

“When you join a club like Everton it feels like home after two weeks and it comes naturally – if not you have the gaffer on your back at the end of the game and you don’t want that.”

The win was only the second in 10 matches but it restored Everton’s place in the top four. Distin insists their current position is not something the squad currently think about but their Champions League dreams may start to materialise if they still occupy a top-four slot in a month’s time.

Source: liverpool_echo