Source: Liverpool_Echo
Sylvain Distin has proved a value for money 30-something says Everton boss David Moyes
Sylvain Distin 300[LNB]HE may ply his trade in the freezing mud and thunder of the English Premier League, but the sunny disposition of a balmy island heritage is never far from Sylvain Distin.[LNB]Always quick to flash a broad grin in conversation, the laid back 33-year-old, whose family hail from the French-owned tropical island of Guadeloupe, is a popular and respected figure in the Everton dressing room, as much for his sense of perspective as for his wealth of experience.[LNB]Some eyebrows were raised when David Moyes invested a not inconsiderable chunk of the £22m Joleon Lescott money on the services of the then Portsmouth centre-half in 2009, but Distin has rarely looked anything but a shrewd acquisition since.[LNB]He was singled out for criticism earlier in the season largely due to a shaky 20-minute spell of defending in the dramaic 3-3 draw with Manchester United, but refused to let that ruin his confidence.[LNB] And that's why the French man-mountain is reluctant to heed the growing praise he has received for a string of superb performances at the heart of David Moyes's defence lately.[LNB]Distin was typically outstanding under the mounting second half pressure at Manchester City last Monday, and could well be the first name on David Moyes' team-sheet as he looks to let the air out of West Ham's tyres tomorrow at Upton Park.[LNB]'I don't pay much attention to it,' he says. 'Good or bad criticism - I try to keep my mind clear of it.[LNB]'You know how football is. Tomorrow I could have a bad game and the same people who have been singing my praises will bury me, so I try to just be consistent and focus on myself.'[LNB]Distin believes the win at Eastlands was perfectly timed to boost Everton ahead of two games in six days.[LNB]'The confidence was already there,' he added.[LNB]'Mentally it was difficult because we were playing quite well without getting the results.