Sylvain Distin has proved a value for money 30-something says Everton boss David Moyes

Sylvain Distin 300HE 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.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.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.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. 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.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.'I don't pay much attention to it,' he says. 'Good or bad criticism - I try to keep my mind clear of it.'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.'Distin believes the win at Eastlands was perfectly timed to boost Everton ahead of two games in six days.'The confidence was already there,' he added.'Mentally it was difficult because we were playing quite well without getting the results.

Source: Liverpool_Echo