It has been a nice, quiet start to the international break. Everton have gone into it on the back of a win, they are unbeaten and, generally, it’s all a bit positive at the moment.
So, it’s very, very Everton for there to suddenly be a bit of a flashpoint of drama.
This time, it was Tim Cahill who has chosen to put his foot in it with (at least a big section of) the fanbase.
Cahill spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside’s Giulia Bould, who quizzed him on his thoughts over The Friedkin Group’s position, and whether he feels they are genuinely invested in Everton.
He said: “Of course [they are].
“And you’ve got to be careful what you wish for. You don’t hear from them? What does that mean? Do you want a phone call to make sure everything’s okay, or do you want a beautiful stadium with a great-running business. The football’s going well; the representatives [of TFG] are there.
“I feel like, when we did hear from the owners, who were at every game, we were nearly getting relegated.
“When I was at Everton, Bill Kenwright was getting asked to sell the club, to bring in investment, so [he] did [sell]. What happened? Everyone’s seen what happened in the last five years before this group.
“Now, there’s some stability. Football’s now a business, whether we like it or not, we can look at Tottenham, spending over £300M, and the difficulties they’re having. The difficulties Manchester United are having.
“I don’t go to every game and I don’t live in the city, but I understand the fans’ frustration. But right now, I’m not really bothered if I don’t know who the owners are. What I am bothered [about] is when I go to the stadium, and I loved Goodison Park, but now it’s like ‘Wow, we actually have the best stadium in the city’. We have an amazing training ground that needs to be developed again. We have infrastructure in play for a brighter future.
“When you say ‘Looking for investment’, tell me a club now that’s not looking for investment.”
There’s a fair bit to unpack in there, but it has certainly caused something of a stir.
Now, I will say that I don’t think Cahill has said too much wrong. He was asked for his opinion and he has given it, and he does make some good points.
For example, it is absolutely correct to say that Evertonians would probably choose to have a well-run club, rather than having an owner spouting their mouth off in the media. Cahill’s also right to point out the difficulties that other clubs have had. He is right to suggest TFG have done some things well since they purchased the club in late 2024.
But come on, Tim. Wake up! Read the room.
Cahill will forever be one of my heroes. I was a child when he signed for Everton and, when he left, having scored 68 goals in 274 appearances, I was a young man.
That doesn’t mean I will agree with everything he says, though, or how he says it. And in this case, suggesting fans should be “careful what they wish for” comes across as ill-informed. Some of the other points he brings up, suggests he is simply not fully aware of what has actually annoyed Evertonians.
Yes, TFG should speak to the fans. They don’t need to go too far, and be going on national radio shows like Farhad Moshiri did, but Dan Friedkin and/or Ryan Friedkin should be making an effort. They should be turning up at at least one match — just last week, two Prime Ministers were in attendance for a League Cup match. Would that not have represented the perfect chance for Dan or Ryan to finally show their face?
TFG need to communicate with the fans because, frankly, they do seem to have lost interest, from the outside looking in. The people on the ground at the club are seemingly suggesting that the rug was essentially pulled from beneath them midway through the transfer window. TFG were the ones who elected to sell Harrison Armstrong, before the strength of the fans’ anger saw Dan personally pull the plug on that deal.
Fans deserve some open and honest communication.
There is also nothing wrong with TFG looking for outside investment, or even a full sale, but that doesn’t change that they should be stepping up and showing they still care while the club is theirs.
Cahill seemed to focus heavily on the stadium, yet it was Moshiri, for all his plethora of faults, who oversaw the construction of that ground. TFG bought the club when the stadium was built, and frankly, the club are still way short of fully capitalising on their magnificent new home, even if strides have been made.
And let’s not forget, as keen as Cahill was to decry the chaos of recent years pre-TFG, he played a small role in that. He advised Kenwright and Moshiri during January 2022, when Everton sacked Rafael Benitez and hired Frank Lampard.
Now, give Cahill his due, Lampard as a character was a good fit for Everton. He, unlike his successor, talked the club up and wanted the best. He connected with the fanbase. But, he wasn’t suited for the job at hand.
These comments should in no way tarnish Cahill’s Everton legacy, but, perhaps it would be worth him going out and actually learning why fans feel the way they do, rather than jumping to uninformed conclusions. He’s better than that.
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