Byline: DERICK ALLSOP
IF YOU want to get on the wrong side of Sylvain Distin, just suggest that Everton overperform, or punch above their weight.
There is no danger that the defender or his team-mates will carry ANY inferiority complex into Saturday's FA Cup semi-final. An indignant Distin said: 'I can never understand what is meant by overperforming. Does that mean we are supposed to be rubbish? 'It's not that it touches a nerve with me, but you could maybe overperform for one season or two if you are lucky - Everton tend to do it every season.'
For all that the Toffees mix it with the best, boss David Moyes craves silverware to show for his decade at Goodison Park. It's been 10 years on a shoestring compared to Liverpool, but Distin - an FA Cup winner with Portsmouth in 2008 - is undaunted. 'Maybe that shows it's not just about how much money you spend, it's how you spend it,' the 34-year-old Frenchman said. 'Not having a big squad means we are closer. Togetherness is our strength.'
But Distin is old enough and honest enough to admit that togetherness has its limits.
He added: 'We could say we want to win the FA Cup for the manager, but the truth is that as a player you think of yourself. My favourite moment would not be when the manager lifted the FA Cup... it would be when I lifted it.'
CAPTION(S):
CLOSE-KNIT: Howard and Distin
