This is why he is in this team and this is why he is not.

I am talking of Tim Cahill, Everton’s best player in last two seasons, and Wayne Rooney, once a glamorous prospect in royal blue.

Last night, we played Millwall in a FA Cup third-round tie at home. Thanks for Tim Cahill’s goal, Everton finally saw off the south London club and secured the date with the runaway Premiership leader, Chelsea, at Goodison Park next weekend.

The Aussie midfielder understood the importance of his second-half clincher. His forth in five games prevented us from being ousted in all cup competitions at the very early stage in the same season.

Usually, after scoring a goal, Tim would run to the corner flag and practice his new routine for celebration.

This was unseen last night.

Not because he joined the doubters who believed the winner was an Alan Dunne’s own goal, Tim Cahill stopped himself celebrating because it was against his old club Millwall. The Australian helped the Championship side to the FA Cup final two seasons ago and secured his move to Everton on the back of that famous run.

Tim learnt his trade during his seven years’ stay in the south London club. He knew that he could get carried away with celebrations, for a moment he had a thought and decided not to go mad and just paid his respects to the club that gave him his start in the game. Clearly, to celebrate would have been a kick in the teeth. It is all about respect.

When one scores, the initial reaction is to celebrate. But because he has respect for Millwall he was very restrained last night. That clearly said to Millwall that he appreciates what the club have done for him.

The same cannot be said when talking of Wayne Rooney, unfortunately.

Raised up and nurtured in Everton’s Academy, Mr Rooney made his name on the stage of football when he did what Ronaldinho had done to David Seaman in World Cup 2002 in October 2003. That was the most wonderful goal of 2003/04 season and this most wonderful goal helped his boyhood football club beat all the odds to halt the famous unbeaten run of Arsenal.

From then onwards, under the careful mentoring of David Moyes, Mr Rooney fine-tuned his skill that could earn him tons of tons of gold coins weeks after weeks, games after games. When the rumour of leaving Goodison Park, the football ground he has had many cherished memories since his boyhood days, was first heard, he vowed to stay and remarked, “Once a Blue, always a Blue.”

In the time when the statement of “once a man, always a man” can also go wrong, Mr Rooney’s remark is an obvious lie.

After being the only star that shined in the England’s squad for European Championship 2004, all Evertonians sensed that the exit of this homegrown prospect seemed inevitable.

In September 2004, in the advice of those greedy agents, Mr Rooney decided not to re-new his contract with Everton and left manager David Moyes with no choice but selling him at the highest price offered at that rush moment of time. On his way to Lancashire, the remark of “Once a Blue, Always a Blue” had long been forgotten in the mind of the Merseyside boy. When he was introduced to the crowd in Old Trafford, he revealed he left Everton for Manchester United because he wanted to experience the so-called taste of European football in a more regular manner.

It is never a surprise when football players choose their destinations for bigger money in consideration of their very short working lives. But we have to always remember our root. Without our root, we could never be the ones who are now standing here.

Last August, in the season opener, Mr Rooney led the Red Devils to Goodison Park.

While wondering, "Did no one tell Yobo Rooney had left?" after the re-start of the game, the people in the stand saw the ugliest scene on the field. Mr Rooney the wind-up man, who had just put the game to 2-0 through the gift of his former colleague, slalomed over the pristine turf towards spectators less than pleased to see his celebrations.

Tim Cahill is right. (So is Sven Ericksson. Smile.) It is all about respect.

This is why Everton is a People’s Club and this is why Manchester United is one of the American conglomerates.

This is why Mr Rooney is our common enemy.