Tim Howard: The gift that keeps on giving

As we approach Christmas, everyone looks forward to what gifts they will unwrap and the surprises that are waiting for them under the Christmas tree.

Tim Howard has been particularly generous this year and not waited until Christmas to provide gifts. The American has been handing out presents to Everton’s opposition for most of the season in the form of goals in the back of the net.

Unfortunately the gifts are also no longer a surprise. They have become a regular occurrence with Howard between the sticks.

The form of Tim Howard is nothing new, I wrote on the decline of Tim Howard just under two months ago. What is amazing however is how Howard still finds himself in the Everton line-up as the preferred goalkeeper.

The inability of Roberto Martinez to drop Howard is absolutely baffling. Martinez himself is also coming under pressure with Everton’s season in danger of slipping away.

So has the performance of Tim Howard improved at all in recent times? No clean sheet in over a month, eight goals conceded in the last four games would certainly suggest the answer is a resounding no.

What continues to be a major concern is Howard’s inability to deal with set pieces and watching Everton defending corners is akin to someone learning the controls of FIFA for the first time.

The last time back-up keeper Joel Robles made an appearance for Everton was the Capital One triumph over Middlesbrough at the start of December, in which Everton kept a clean sheet. Last year Robles had limited chances but had a run of games when Tim Howard was injured. After three consecutive clean sheets in a row, Robles was dropped as soon as Howard was available again.

As usual Everton are linked with a lot of players as we approach the January transfer window, including goalkeepers. Latest media speculation suggests Everton are battling Liverpool for Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. Everton generally support their players through thick and thin but Tim Howard has not helped himself with comments in recent weeks, almost a refusal to admit any blame and unhappy with any criticism directed towards him from fans.

While the initial plan may have been for Howard to finish up at the end of the season, the preference should be to make a change as soon as possible. If Everton can bring in a new keeper this will certainly be welcomed. If not, there are still more benefits of giving Robles an extended run in the team over Tim Howard.

As Robles showed last year when given a chance. Tim Howard has been a wonderful servant, but time is up and it was up a long time ago.