The Men Between The Sticks

Everton FC - The View From My Seat

The Men Between The Sticks

Is Tim Howard just about done at the top level? Is Joel Robles ready for regular top flight football?

For me Tim Howard has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League for the last 5 or 6 years. The amount of times he's acted as a one man defence is incredible. Left exposed on far too many occasions he has performed some heroics over the years for Everton. He's a big character, speaks well and organises his defence.

Sometimes I'd go as far as saying he has been taken for granted. There are many teams that can't quite find that consistent performer and as we all know, all successful teams need a top keeper and that's what Howard has provided us with since he joined us. With all my respect and admiration for our current No.1 however, it has been in my mind for probably the last 12-18 months that due mainly to age, he can't go on forever. These thoughts have been springing to the front of my mind rather than being shoved right to the back via denial since the start of this season.

Is it a bad patch or are all the signs now there that Howard really is coming to end of his career at Premier League level. A couple of years in the MLS to finish off may be on the horizon and then back to Everton as a coach? For me the biggest sign has been the lack of commanding his area, not just the 18 yard box, his 6 yard box!! We must have conceded at least 3 goals already this season from headers inside our 6 yard box. For me anything in the air that close to the goal has to be the keepers ball doesn't it? Howard has always been an athletic keeper, is his body starting to not quite recover in time between games or is there a lack of confidence in his game at the moment. I'm sure time will tell through the course of the season but his form suggests he's not quite at the level we've become accustomed to from our Captain America.

Image:RedBubble.com

Despite a few downfalls creeping into Howard's game, he has still made a few quality saves, I don't want any of my comments to suggest doom and gloom and that he's gone from great to garbage over night, Tim Howard is still a quality goalkeeper, just a keeper that is making a couple more errors than we'd expect and if we are to push on we can't afford any extra errors.

Talking of moving on, our next generation. We look around our youthful squad and have the likes of Stones, Galloway, Browning, Barkley, Deulofeu and Lukaku, are we ready for a change in goal too? If we are is Joel Robles the man to step up?

My opinion of Joel since he first donned the Everton goalkeeper shirt has been that not only did I believe he is NOT our man moving forward but I was unsure as to how he's actually a professional goalkeeper that's found his way to the Premier League. Harsh statement I know. I remember Robles playing for Wigan in the cup final, a man of the match performance against Man City. I thought 'he looks half decent'. Then he played for Everton and his whole demeanour looked awfully strange. The way he moved, ran, kicked, came rushing off his line, all looked like a tall slim gangly non-player! I have made the statement before that nobody could convince me that Joel Robles is anywhere near good enough to play for Everton Football Club. Nobody apart from Joel Robles that is. The performance this week against Norwich in the Capital One Cup has admittedly made an impression, a dent if you like into my unwaivering feelings for him. I know he played OK for about 4 matches last season whilst Howard was injured but last season was all a blur and the whole team had a strange time all season. Those performances though were just OK, nothing extraordinary.

Image:Zimbio.com

Looking at the bigger picture and putting myself in Roberto Martinez's brown shoes, do I call time to Howard's first choice status, do I put Robles in and give him time to prove himself.... Or do I look to bring in a new face? Well for me I'd be making a few enquiries into the availability of a new face, Jack Butland, England's future No.1 you'd expect went to Stoke for approx £5M, that's a bargain! Can we prise him away? Does Ruddy want to come back? What's happening with Asmir Begovic... Are these few mentioned better than Robles, can Robles show once given a good decent fair run of games he is in fact a credible No.1?

The way he kicked the ball, palmed Norwich efforts away from the danger area, commanded his area, released the ball quickly to begin counter attacks and saved a penalty, all go some way to proving that Martinez's comments were true, that Joel Robles has been working harder than ever behind the scenes to improve all aspects of his game. For a goalkeeper he's still young, still has a lot to learn, he's at our club, he seems a good lad, do we give him a chance, if so when?

I can't decide, I'm a fan of Howard and unsure of Robles, but a believer in youth and chances. Go on Bobby stick him in let's see what's what, if it doesn't work out then we know where to put our money in the summer.

I'd love to know your thoughts, Howard or Robles for the remainder of the season?

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