Martinez not thinking about Howard's future

Someone who always gets beat at his near post.

Someone who never commands his area, stands still on his line and watches the ball fly over him.

Someone who never saves pens.

Someone who gets credit for stopping shots that are right at him. (That a simple thing to do)

Someone who does these daft star jumps.

Someone who never, ever speaks to his defence. (I sit few rows up in Park End so can hear, sorry can't hear anything from him)

Someone who has the worst decision making ever.

Surprising Moyes stuck with him for so long. He will be moving on come the summer.

It's Martinez's future on the line now after the 18 month lapse of judgement in playing him.

Begovic would be a great signing to compete with Joel.

If we get Begovic then for his own sake Robles needs to go somewhere he will get a game.

The defense has been more solid but I also don't recall any brilliant saves either since he's been in. But that could be down to marshaling the defense better - only time will tell.

With TH certain to go in he summer, we'll need a top quality keeper either to challenge Robles or to start. The remainder of the season might be interesting in this position, because if we continue to leak goals, the chance of keeping Rom, Ross, Del boy and Stones will diminish with each underwhelming result.

I agree with some of what you say but to say he doesn't save penalties is a bit off the mark. A quick search would suggest in his Everton career he has saved 11 out of 30 pens faced, not a bad record at all. Correct me if I’m wrong (I’ll hold my hands up and scamper in to the corner happily).

As for Robles, he has been second or third best always. Heck, he isn’t even first at being a goalkeeper named Robles.

Certainly dispels some of the cronyism debate. Well done, Roberto, I say.

Howard should play the last home game of the season, and we should give him a good send off for his 10 years loyal service.

In the last 18 months, Howard has certainly lost his way, and had been slowly declining in Moyes’s last couple of seasons, while remaining a solid keeper.

For a long time he was one of the top 6 keepers in the league; while never world class, he has been good and one of the reasons for our defensive solidity under Moyes.

After Southall left, we had an awful time: Gerrard, Simonsen, Myhre, Wright... None of them fit to tie Howard’s laces.

For one wonderful season, we were graced with Martyn. Apart from that, Tim has been our best keeper since Southall.

Has he left a legacy? No. Of course Martinez is over-doing it, no trophies nor any real tangible success. Yet, he was keeper during our best period in the Premier League.

For a long time, he was one of the areas that didn’t need replacing. We had Howard so for keeper we were OK; midfielders and strikers always remaining priorities.

Now that has changed, we need a new keeper. This is unanimous, but to go over the top and call a decent servant to the club ’useless’ is unfair.

All keepers make mistakes, even Neuer. Southall made his share of clangers but it is the consistent solidity that a keeper is judged by. Howard has been a decent keeper for us, but his time is up.

Ospina? Really? Yet another back-up keeper.

Szczesny? It is not hard to find a long list of his mistakes and points cost. Where is he playing now? Several here claim Howard was crap that is why Man Utd got rid of him (Not the version from SAF when asked last year while over here). Howard was a young keeper about Robles age and certainly about Szczesny's age when that happened.

Szczesny was benched and then loaned out because of his errors and form, so why would you want him for Everton when that is exactly what some hold against Howard?

Out of interest, when Howard eventually leaves Everton, will you give up your interest in the club?

That said, he also had a defence that put body and soul into keeping Arsenal out.

I didn’t take a break between the two and don’t intend on doing so now. I wonder, if the Americans buy the club if, with the respect I feel you are due given your comment, whether you will though?

He is not very good now but to dismiss his entire career is just embarrassing to the fans in all honesty.

Andy Rankin, George Wood, Bobby Mimms, Thomas Myhre were all good but no world-beaters.

So for me, Tim Howard has been a loyal servant, a very good (but flawed) keeper but who has declined noticeably over the last two years. I will remember him fondly. It’s not his fault that the manager has continued to pick him when his current limitations are there for all to see.

Even the greatest of them all, Big Nev, played on a season or two too long but nobody dwells too much on those dodgy seasons. It should be the same with Howard. Remember him for when he was at his best. Let’s move on with Robles or whoever without disparaging Howard.

Tim certainly deserves more respect than he has been afforded by some fans on ToffeeWeb although I do think Roberto has not helped by prolonging his tolerance of clear inadequacy.

He’s obviously lost his way the last year or so and in the summer he should be moved on. However, I will not hold any bitterness towards him; he gave us plenty of years of stability and for that I am thankful. I wish him well, wherever he goes.

ps: Let’s keep Robles and go for one of the many decent and young German keepers that are around at the moment instead of Begovic. Then let them scrap it out for the Number 1 spot!

Was that a line in Boys from the Blackstuff?

Out of interest who was the American player who turned you onto supporting Everton, Jim? Was it Brian McBride, Joe Max-Moore or Landon Donovan.

I see you’re a Begovic fan. Interesting choice. I think he’s a great goalkeeper on his day and strangely kind of like Tim Howard in a lot of ways in that his errors are his undoing. If the rumours are true and we went in for him this summer, I still think he’d be an upgrade on Howard, even though there’s a few keepers I’d want ahead of him.

I had heard of Everton before and seen a couple of games. My oldest son’s parent/coach was an Irish Evertonian supporter and he educated me as to Everton When Moore left MLS to go there, I started tuning in, so my real interest started in 2000. Evertonians could have seen him with two good knees, I think he would have been a favorite at Goodison Park.

As to Begovic, yes, I like him as a goalkeeper. If I had my choice, I would put Rimando in his prime into any goal for any team I was managing. Great with his hands and his feet and came for everything. A better field player than his defenders and mids on most of his teams. He was too small to get a good look internationally or even on the USMNT with Keller and Brad and Howard.

I always wondered if his hispanic background counted against him with some of our coaches. Incredibly, he was never an MLS keeper of the year but not because of his stats. Heard Ray Hudson waxing eloquently about him several times as he coached him in Florida.

Also, I do like Robles, but the one who plays for New York.

Anyone who puts Howard in any positive top 5 list is clueless. He was in the right place at the right time to make a very nice career for himself. Can't blame anyone for doing that, but he is just a shockingly poor keeper, and at his very best was below average.

Even comparing him to some of our previous shockers like Wright and Gerrard is uncomfortable. They had short stints, but at their best I'd pick them every time over the starfish.

"He was too small to get a look internationally or even on the USMNT"

Recognising the contradiction here Jim ?

"Better field player than his defenders and Mids on most of his teams"

Look Jim, despite the nonsense you regularly spout on here, I know you are a keen coach, so I refuse to accept that you will never get this footy lark.

He's a suggestion, if the guy is too short to play in goal, but is better in defence and midfield than everyone else... Stop putting the little fucker in goal!

I think the 2 Arsenal reserve keepers are good keepers. There’s no shame in being kept out by Peter Cech.

To be honest, Howard has been a good keeper for us, and he was in a similar position at Man Utd when we bought him. He was a good keeper for around 8 of the 10 years we have had him, but unfortunately the stats from the last 2 years tell you his time is up.

I think Ospina or Szczesny would be a big improvement on Howard at present, but then again so would Begovic. I think the Arsenal keepers just edge Begovic, but then that’s just my opinion.

Both Begovic and Schezeny are guilty of high profile errors. As are most goalkeepers to be honest. I think Ospina may be the best of the three and had comfortably the best stats in the Premier League when he had a good run in Arsenal's team last season, he is keen to leave and at £5m or so is great value.

I hope Robles continues to improve with time and growing confidence. He is big and young, with excellent distribution normally. The rest of the season will be a great trial for him to see if he’s really up to being our Number 1.

Jim, nothing wrong with defending Howard, for his past, but surely if you want Everton to win, you have to acknowledge we have more chance, with Tim, sitting on the sidelines.

Not just Howard here, but every player. The money is fucking obscene in football, I wonder how many players are prepared to even put a little bit back?

I think Brain McBride would have been an excellent signing in his prime. He went on for a few more seasons with Fulham after his loan with us so it makes you wonder what could have been if we’d have picked him up in his mid-20s. He did a good job for us, as did Donovan who would have been another great signing if we’d have turned the loan into a signing after the first loan period.

I also thought Joe-Max Moore was a decent signing by Walter Smith. I think he only cost about £300k and he scored a few goals. I think Joe-Max Moore was the last Everton player to score in 4 consecutive games until Rom went on his goal run this season.

I think there was still a bit of stigma about American players being good enough when we signed Moore in 2000. They were still seen as a bit of a novelty and the only other player at that point who had made the grade was John Harkes at Sheffield Wednesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDhRFm_fmnc

Go to 55 seconds, or earlier to see Kenny Sansom have a stinker, or Ray Wilkins looking spritely.

You continuing to support the Blues will not upset me one little bit, I may very seldom agree with you but you are still one of us and the more the merrier.