EXCLUSIVE: Tim Howard speaks to ECHO Everton reporter Chris Beesley as the Blues prepare for their final Premier League Summer Series fixture
Former Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard
Former Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Tim Howard is in awe of how his former manager is now inspiring a new generation of players at Everton. The David Moyes he played under would not have been able to thrive in the modern game, he believes. Which makes his impact over recent years all the more remarkable to the ex-Blues keeper, who concluded: "He’s found a way to adapt while still staying true to who he is."
Only multiple title winners, Sir Alex Ferguson, who first brought the USA international to England when he signed him for Manchester United in 2003, and Arsene Wenger, have now managed more Premier League games than Moyes. Having returned to Goodison Park in January, the Glaswegian is now taking charge of some players who weren’t even born when he dubbed Everton “The People’s Club” upon his appointment over 23 years ago.
Although the Premier League Summer Series has been tough so far for the Blues, the pre-season campaign follows six months in which Moyes galvanised Everton to quickly put fears of relegation behind them. It was the latest success in Moyes' distinguished career and Howard is blown away by how he has reinvented himself without having to compromise his principles.
He told the ECHO: “I look at his West Ham team, and he had really good success there, with regular European football and winning the UEFA Conference League. I just think it’s a testament to who he is because while he’s a no-nonsense manager, you couldn’t take the old David Moyes into the new era. He’s found a way to adapt while still staying true to who he is. He’s an incredible character in terms of his integrity and he knows how to win football matches.
“I think what gets lost in today’s global football world is people latching on to what’s in vogue in terms of styles and tactics. I try and tell people: ‘Listen, there are so many different ways to win a football match and it doesn’t have to look any particular way.’ Fans like winning and if you want someone who’s a winner, David Moyes can line his team up to get a result as that comes down to adaptability and he has that.”
With the manager having admitted he'd have expected to have done more deals by this point of the summer, the 46-year-old outlined the traits new signings will need to possess and said: “He is very much a tough love kind of manager. The reason he has had so much success is because when he brings players into a club, he believes in them wholeheartedly.
“When you do that, you create a trust and a bond. You don’t want to let him down and it ensures the teams therefore play the way he sees it. In modern football, where things are very transactional, he’s found a way to get the best out of players from a human side. There’s a buy-in, and he does that through trusting in players and bringing players to the club who he believes in.
“He’s a big character guy. You can be a top, top player, but if you don’t have the proper character, he’s not that interested and you have to possess a bit of both.”
As well as being a big fan of pre-season training in the US, Moyes is also understood to appreciate the characters of American players. Howard said: “Before me he had Brian McBride and after bringing in myself, we also had Landon [Donovan] for a couple of loan spells. While he couldn’t fill the team full of Americans, I think he enjoys and appreciates the mentality of the US sportsman and we had that, so it attracted him to us and vice versa.”
For the man from North Brunswick, New Jersey, signing for the Blues was all about understanding a certain mindset and now that he feels part of that group, the move from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium gives him optimism for the future. Howard said: “When I got to Everton, I was around the likes of Alan Stubbs, Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman. I wanted to be an Evertonian, I yearned for it, and I wanted to put the work in to gain that respect.
“Over 10 years I did that, and I think if you’re a Blue then Goodison is in your heart, it means everything to you. But what I would say is that other big clubs like Everton have moved on.
“Arsenal have done it, and Tottenham have done it – not without growing pains – but they’ve done it and have had success, and Everton is no different. Of course, leaving Goodison is sad, but the new dawn is also exciting.
“It feels good. I think it’s exciting times for the club, whether the owners are American or not. The fact that I’m an American and played for Everton, and what Everton means to me, to my career and my life, it’s nice to have American ownership who understand the club and care about the club, and who will want to lead it into the future in the right way.”
Since departing Everton in 2016 Howard has seen former team-mate Seamus Coleman (currently 369) overtake his total (354) for top spot when it comes to most Premier League appearances for the club. However, ahead of Everton’s final fixture at Goodison Park, the Republic of Ireland international told the ECHO that he reckoned Jordan Pickford (currently 293) would eventually eclipse them both.
Howard hailed the contribution in recent seasons from his latest goalkeeping successor at the Blues, who has been number one for both club and country since 2017. Pickford's consistency came sharply into focus when he was rested at Soldier Field as new understudy Mark Travers' mistake gifted West Ham their equaliser.
He said: “When you’re England number one, you’re going to be under the most powerful microscope. I don’t know what criticisms have been levelled at Jordan Pickford that you couldn’t level at any other goalkeeper who plays in the Premier League, barring perhaps just one or two. Jordan has been fantastic for the club. He’s almost single-handedly at times kept the club in the Premier League.
“While that might sound a bit unfair to some of the other members of the squad as they’ve pulled their weight as well, Jordan has been the star player among the group.”