Tim Howard joined Everton as it carried less pressure

Tony Coton hits out at former Blues goalkeeper and a supposed reluctance to work on his game

Coton, 56, insists that he and Howard parted on good terms when the player moved to the Blues but later fell out after an article in which he declared his biggest disappointment had been that the American didn’t develop into the Manchester United goalkeeper he thought he would.

Coton said: “When I woke up one morning and turned on my mobile phone, I had a voicemail waiting for me.

“Howard had called at some godforsaken hour, knowing full well that I would be fast asleep, and had left a message that made it clear I wouldn’t be getting a Christmas card that year.

“I thought he was being a bit precious, but I really didn’t want to fall out with someone I both respected and liked, so I rang him back.

“There was no answer, so I left a voicemail. When I didn’t get a call back I left another voicemail. Nothing, so I sent a text. Then another text. Tim obviously doesn’t believe that it’s good to talk.”



While still working together, Coton believes that Howard’s supposed issues on the pitch had come from an alteration in his technique.

He said: “He suddenly started playing ‘bigger’ when he was between the sticks, moving forward so that his only option to make a save was to block the ball, rather than staying that little bit deeper so that he had the option to make a catch or tip it away.

“Basically, he was so traumatised by the thought of making another mistake that he was playing it safe. It was a worrying development that had to be addressed.

“It might look like a minor change in technique to the layman, but every member of United’s backroom team recognised it as a tell-tale sign that Tim wasn’t in a good place mentally.”



Coton claims that Howard didn’t take kindly to attempts to analyse his game and added: “He was living in denial - always a worrying sign for a coach because players should be open to using all the technology and sports science at their disposal to improve, even when they feel at the top of their game.

“It became clear to me that Tim now wanted to take all the decision-making out of his game just in case he chose the wrong option again. That’s not how world-class goalkeepers perform.

“We spent the next twelve months trying to find a cure for Howard’s neurosis, but it was a painful and unsuccessful process.”

Liverpool Echo