When Tim Howard limped out of the Stoke game at Goodison on Boxing Day, groans could be heard amongst the Goodison faithful as Joel Robles stepped in to replace him. I was one of them, as Robles’ prior appearances between the sticks had failed to fill any of us with any confidence. Whether it was letting Gaston Ramirez’s seemingly simple shot go straight through his grasp last season or completely losing his bearings as in the loss to Krasnodar, we all feared the worst. An out of sorts Tim Howard was still better than Joel Robles, so we all thought.
Fast forward a few months though, and the change around has been quite remarkable. After a shaky start against Newcastle and Hull, Joel quickly found his feet, putting in impressive displays in the cup games against West Ham and in the league against Manchester City. 3 clean sheets then followed against West Brom, Palace and Liverpool equaling Howard’s tally in the league. We appeared to have regained some sort of defensive solidity. It was slightly surprising, then, that Howard was thrown straight back in against Chelsea. In the six games Howard has played since his return, we haven’t kept a single clean sheet. Some of the goals conceded haven’t been his fault, but a lot of them have and this has left many Evertonians scratching their heads as to why he keeps getting played when he is clearly out of form. It’s not like he was playing well before he got injured either, so it’s hard to justify his consistent selection.
Martinez has stated it is, quite simply, because he is number 1. This unequivocal support for player, though admirable, is slightly concerning. We’ve seen a similar pattern with Gareth Barry this season. No matter how badly he’s playing, he’ll still get picked regardless. I don’t see how that is healthy for squad competition. You look at what Rodgers did with Mignolet when he was clearly struggling, he took him out and when he was required again, he came back revitalised and refocused. Surely it has to be best for all concerned that Howard is taken out of the firing line. He isn’t a bad keeper, but he’s been an ever-present for 8 or so seasons now with little or no competition and so perhaps subconsciously he’s began to rest on his laurels a bit. Perhaps he still hasn’t recovered fully from the World Cup or maybe that’s just a convenient excuse, I don’t know. Whatever the reason, his consistent presence in the side, in my opinion, is sending out all the wrong messages.
As for Joel, I’m not saying he’s the long term answer, he has only played a few games and still has plenty to prove, but he was going some way to showing us what he can do with his recent run in the side. He now finds himself playing second fiddle again to someone playing poorly, and I just hope his confidence doesn’t take a hit as a result.
I always thought Moyes was a stickler for his favourites, but Martinez seems just as bad, if not worse. As a result, this article has been written more in hope than expectation. His injury was the perfect time to take him out of the firing line for a sustained period, and the form of Joel meant there was no need to rush him back in. But straight back in he came, and we’ve suffered for it. Whether Howard can play his way out of this season-long slump remains to be seen.
