Interesting question came up today for Everton and United States National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard. It centered around the transition from David Moyes to Roberto Martinez in Everton. This is obviously going to be two of the top storylines heading into the Premier League season. When you have changes at the top of these two marquee clubs, it lends itself to endless analysis.
Here’s how the media question was phrased: “How would you characterize this preseason under Roberto Martinez and how the team’s shaping up versus previous seasons under David Moyes?”
Tim Howard: “Well, it’s shaping up good. Trainings have been intense. At the end of the day, it’s preseason so fatigue sets in during matches, but that’s to be expected. Change is good, but I think the tough part about change is that everyone is having to get on the same page.
The manager and his staff need to learn the players, and the players have to learn the new system and new personalities on the staff, though that part has been a pretty seamless transition, and we’re been excited about that.”
Howard’s response was a bit longer, but the rest of his responses was just cliches.
David Moyes became manager of Everton in March 2002, and with him at the helm they qualified for the Champions League in 2005; reaching the FA Cup final in 2009. After a decade with the club, David Moyes received praise from many fellow managers including Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and Kenny Dalglish. Following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as Manchester United manager after 26 years in the position, David Moyes was appointed his successor. He began his tenure as Manchester United manager on 1 July 2013, a six-year contract. Moyes’ got off to a bad start in his first game, losing 1–0 to a Thai All-Star XI in Bangkok, but they responded well with a 5–1 win over an A-League All Stars team in the next match.
In 2007 he retired from playing to become manager of Swansea City, leading them to become League One Champions. He then joined Wigan Athletic in 2009, helping the club avoid relegation for three consecutive seasons. In his fourth season Wigan were relegated, but won the FA Cup for the first time. At the end of the 2012–13 season he left to become the manager at Everton.
Tim Howard was on conference call to discuss NBC Sports Premier League coverage, which will make all 380 PL games available in the U.S.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, a Fox Sports affiliate. He is also an analyst for 95.7 The Fan, and writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. President Obama follows his Twitter account (@PaulMBanks)