"It's never as bad as the papers say, and it's never as good as the papers say," Tim says, leaning back on a couch in his game room, one foot propped up against the pool table. "I'm a big believer in looking yourself in the mirror, and I'm always going to own up to my mistakes. Did I lose us games? No, no. Did I contribute to it? Yes. But it takes 11 of us to win and 11 of us to lose. Having said that, a goalkeeper is a very convenient scapegoat. Absolutely, positively. I understand that."
Some reports I'd read suggested that the Tourette's Syndrome that afflicts Howard -- which to my eyes mostly causes him to involuntarily cough from time to time -- had flared up.
"That's ridiculous," Tim says. "But I know that if the papers write, 'Tim Howard's having a rest after years of playing,' that's not going to sell any papers. I understand 'sophomore jinx,' 'one-year wonder,' all those things that get written. I also know those make for good stories in the papers."
At the end of the day, Howard seems to refuse to let even the doom-and-gloom of Manchester -- the city that birthed Morrissey and The Smiths' legendary melancholy -- bring him down. He and his wife, Laura, keep their big screen TV glued to something called the North American Sports Network, catching the occasional NFL or college game. They're active in their local church. They dote on their dog, Clayton, a thick, rust-colored Vizsla who constantly drags blankets all over the house.
As evening falls, Tim pulls on an orange sweater and prepares to go to church for a bonfire to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night.
"For me it's really been about level-headedness," he says. He picks some lint off his brown slacks. "I'm too blessed. I don't let my family or friends say, 'Hey, you know, it's going to be OK.' I know it's going to be OK. I know it is. And I'm OK. I have a good perspective on things now. Sitting on the bench, and being one play away from being a starter again, there's a lot worse things going on in this world right now."
Surely Tim hasn't named his dog after United's former 'rust-coloured' midfielder could he?