I've been at this for 20 years now.
I've won a few fights, I've lost a few fights but I'm still here.
From the second I was signed professionally I've been in that environment - whether I
was first choice or second choice.
I've learned over the course of time that my biggest competition is myself.
I think it's a myth by people who have never put the gloves on
that the other goalkeepers push you to be better.
I don't think that's a thing.
I think if a goalkeeper drives you to be better in training, I think you're in the wrong profession.
He's seen a lot, he's been around a lot, he's getting older.
He's still an unbelievably, super fit athlete and his body is still in fantastic condition.
I think the goalkeeping position, athletically, has grown.
A lot more has been asked of goalkeepers to try and be a sweeper keeper.
To be able to read the game in a way that you're playing higher off your line,
that you can stop any through balls, you have the pace and the power to get there
but also the football IQ to read situations.
In terms of goalkeepers psychical build,
these goalkeepers nowadays are just as lean as any outfield player - sometimes more, believe it or not.
Tim is unbelievably athletic.
His biggest strength is his ability to find great spots, great angles
break down quickly and make the saves - the big saves - that keep his teams in games.
We do a lot of handling and footwork to keep his hands and feet very clean.
He's obviously got very good feet, left and right foot - he's very comfortable on the ball.
So, we've really just tried to hone in on that in the last 12 months.
I think the crowd noise just becomes a murmur.
You may pick up one or two voices but even in that particular moment, you're focused on something else.
With experience, I've learned to drown that out and really put all my concentration
into everything else which comes with the game and nothing to do with outside factors.
The biggest thing for me, and I really hammer this into my young goalkeepers,
is the concentration in training sessions.
It's very hard for goalkeepers to replicate a lot of the stuff they do in games in a goalkeeping session.
They get that from an 11v11 or an 8v8 or a 9v9 in a training session.
A lot of the things we do with the goalkeepers is about footwork and handling on angle, crosses - all that stuff.
Sometimes there aren't bodies around you, it's not at game speed.
The one thing Tim has that any world-class goalkeeper has is a switch inside him that can turn on or off in a blink of an eye.
Anytime Tim steps onto the football field, whether it's the training pitch or a game,
he has a switch which turn on.
For any young goalkeeper watching him, that switch is what I would like a lot of kids to work towards.
Again, I've long since distanced myself from external factors.
I know now, at 38, there will be moments I can't control and there will be some moments I can.
I try and focus on the moments I can. If I'm
If I'm playing well I'll keep going.
If I've conceded a goal, I'll try and not concede another.
The presence Tim has as a goalkeeper is something that is very hard to emulate on a CD or a film.
I say it to the goalkeepers at the club all the time - from the 11's to the 18's at the youth club.
If you can get to our games and watch from the warm-up to the end of the game, watch
how Tim handles himself, handles his team-mates, controls game tempo. These are things which
sometimes come with age, sometimes come with experience and come with learning from the very best.
I think patience in the moment is critical.
When I think about it, you have to read the game really well.
You have to be in the right spot psychically.
The best saves I've made have been at crucial times in the game.
I can always remember just being patient and patience could be a spilt second.
Being able to stand up longer or to get to an angle quicker.
That for me makes great saves.
If I'm watching a film of Tim and giving it to a young goalkeeper,
I'm telling him to watch his patience when he's playing and his angles.
His starting positions are fantastic and his ability to stay locked into the
game to make sure he's always switched on, to be in the best positions he can possibly
can for any scenario.
I enjoy making saves but I enjoy the side cerebral of the game more.
During the week, especially during the course of the 90 minutes, trying to put players in the right
position, seeing and thinking before it happens and being the eyes and ears for the other
defenders. I get joy out of that.