Alan Stubbs

Personal information
Full name	Alan Stubbs
Date of birth	(1971-10-06) 6 October 1971 (age 40)
Place of birth	Kirkby, Merseyside, England
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1990–1996	Bolton Wanderers	202	(9)
1996–2001	Celtic	93	(3)
2001–2005	Everton	124	(3)
2005–2006	Sunderland	10	(1)
2006–2008	Everton	45	(3)
2008	Derby County	9	(1)
Total		483	(19)
National team‡
1994	England B	2	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:33, 12 March 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14:39, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

Alan Stubbs (born 6 October 1971 in Kirkby, Merseyside, England) is a retired English footballer who played as a centre back. He was forced to retire from professional football due to a troublesome knee injury on the 20 August 2008. The final match of his career was against Doncaster Rovers on 9 August 2008. Stubbs is now on the coaching staff at Everton.

Playing career[link]

Bolton Wanderers[link]

Stubbs started his career at Bolton Wanderers, turning professional in 1990 when they were members of the Football League Third Division. He played 23 league games that season but it was a disappointing first season at Burnden Park for Stubbs as his side missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference and were beaten by Tranmere Rovers in the playoff final. He remained a regular player in 1991-92 but this campaign brought further frustration as Bolton finished 13th in the Third Division and manager Phil Neal was dismissed to make way for Bruce Rioch.

Stubbs remained part of Rioch's plans as Bolton began 1992-93 in the new Division Two (following the creation of the FA Premier League and the renumbering of the three remaining Football League divisions) and scored twice in 42 league appearances as they sealed promotion as runners-up. He became club captain soon afterwards and in 1994-95 led them through their best season in years where they reached Wembley twice. The first visit to Wembley came in March, where they reached the Football League Cup final for the first time in their history, only to lose 2-1 to Liverpool. There was no shame in the result, however, as they lost to the first club to win the competition five times and one who finished fourth in the Premier League that season. The return to Wembley for the Division One playoff final two months later was a happier occasion for Stubbs and his colleagues, though for 75 minutes it looked as though it would be another disappointment as Bolton trailed 2-0 to Reading in the contest for a place in the Premier League. But a remarkable turnaround saw them drawing 2-2 after 90 minutes to force extra time, and they went on to win 4-3 and return to the top flight for the first time since 1980.

Before the start of the season, Bolton manage Bruce Rioch departed to Arsenal and attempted to bring Stubbs with him, but this was unsuccessful.^[1]

However, during the summer and into the beginning of the next season he made no secret of his desire to leave the club, which did not go down well with fans who made their feelings clear for the rest of the season.^[2] However, he remained with Bolton throughout their 1995-96 campaign, their first in the top flight for 16 years, which was mostly spent in the bottom two places of the table and ended with them being relegated in bottom place.

Celtic[link]

He joined Celtic on 10 July 1996 for £4,000,000, a record signing for Celtic and at the time the second biggest sale for Bolton.

Stubbs is probably best remembered for his injury time goal in a 1-1 draw with Rangers in the 1997-98 season. Many believe that this was the most important goal of the season for Celtic; they would later go on to win the SPL, their first league title since 1988, and prevent Rangers from securing a record breaking 10 league titles in a row. He did play 11 games in their 2000-01 SPL title, but missed most of the campaign as he underwent treatment to cure testicular cancer.

Everton[link]

He joined Everton in July 2001 after winning his battle against cancer. On his arrival at Goodison Park, Stubbs stated it had always been his dream to play for the club. Stubbs confirmed at the time part of his motive for moving to Everton was that he wanted to return home to his native Merseyside with his wife Mandy.

Stubbs quickly became a regular member of the team and excelled during his first season, as Everton finished 15th and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Stubbs continued to be a consistent performer in the heart of the Toffees defence during the 2002–03 as he helped them finish seventh in the Premier League (their highest finish since 1996) under new manager David Moyes, and 2003–04, although they dipped to 17th and narrowly avoided relegation in this campaign.

The 2004–05 season was another successful campaign for Stubbs. Although a shoulder injury kept him out in April, he made 36 appearances and even rose from defence to score - in a 2–1 win against Portsmouth. He was set to continue as a vital part of the squad in 2005–06, but refused to sign a new contract as the club were willing to offer him only a one-year deal, and later revelations suggested a "cancer clause" in the contract that Stubbs was unhappy with. It was also a successful season for Everton as a team, as they bounced back from the previous season's dismal finish and the sale of Wayne Rooney and finished fourth to qualify for the UEFA Champions League - finishing ahead of Liverpool for the first time since their most recent title win in 1987.

Sunderland[link]

Stubbs signed for Sunderland on the August 2, 2005, but it was not a successful move. Despite a promising start, his form soon dipped, and he often found himself out of the team. In the weeks leading up to the January transfer window, Stubbs was constantly linked with a move back to Everton, and was spotted by the Sky Sports cameras at Goodison Park when Sunderland weren't playing well.

This led to a fierce denial from Stubbs, claiming he was only at Goodison because his daughter was an Everton fan. However, Stubbs' final appearance at the Stadium of Light was to be the 3–0 victory over Northwich Victoria in the FA Cup, and Stubbs returned to Everton shortly after. He scored once for Sunderland, in a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal on 5 November 2005. This was one of the worst seasons in Sunderland's history, as they were relegated with a then record Premier League low of 3 wins and 15 points.^[3]

Everton[link]

Stubbs returned to Everton on a free transfer on 20 January 2006 and claimed his time spent at Sunderland was like "being injured for 6 months", and said the cancer clause incident was an "unfortunate mistake." He later went on to say his denial over the transfer was a lie, and that he had cheered when new team-mate Tim Cahill scored a last minute winner for Everton against Sunderland on New Year's Eve - whilst Stubbs was still a Sunderland player. This left him very unpopular with the Sunderland fans, who booed his every touch during the 2–2 draw with Everton on April 1, 2006.

Despite the arrival of Joleon Lescott that summer, Stubbs maintained his place in starting line up and proved to be a pivotal figure behind Everton's push for a UEFA Cup place.

In September 2007 after the murder of Rhys Jones, an 11-year-old Everton fan shot dead in Croxteth, Stubbs delivered a reading at his funeral to a packed Liverpool Cathedral including members of Everton and Liverpool.^[4]

Derby County[link]

On January 31, 2008, Stubbs moved to Derby County in a 18 month deal on a free transfer.^[5] Derby's relegation from the Premiership with eleven points meant that Stubbs had been involved in the campaigns of the teams with two lowest points totals attained since the league's inception. On 20 August 2008, just after the start of Derby's 2008-09 Football League Championship campaign, it was announced that a recurring knee injury had forced him to retire from playing football.

International career[link]

Stubbs won an England 'B' cap on May 10, 1994 in a match against Northern Ireland 'B' at Hillsborough. England won the match 4–2.

Coaching career[link]

Everton[link]

In September 2008, not long after retiring from playing, Alan found himself back at Everton, in the role of Coach.^[6] More specifically, he's currently assisting Reserve Team Coach Andy Holden, as well as assisting with the Under 18 players.

References[link]

1. ^ Ridley, Ian (13 August 1995). "Club-by-club guide: The prospects, the players to watch, the arrivals and departures". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/clubbyclub-guide-the-prospects-the-players-to-watch-the-arrivals-and-departures-1596119.html. 
2. ^ In defence of Alan Stubbs. Manny Road, August 25, 2008.
3. ^ "Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland". BBC. 5 November 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4387814.stm. Retrieved 27 October 2009. 
4. ^ Sturcke, James (2007-09-06). "Mourners pay respects at Rhys funeral". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2163508,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
5. ^ Stubbs Brings Steel | Derby County | News | Latest | Latest
6. ^ Alan Stubbs back at Everton. Daily Post, September 23, 2008.

External links[link]

• Alan Stubbs career stats at Soccerbase

Tim Howard

Personal information
Full name	Timothy Matthew Howard
Date of birth	(1979-03-06) March 6, 1979 (age 33)
Place of birth	North Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1][2]
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Everton
Number	24
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–1998	North Jersey Imperials	16	(0)
1998–2003	MetroStars	88	(0)
2003–2007	Manchester United	45	(0)
2006–2007	→ Everton (loan)	25	(0)
2007–	Everton	199	(1)
National team‡
2002–	United States	73	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of match played 13 May 2012[3]. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 2 March 2012

Timothy Matthew "Tim" Howard (born March 6, 1979) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team.

Howard started his career with the North Jersey Imperials before making a move to the MetroStars. His appearances soon attracted the attention of Manchester United, who signed him in 2003. He enjoyed relative success with them as they won the 2003 FA Community Shield, the 2003–04 FA Cup and the 2005–06 League Cup. However, after United signed Edwin van der Sar, Howard went out on loan to Everton to play more first-team football and eventually signed permanently with them in February 2007. On 4 January 2012, Howard scored a goal and his first as a professional footballer against Bolton Wanderers. This made him the fourth goalkeeper to score a goal in a Premier League match.^[4]

Howard first represented the United States national team in 2002 and was an unused substitute for the 2006 World Cup. He later established himself as first-choice and started all of the United States' games at the 2010 World Cup as they reached the Round of 16.

Early years[link]

Howard was born in North Brunswick, New Jersey,^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} to Matthew Howard – an African American, and Esther Howard (née Fekete),^[16] a native of Hungary. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and Howard lived with his mother, a project manager for a cosmetics distributor. His father, a long-distance truck driver for a health care firm, nonetheless maintained a presence in his life. His father was determined to get Howard and his brother, Chris, involved in sports. Before the two could walk, he bought them equipment for various sports to see which games they preferred. Tim showed a preference for basketball and soccer.

Howard was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was in the sixth grade.^[17] Before Howard was a teenager, Tim Mulqueen, a one time assistant coach for the United States men's national under-17 soccer team, saw his potential at a soccer camp Howard attended and took the boy under his wing.

In high school, Howard proved a star not only in soccer as a midfielder, but also on the basketball court, where he averaged 15 points per game and helped bring his team to the state finals in his senior year. However his talent and abilities as a soccer player were far more impressive. Despite his position on his high school team, Howard was a far better goalkeeper than he was a midfielder. Howard spent the first years of high school attending Montclair Kimberley Academy, a small private school in Montclair, New Jersey.^[18] Howard left MKA in his junior year to go back to North Brunswick where he grew up, and graduated from North Brunswick Township High School. By the age of fifteen he began playing in goal for U.S. youth national teams. He made his international debut against Honduras on the U-17 squad. In 1997 Mulqueen became the coach of the North Jersey Imperials, a team in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL), and served as the goalkeeping coach for Major League Soccer's MetroStars; he immediately considered Howard for a position on the Imperials. In May of that year, a month before graduating from high school, Howard played for the Imperials in his first professional game.

Club career[link]

MetroStars[link]

After only six appearances with the USISL's North Jersey Imperials, Tim Mulqueen, who at the time was the New York/New Jersey MetroStar's goalkeeper coach, brought Howard up from the Imperials to the MetroStars.

Howard was victorious in his MLS debut with the MetroStars on August 18, 1998, making five saves in a 4–1 win over Colorado at Giants Stadium (his only appearance of the year). He later played in one game with the Nike Project-40 Team, a 3–1 win over the Staten Island Vipers at Giants Stadium on May 6, 1998.

With the MetroStars during the 1999 MLS season, he made eight starts in nine contests. Howard had a 1.58 GAA and won just one match in a season in which the Metros won just seven games. He also spent most of the international season with the U.S. Under-20 MNT, leaving the club to compete in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria in April and the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg in July.

Howard posted a 5–2–2 record with a 1.59 GAA in 2000, splitting time between the MetroStars and the U.S. Olympic Team, also winning all three of his U.S. Open Cup starts that season.

In 2001, he became the youngest player to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award, recording four shutouts and a league-leading 146 saves, and was named to the MLS All-Star Team. Howard played every minute of every MetroStars game, and finished the year with a 1.33 GAA, four shutouts and a 13–10–3 record. He also received the MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Howard played in 27 of 28 regular season games in 2002 for the MetroStars, recording four shutouts.

Before leaving the MetroStars in 2003, he appeared in thirteen games and had three clean sheets as the club challenged for first place during the season’s first half.

Manchester United[link]

Manchester United paid a $4 million transfer fee to sign Howard in the middle of the 2003 MLS season, and he replaced Fabien Barthez as the club's first-choice goalkeeper.^[19] He started off very well at Manchester United, saving the decisive penalty in the Community Shield against Arsenal. Other notable performances followed, including Bolton Wanderers and a home FA Cup tie victory over Manchester City. However, in March 2004, Howard's poor parry handed a last minute goal to FC Porto, eliminating United from the UEFA Champions League. The error appeared to shatter Howard's confidence and he was replaced by Roy Carroll. After a period of rest, Howard reclaimed his starting position ahead of Carroll for the 2004 FA Cup Final, picking up a winner's medal. He was the first American player to collect a winner's medal in the FA Cup (John Harkes had picked up a runners-up medal with Sheffield Wednesday in the 1993 final). Howard was also named in the PFA Best XI in his first season at Manchester United.

In his second season with Manchester United, he started poorly, making several errors and was dropped again for Carroll. After Carroll made several errors as well, Howard forced his way back in but his performances were unconvincing, leading to Carroll regaining his place again, playing in the FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal.

At the end of the 2004–05 season, Howard signed a new contract, which was to run until 2009. In the summer of 2005, Manchester United released both of his competitors for the goalkeeper position — Ricardo López Felipe and Carroll. However, they also bought experienced Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar soon after. An uncharacteristically outspoken Howard fumed in an interview that he would not have signed the new contract had he known Van der Sar was on his way to United (Van der Sar replaced Howard as first choice goalkeeper). He felt that he had done enough to remain as the first choice goalkeeper at the club.

Everton[link]

Howard playing for Everton

In May 2006 a deal was agreed between Manchester United and Everton that would see Howard join the Merseyside club on loan for the 2006–07 season. Everton looked to Howard as a replacement for their newly-retired goalkeeper Nigel Martyn, in much the same way as Manchester United, when they were involved in the search for a successor to Peter Schmeichel (after many unsuccessful replacements). Howard made his Everton debut against Watford on the opening day of the season. Since his debut, Howard has established himself as Everton's first-choice goalkeeper.

On February 14, 2007, Everton announced that Howard had signed a permanent deal with the club through the 2012–13 season. The permanent deal was believed to be worth around £3 million, but the exact fee paid by Everton remains undisclosed.

On April 28, 2007, Everton faced Manchester United at Goodison Park. Howard did not participate in the game, and there was some speculation that this came from a clause in his loan contract which states that he cannot take part in games against Manchester United. However, since a permanent deal had been signed by the two clubs, such a clause would not be permitted. This was investigated by the Football Association and according to some newspapers, both Everton and Manchester United could have been fined for this and possibly receive point deductions. But the British newspaper The Sun, however, held it to be more likely that this affair would result in a tightening of the rules on loan deals.^[20] The FA eventually stated that neither Manchester United nor Everton had broken any rules regarding Howard's transfer and that both clubs had confirmed that Everton had been free to play Howard against Manchester United if they had wished to do so.^[21] He made his 100th appearance for Everton against West Ham United, on November 8, 2008. On April 19, 2009, in the FA Cup semi final, he saved two penalties against his former club Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out to send Everton to the final against Chelsea. During the 2008–09 season Howard set the club record for most league match clean sheets in a season. Howard started the 2009–10 season in fine form for Everton with four consecutive clean sheets, including away to Portsmouth where he excelled to help his team secure a 1–0 win and claimed the Man of the Match award for his performance. Howard captained Everton for the first time in a 3–3 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 12, 2009.^[22]

During the 2011–12 season, he scored his first goal in professional football against Bolton Wanderers, from a 102-yard clearance, with the help of galeforce wind, in a 2–1 defeat at Goodison Park. He is the fourth goalkeeper in Premier League history to score a goal, after Peter Schmeichel, Brad Friedel and Paul Robinson.^[23] Following his first goal for Everton, Howard has described his remarkable goal against Bolton Wanderers as "cruel" and revealed he refused to celebrate out of sympathy for his beaten opposite number, Ádám Bogdán.^[24] In March he agreed a new contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2016. He stated upon signing: "When you have a really good relationship in life and both sides are eager to continue and keep that going, it's a no-brainer".^[25]

Howard speaks with D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid before an international friendly on July 23, 2011 at RFK Stadium

International career[link]

Howard makes a save during training for the US national team, May 2006

Howard started for the United States national team in the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria and was a backup to Brad Friedel at the 2000 Summer Olympics. On March 10, 2002, he received his first senior cap, against Ecuador. On May 2, 2006, Howard was named as one of three goalkeepers on the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but served as a backup to Kasey Keller. Howard has become the team's first choice goalkeeper under Bob Bradley and started in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, a 2–1 win over Mexico.

He was the starting goalkeeper for the 2009 Confederations Cup, including the semifinal in which the U.S. upset Spain, then the number one-ranked team in the world. Howard's eight saves earned him his first clean sheet of the tournament and the first shutout of the Spanish side since 2007. Following the United States' second place finish in the tournament, Howard was awarded the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper.^[26]

Howard was the starting goalkeeper for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in South Africa, and turned in a Man of the Match performance against England in his first World Cup appearance.^[27] Howard's distribution to Landon Donovan led to the game-winning goal of the last first round game against Algeria, giving the USA passage into the round of 16. He conceded two goals when United States lost their round of 16 game against Ghana.

After the 2011 Gold Cup Final, Howard made a controversial statement regarding the post-match ceremony. The trophy presentation was conducted entirely in Spanish, despite the tournament being held in the United States. Howard went on to say that it was a "disgrace" and commented further that if the final had been in Mexico City and the United States had won, the ceremony would not have been made in English. He further went on to criticize CONCACAF, and received much criticism after making the statements.^[28]

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of match played 13 May 2012.

International[link]

^[30]

Honors[link]

Club[link]

Manchester United

• FA Cup (1): 2003–04
• Football League Cup (1): 2005–06
• FA Community Shield (1): 2003

Everton

• FA Cup Runners-Up (1): 2008–09

International[link]

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup Winners (1): 2007
• CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner Up : 2011

Individual[link]

• MLS Humanitarian of the Year (1): 2001
• MLS Goalkeeper of the Year (1): 2001
• MLS Best XI (2): 2001, 2002
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year (1): 2003–04
• U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year (1): 2008
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Glove (1): 2009
• MLS All-Star Game MVP (1): 2009
• Top 10 IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper (3): 2003, 2009, 2010

Basketball[link]

On June 22, 2009, Howard was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters exhibition basketball team.^[31] Each year the team lists a number of athletes seen as potential players and ambassadors. “Globetrotters must be great athletes, great entertainers and outstanding citizens,” said Globetrotters Coach Sweet Lou Dunbar. “We believe each of these individuals possess enough of those unique dynamics to merit our consideration to wear the red, white and blue.”

Personal life[link]

Howard was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome^[32] in middle school. He was named MLS Humanitarian of the Year in 2001 for his work with children with Tourette's. He is also involved with Athletes in Action, a ministry arm of Campus Crusade for Christ.^[33] He is married to Laura Howard with whom he has two children.

References[link]

• Staff (April 2006) "Tim Howard 1979–" Biography Today 15(2): pp. 60–70
• Biography from Current Biography (2005), Copyright (c) by The H. W. Wilson Company. All rights reserved.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tim Howard

• Tim Howard – FIFA competition record
• Tim Howard career stats at Soccerbase
• Tim Howard Story Official site
• Tim Howard profile at Soccernet
• Tim Howard profile at Premier League

United States squads v t e United States squad – 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship 1 Rimando 2 Thorrington 3 Garcia 4 Califf 5 Pierce 6 Cherundolo 7 Downing 8 Morrison 9 Futagaki 10 Albright 11 Gomez 12 Tsakiris 13 Bocanegra 14 Goldsmith 15 Twellman 16 Gibbs 17 Beasley 18 Howard Coach: Schmid v t e United States squad – 2000 Summer Olympics 1 Friedel 2 Dunseth 3 McCarty 4 Agoos 5 O'Brien 6 Hejduk 7 DiGiamarino 8 Califf 9 Olsen 10 Vagenas 11 Albright 12 Corrales 13 Donovan 14 Victorine 15 Whitfield 16 Wolff 17 Casey 18 Howard Coach: Charles v t e United States squad – 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup 1 Cannon 2 Hejduk 3 Berhalter 4 Mastroeni 5 Vanney 6 Cherundolo 7 Lewis 8 Stewart 9 Kirovski 10 Donovan 11 Mathis 12 Bocanegra 13 Martino 14 Armas 15 Convey 16 Califf 17 Beasley 18 Howard 19 Hahnemann 20 Twellman 21 Cunningham 22 Klein 23 Gibbs Coach: Arena v t e United States squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Howard 2 Albright 3 Bocanegra 4 Mastroeni 5 O'Brien 6 Cherundolo 7 Lewis 8 Dempsey 9 Johnson 10 Reyna (c) 11 Ching 12 Berhalter 13 Conrad 14 Olsen 15 Convey 16 Wolff 17 Beasley 18 Keller 19 Hahnemann 20 McBride 21 Donovan 22 Onyewu 23 Pope Coach: Arena v t e United States squad – 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (4th Title) 1 Howard 2 Hejduk 3 Bocanegra 4 Mastroeni 5 Feilhaber 6 M. Bradley 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Johnson 10 Donovan 11 Ching 12 DeMerit 13 Bornstein 14 Ralston 15 Simek 16 Parkhurst 17 Spector 18 Keller 19 Clark 20 Twellman 21 Mapp 22 Onyewu 23 Guzan Coach: B. Bradley v t e United States squad – 2007 Copa América 1 Howard 2 Wynne 3 DeMerit 4 Boswell 5 Feilhaber 6 Pearce 7 Califf 8 Gomez 9 Johnson 10 Davies 11 Gaven 12 Conrad 13 Bornstein 14 Olsen 15 Moor 16 Kljestan 17 Beckerman 18 Keller 19 Clark 20 Twellman 21 Mapp 23 Guzan • 25 Nguyen Coach: Bradley v t e United States squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Runners-up 1 Howard 2 Bornstein 3 Bocanegra 4 Casey 5 Onyewu 6 Pearce 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Davies 10 Donovan 11 Wynne 12 M. Bradley 13 Clark 14 Califf 15 DeMerit 16 Kljestan 17 Altidore 18 Guzan 19 Adu 20 Torres 21 Spector 22 Feilhaber 23 Robles Coach: B. Bradley v t e United States squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Howard 2 Spector 3 Bocanegra (c) 4 M. Bradley 5 Onyewu 6 Cherundolo 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Gomez 10 Donovan 11 Holden 12 Bornstein 13 Clark 14 Buddle 15 DeMerit 16 Torres 17 Altidore 18 Guzan 19 Edu 20 Findley 21 Goodson 22 Feilhaber 23 Hahnemann Coach: B. Bradley v t e United States squad – 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Runners-up 1 Howard 2 Spector 3 Bocanegra 4 M. Bradley 5 Onyewu 6 Cherundolo 7 Edu 8 Dempsey 9 Agudelo 10 Donovan 11 Wondolowski 12 Bornstein 13 Jones 14 Lichaj 15 Ream 16 Kljestan 17 Altidore 18 Rimando 19 Rogers 20 Adu 21 Goodson 22 Bedoya 23 Hahnemann Coach: B. Bradley

Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh at a book signing
Born	Alan Fred Titchmarsh[1] (1949-05-02) 2 May 1949 (age 63) Ilkley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Broadcaster, gardener, novelist
Television	Gardeners' World Ground Force British Isles - A Natural History The Nature of Britain The Alan Titchmarsh Show
Spouse	Dr Alison Titchmarsh (m. 1975) «start: (1975-07-26)»"Marriage: Dr Alison Titchmarsh to Alan Titchmarsh" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Alan_Titchmarsh)
Children	2
Website
www.alantitchmarsh.com

Alan Fred Titchmarsh,^[1] MBE DL (born 2 May 1949)^[2] is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes. More recently he has developed a diverse writing and broadcasting career.

Early career[link]

Titchmarsh was born in Ilkley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the son of Bessie (née Hardisty), a textile mill worker, and Alan Fred Titchmarsh, Sr., a plumber.^[3] After leaving school aged 15, Titchmarsh went to work as an apprentice gardener with Ilkley Council in 1964, before leaving, in 1968 aged 18, for Shipley Art and Technology Institute (now Shipley College) to study for a City and Guilds in horticulture. Titchmarsh was a close family friend of Tom Kerridge, who went on to become his gardening advisor on shows such as Ground Force.

Titchmarsh went on to study at Hertfordshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture for the National Certificate in Horticulture, before finally moving to the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to study for a Diploma in Horticulture.^[4][5] After graduating, he stayed on at Kew, being employed as a supervisor and latterly a staff trainer, leaving to pursue a career in gardening journalism in 1974.^{[citation needed]}

Broadcasting[link]

His first few television appearances were on the long-running BBC television show Nationwide as a horticulture expert. This led to his being invited to present coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show for BBC television in 1983, something Titchmarsh has now hosted every year up to the present (2011).^[5] Titchmarsh also appeared on other BBC shows, such as Breakfast Time and Open Air, again as either a guest presenter or as a gardening expert, providing commentary and answering viewers' questions.^{[citation needed]}

In 1988, Titchmarsh was offered a slot on BBC Radio 2 hosting a gardening show with Gloria Hunniford called House In A Garden.^[6] In 1991 he was brought in to host the long-running Pebble Mill at One BBC television talk show, which he did until the show was cancelled in 1996. Also in 1991, he presented a 6-part series in which he followed in the footsteps of the pilgrims, travelling around Britain and Ireland in the process.^[7]

The cancellation of Pebble Mill at One in 1996 gave Titchmarsh the opportunity to move back towards his first love, gardening, and he took over as host of another long-running BBC television programme, Gardeners' World in the same year, the show being filmed in his own garden. In 1997, he took gardening to the masses with a popular BBC One television series, Ground Force, in which he and fellow presenters Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh would perform a makeover on a garden, Titchmarsh making full use of his horticultural skills when restocking the lucky gardens featured.^[5] The show has travelled as far as the United States and South Africa, where one episode saw the Ground Force team makeover Nelson Mandela's garden.^[8]

Alan Titchmarsh at the 2008 Gardeners' World Live Exhibition in the NEC.

Staying involved in gardening programmes after Gardeners' World, Titchmarsh has presented two series of How To Be A Gardener, his most recent gardening programme to date.

Away from gardening, Titchmarsh has had spells presenting Songs of Praise, and a series of programmes on BBC Radio 2 in which he played a selection of light classical music, and more recently a BBC nature documentary series, British Isles - A Natural History. In recent years he has done less television and radio and spent more time on his career as a novelist and renewed interest in writing gardening books (see below).