FAMOUS TOURETTE'S VICTIM ON THAT SIGNING

Kevin Garside


THE Manchester United dressing- room is about to get a new hair-
dryer, and it will not be Sir Alex Ferguson pushing the buttons.

Goalkeeping Tourette's sufferer extraordinaire Tim Howard is
unlikely to utter a boo during a match, but before and after he will
need to clear the decks in a way that will have even Fergie running
for cover.

But Sir Alex, whose own "hair-dryer" outbursts are legendary, has
nothing to fear from his new signing. Indeed, the MetroStars
superstar could turn out to be the best he has ever made, because
Howard is probably a genius.

That is the view of Britain's most celebrated sufferer of Tourette's
Syndrome, John Davidson, the subject of two award-winning TV
documentaries who claims that those afflicted can be freakishly
gifted and urged Fergie not to hesitate in making Howard his man.

Like Davidson, Howard was born with Tourette's, a neurological
disorder characterised by, among other things, rapid and involuntary
tics and vocal outbursts. Howard was named New York Life
Humanitarian of the Year in 2001 for his role in raising awareness
of TS and is a member of the board of the Tourette Association of
New Jersey.

He is also the top-rated and best-paid goalkeeper in Major League
Soccer, who went to Japan as a member of the American squad and
enjoyed training spells with AC Milan and Feyenoord before
attracting the attention of Manchester United.

Ferguson's interest might be considered a gamble but not by
Davidson, who became a household name following his appearance in
John's Not Mad in 1989 and the 2002 follow-up, The Boy Can't Help
It, two documentaries which did so much to raise public awareness of
TS.

On the contrary, Davidson believes Howard may prove even better
business than the signing of Peter Schmeichel, who himself knew a
little about the scattering of expletives.

According to Davidson the condition is unlikely to affect Howard at
all during matches and can be managed by spending 15 minutes alone
in a room either side of a game.

"Tourette's affects people in different ways. Only a minority are
affected by outbursts and if Howard is one of those it will not
impact during a match. No-one knows why but in circumstances when
sufferers are required to concentrate hard over a defined period the
condition mysteriously disappears," said Davidson, who did not
suffer one outburst during a half-hour conversation with Mirror
Sport.

"Tim will be so focused on what he is doing that he will be able to
pass through an entire match without seeing any symptoms. It's the
same with me. If I'm playing football or driving I do not have an
outburst. But I might when I stop.

"Tim will probably have to manage the situation by sitting down for
15 minutes in a room by himself before and after a match to get the
outburst out of the way. A lot depends, too, on how the other
players and Sir Alex react to him.

"Thankfully there is much more awareness and understanding of
Tourette's these days. When I am having an outburst now around
people who know me it is not a problem. You can even have a laugh
about it. It is one of the ways you learn to cope.

"So in the atmosphere of the United dressing- room, where everyone
knows each other well, I should imagine the air might be blue after
a match, particularly if Fergie and Tim get going."

John has full-blown Tourette's but manages to hold down a job as a
caretaker at a community centre in Galashiels in the Scottish
Borders. His condition was diagnosed at 11 and first highlighted in
the programme John's Not Mad.

His management of the condition, centred on his refusal to take
drugs to control the symptoms and his marvellous relationship with
his mother, has won him widespread acclaim. He is heavily involved
in helping fellow sufferers and has welcomed United's interest in
Howard."Depending on the degree to which sufferers are affected it
can cause turmoil in people's lives," he said. "People just don't
know what is going on and even when they are diagnosed the
medication tends to be based on anti-psychotic drugs, which have
severe side effects.

"They are designed to slow you down. I was on so many drugs I was
walking around half-dead like a zombie. I thought there was no way I
could go on like that, so one day I faced up to the challenge and
decided I would not take the drugs any more. I accept that I have
the condition and just get on with it."

John's appearance in both documentaries raised awareness but also
prompted subsequent research into TS. Thanks in large part to him,
the veil of ignorance has been lifted.

It is also claimed that Mozart was a sufferer, which leads John to
believe that Howard may himself be a genius. "Those that succeed in
their chosen fields tend to do so spectacularly. The research does
not reveal why this is so, only that somehow Tourette's is linked to
examples of outstanding ability.

"I would urge Fergie to go for it. I'm quite sure Howard will become
a cult figure at United. The amount of fan mail I get is
unbelievable from people impressed and inspired by the way I deal
with the condition.

"It will be the same for Tim at United. It may be that Tourette's
has already made him a great and he just needs the right setting to
bring his talent to the widest possible audience. He will get that
at United."


From:

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