Steve Harper? Loyal servant or a joke figure?

Nee point in falling out over it bud.

 

Regardless mate, to settle for about 15-20 (including CL/cup) games a season for that long when he could have been getting 40-50 is just beyond my comprehension.

 

True but if Alan Shearer had gone to Man U he'd have had 20 or so medals instead of one.

 

Which is why most of the footballing world outside of Newcastle consider him to have been foolish...

It was also widely reported that Newcastle offered a lot more than United in terms of wages.

 

no! You seem to forget him performing admirably for us as first choice last year and the year before that

 

I expect he has a healthy bank account, a healthy life-style, and is just unfortunate really...But at least he never got home sick, and started complaining.

 

My point is simple though. What man worth his salt is prepared to play 2nd fiddle his entire career. If Harper was a total waste of space and a crap keeper and had managed to earn this money by pulling copious amounts of wool over everyone's eyes, I'd say fair play to him.

However, he did have a talent but chose to waste it on the bench through a lack of ambition and desire. He isn't loyal in my book he's a coward and a complete joke.

In a 20 year career, his after dinner speech would last about as long as his introduction and his tales of games in the reserves about as interesting as watching grass grow.

I admire players with loyalty that stay with one club but only if they are playing. I wouldn't expect any player not getting a game to hang around. He has done so his entire adult life.

Even Harper himself sounded almost tearful in regret, when he was asked this very question on tv last night and in private moments, I'm sure he knows he made the wrong choices too.

 

My point is though Cest we do not know what his reasons were for staying. Maybe he does regret it but I expect he will live with that.

 

He waited over 5 years man!! He'd have been England number 1 if he'd moved to play first team football - he was behind one of (if not the) best keeper in the country and was never going to be first choice - IMO he's worse than Ameobi as he's raped a living out of "football" - at least Ameobi wants to play and not just be happy to play second fiddle

This isn't a dig at Newcastle but he was a top quality goalkeeper and could've played at the top end if he'd moved - just seemed happy to not be playing

 

Can just say that if he's always been back up keeper at Newcastle he can't have been that good a keeper as they surely would have brought keepers in as back up to him when the likes of Given left, but no Fat Mike et al brought in new first choice keepers and left him as cover.

 

Maybe Harper just wanted to stay local and look after his property empire. I heard he owned 5/6 houses in Darras Hall and rents them out to Newcastle and Sunderland footballers.
They recon he got really annoyed when he made the first team as he used to collect the rent on Saturday afternoon's. (made that bit up)

 

Bloody hell. I have to agree with Badger.
People say I have achieved in my life. 22 years in the mob, serving all around the World...Tell you what though I'd swap it all to be able to say I had just five minuets in the best league in Football.
Could he have had a better career by moving? Yes.
Could he have made more money by moving? Yes.
So I can only presume he is one of a very rare breed. Loyal.

 

Loyal servant. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous. You don't seem to be able to win as a footballer with soem folk. You get criticised if you're the Bent or Gyan type, and you get criticised if you're the other end of the scale. He tried to leave a few times under Robson but like the good manager he was, Bobby just tweaked at his heart strings and he couldn't go. I wish we had more who cared about the club like he does through the door. Top bloke aswell when you meet him.

 

He does and does very well out of it by all accounts. Carroll and Nolan were both living in Harper houses at various stages. (also together at one point!)

 

what did you call full back for Newcastle, played for Everton before that? John 1st name can't remember other one.
When told he was destined for bench at best said " great! every Saturday off!!"

 

no ambition just after an easy life unemployable

 

A lot of people are completely missing the point here.

No one, least of all me btw, is trying to say loyalty isn't a wonderful trait to be applauded at every avenue but the point here is Harper wasn't even playing. If he was actually playing and then turned down a host of offers to stay loyal I'd be first here to say well done.

He is a rank coward and a joke figure imo, prepared to just stay as the support act whilst still taking a huge salary for not playing. The easy life in other words.

Loyalty and wanting to stay playing for one club is one thing. Wasting your talent is another. He could easily have 15 years of top flight, European and international honours behind him instead of a lifetime of bridesmaids stories.

What a sad pathetic muppet.

 

I really do think he was just waiting for his opportunity to become first choice. When Given left, everyone genuinely expected him to become first choice keeper (probably even himself) and most mags thought it was well deserved after how long he waited. However, he was very unlucky to see Tim Krul step up at almost the exact same time, so once again he's been kept out.

Harper has spoke up about a lack of first team football though, which is something Ameobi has never done. There was also quite a bit of back-and-forth over the years which kept Harper on the fringes of becoming the first-choice goalie. It was never particularly clear-cut.

 

Chaps...the 'Harping on' comment was meant as a pun related to the player in question..

 

He took an easy life?

Must have had something about him, in order to make that easy life...

Maybe he could have gone else-where and failed badly..


So he took the easy route....fully loaded, still youngish, and soon will be able to reap the rewards..(as long as he is not a gambler)

Set up for the rest of his life...at what age?

Fair play.