Steve Harper? Loyal servant or a joke figure?

A keeper who is undoubtedly good enough to play premiership football, has spent 2/3rds of his entire career as the stand in man. Has he actually got 100 games for the mags in 12 years?

You can look at him in 2 ways

1. Extremely loyal servant who has sacrificed his career for the good of the club

2. A complete joke figure, lacking ambition and the drive so be a top player. A nearly man and nothing more.

He has just been on the local NE football show and he cuts very much the joke figure for me.

He said tonight if is sitting his coaching badges for when his playing days are over? **** of it was over 5 or 6 years ago.

What chairman with any kind of ambition would employ this bloke? If can't even motivate himself, let alone a full team.

Wonder how he will react 10 years into the future when he has no playing career of any note to talk about?

Massive waste for a decent player but one for which I have little or no sympathy at all for.

 

He looks like a ****ing oompah-lumpa, loves the sunbeds.

He wasted his career, an excellent keeper who's lack of willingness to move cost him a genuine chance of England caps.

 

He's no one. Could have been someone... Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront would feel sorry for him.

 

Also... What a ****ing film.

 

This might get me shot to bits but I completely disagree with all of you.

Loyalty is a trait I admire & ****ing rare these days especially among footballers. Fair play to the lad for me like.

 

Loyalty's class. Agreed. But he's still a no one...

 

He got to play football for a Premier League team, earn a sensational living and has been extremely loyal. Who are we to judge? He did something with his life, something us lot would ****ing love to do, it was his choice to stay.

 

So I assume Bent did the right thing then & you were happy about it?

If a player moves they get called money grabbing whores. If they stay they lack ambition?

People slagged Le Tissier off for sticking with Southampton. I admired him to bits for it.

 

Winston Churchill could have stayed as a general and not moved to Prime Minister... Monty could have remained a vicars son from London and done nowt with his life but Alamein shows he had some ambition. You don't get remembered or become someone for sitting on a bench for 15 years.

 

Harper is just really unlucky. He stayed as back up to Given waiting for his opportunity, but once Given left, it was barely any time at all before Krul appeared and took the first-choice spot.

 

For Christ's sake what are you harping on about now?

 

Yep, so Bent was right then.

 

One club players are as rare as hens teeth, aye sure there might be a few at the top clubs who are winning hatfulls of medals & playing in the CL every year.

A bit harder for the clubs who've won nowt since Jesus walked the earth, like Newcastle, Southampton & US!

 

Was Bent sat on the bench at us Billy?

Completely different. Utterly stupid comparison. Don't tell me Bent was right or that I think he was right. Phil Neville would be a decent comparison.

 

No Bent wasn't, he moved on to worse things. Phil Neville moved on to lesser things. I gave you a good comparison in Le Tissier who stayed at Southampton when the top clubs were after him.

As for stupid comparisons, so were Churchill & Montgomery. I've turned jobs down for more money because certain thing did not suit me or my family. Does that make me a no one or lack ambition? Obviously does in your eyes.

Harper & Le Tiss had their own reasons for staying, neither you or I know what they are but they get my admiration for NOT being money grabbing whores.

 

Le Tissier again... Playing... Star man... Not a forgotten man like Harper.

If you had the potential to do something great with your life and turned it down for an easy salary doing **** all... Then yes, you're no one in my eyes. If you mean you were offered more money to do the exact same thing... then no, you're not a no one.

You brought money into this.

 

Le Tiss was fortunate to be a striker. Not many keepers are remembered, and players who aren't strikers are only remembered if they were world class. He will be remembered by Newcastle. And will be clearly remembered by you lot judging by this article.

Harder was part of some great teams, did a job for us when needed. Money is what we live for, and his gift made a fantastic life for him and his family. Harper will have a career in football for many years to come, who knows, could be the start of something that will make everyone remember him.

 

.

 

Fair play, difference of opinions. I just find it hard to believe that anyone would play about 150 league games in about a twenty year career.

 

Which included many champions league games and an FA Cup final. **** career I suppose.

Wikipedia is a god, reminds you of great things. Harper has twice handed in a transfer request at NUFC, so he did notice opportunities elsewhere but the right clubs were never there, and has been persuaded by Given, Robson and Roeder in the past to stay.