Source: Northern_Echo
Harper staying put
ARTUR Boruc might have left Celtic yesterday, but Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper has categorically ruled out plugging the gap at Parkhead.[LNB] Harper has been linked with a possible switch to the green-and-white side of Glasgow all summer, and the rumour mill went into overdrive when Boruc signed for Italian side Fiorentina.[LNB] However, Harper insists there is no chance of him leaving.[LNB] Next season will be his 18th on Newcastle's books, and having waited for more than a decade to dislodge Shay Given and claim a place as the club's undisputed number one, the 35-year-old is not about to pass up the chance of a first full campaign in the top-flight.[LNB] I went to the last Old Firm game of last season with some friends and Alan Thompson,[LNB] explained Harper, who achieved Magpies immortality yesterday when his hand prints were inducted into the Hall of Fame in St James' Metro station.[LNB] Celtic won, and we all had a look around the stadium.[LNB] Someone has seen that, put two and two together, and failed to come up with four.[LNB] That's where it's come from. I've waited years for the opportunity to play first-team football in the Premier League at Newcastle United, and that's my sole aim .[LNB] Indeed, with two more years left on his current contract, Harper is planning to break through the 400-game barrier with Newcastle before he begins to think about hanging up his gloves.[LNB] Since signing from Seaham Red Star in 1993, the Easington- born goalkeeper has made 173 senior appearances for the Magpies, with 45 of those outings coming as the club romped to the Championship title last season.[LNB] Given made 462 appearances before leaving Newcastle to join Manchester City 15 months ago, and while Harper is unlikely to beat that tally, he is determined to come close.[LNB] I have a couple of years left on my contract and I'm still as hungry and ambitious as ever, he said. People might say I'm getting older, but I don't think I've missed a game (through injury) for three years, and hopefully that will continue.[LNB] I think I've played less than 200 games for Newcastle, so if I could get that up to the 400-mark before I even started to think about retiring, that would be fantastic.[LNB] Harper is expected to feature for 45 minutes as Newcastle kick off their pre-season preparations at Carlisle United tomorrow.[LNB] The squad returned from a training camp in Ireland on Wednesday, with thoughts already turning to the opening game of the Premier League campaign at Manchester United on August 16.[LNB] The trip to Old Trafford underlines the size of the task ahead, but having won promotion at a canter last term, Harper insists Newcastle are capable of more than holding their own in the top-flight.[LNB] People might look at the league table last year, and how far clear we were, and think it was easy, he said. It wasn't easy. Every player and member of staff worked their socks off to get us out of that league, and in the end, we did it very well.[LNB] But it certainly wasn't easy. We're not underestimating the task in front of us we know how difficult it will be.[LNB] Having claimed a spot in Newcastle's starting line-up following Given's departure, Harper was cementing a place in the city's footballing hall of fame yesterday afternoon.[LNB] The likes of Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer, Malcolm Macdonald and Peter Beardsley have all had their hand or footprints included in the pitch located in St James' Metro Station, and Harper's name has now been added to the illustrious list.[LNB] It's a fantastic honour, he said. It was a big surprise when they asked me, but I'm sure it's a reflection of the length of time I've been here rather than anything to do with my achievements.''[LNB]
