Source: Telegraph
Steve Harper desperate to make up for lost time at Newcastle United
After all, it's been nearly 16 years since a raw young goalkeeper arrived at St James' Park full of hope and ambition. And if he'd have known then what he knows now, you could have forgiven the teenager for turning round and heading elsewhere.[LNB]First Pavel Srnicek, then Shaka Hislop, and for the most part Shay Given: Harper played second fiddle to each and every one in-between going out on loan to a succession of lower league clubs, all the time keeping his head down, working hard in training, praying that one day his chance would come.[LNB] Related ArticlesOwen: Hull clash is crucial[LNB]Brown: Pressure's on Newcastle[LNB]Owen set for return[LNB]Smith: Newcastle united for scrap[LNB]Carroll signs up for Newcastle's survival fight[LNB]Tottenham eye Newcastle's Steve Harper as injury crisis worsens[LNB]It did, too, but nothing permanent materialised. Yes, when injury struck he enjoyed a couple of extended spells in the side but there was never a period over all those years when Harper could honestly claim to being the recognised first choice. [LNB]For such a conscientious, upstanding bloke, that kind of record isn't easy to take. Asked to name the worst bit, he highlights a period between 2001 and 2006 when, thanks to Given's consistency, the substitute hardly got a game.[LNB]"That was a very difficult time and it was only my family that got me through it," he says. "As you get older, reserve team football is not where you want to be. It can be demoralising because you're playing with a lot of young lads and some people who just don't want to be there. It's hard work and that was a really dark time.[LNB]"I went to see the manager, saying I wanted to play, asking him to give me an opportunity or to let me go on loan but it just didn't happen. In hindsight, should I have kicked up a fuss and done something about it? Possibly, yeah. When I'm finished I might regret those years."[LNB]Especially as he's seen plenty of characters come and go in his time who got their way by playing up.[LNB]"It seems to be the people who don't care much who get the moves," he laments. "If you are a bit more selfish you get the rewards. It's like nice guys finish last in football, you know? [LNB]"After 16 years here I could probably write a book that would outsell JK Rowling. I've seen good players with bad attitudes and bad players with good attitudes – the full spectrum. We've spent a lot of money over that time but let's just say some of it wasn't spent particularly well."[LNB]Hence Newcastle's precarious position this Saturday morning, the day Harper celebrates his 34th birthday. Clear of the relegation zone only on goal difference, Newcastle travel to Hull fully aware of the consequences should their fortunes fail to improve. [LNB]Talk about timing. Now that Given has departed to Manchester City, the Irishman's old understudy stands between the posts at a truly crucial time for the football club.[LNB]"People are building up this game and rightly so because after Saturday we have Arsenal and Chelsea at home, then Stoke and Tottenham away. The facts speak for themselves. We've won six league games out of 28 and we need to win a minimum of three, probably four, out of the last 10. That just shows you the challenge."[LNB]A challenge not made any easier by the fact Newcastle are manager-less after Joe Kinnear succumbed to serious heart surgery. Stand-ins Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood, what's more, are just the latest in a very long line of faces during Harper's time. Will his club, I wondered, ever gain some stability?[LNB]"Well, it's long overdue. We've had far too high a turnover of managers. Anyone can see that. Look at David Moyes and Everton. Why can't we be like them? We should be where they are and where Aston Villa are, where we were a few years ago under Sir Bobby [Robson]. We're only going to get that by giving a manager time."[LNB]Harper speaks sensibly, full of common sense. At 18, he could have gone to Liverpool's John Moores University but deferred the offer to try his luck on Tyneside. Since then, he has completed part of a social science degree before a wife and kids came along to deny him the time.[LNB]"My mom still badgers me about doing it again," Harper smiles. "I do sometimes feel that I'm wasting part of my brain but I've just done my level two coaching badge with Michael Owen and Alan Shearer. At my age, you do have one eye on what you're going to do afterwards and I would like to stay in the game."[LNB]That's hardly surprising, really, seeing as the bulk of Harper's career to date has been spent on the fringes, looking on from the sidelines as someone else does the job. [LNB]Only natural, therefore, that, after signing a new contract, he now desperately wants to make up for lost time. [LNB]"I'm just going to work my socks off to try and play well here for the next three years. All told, I've only played about 160 games so if I can at least double that before I retire then I'll be happy."[LNB]Who could deny him the satisfaction after waiting so long? [LNB]
