Steve Harper

Football player infobox
playername = Steve Harper


fullname = Stephen Alan Harper
height = height|meters=1.88
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1975|3|14
cityofbirth = Easington
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = Newcastle United
clubnumber = 13
contractend =
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears = 1992–1993
youthclubs = Seaham Red Star
years = 1993–
1995
1996
1997
1997
1997–1998
clubs = Newcastle United
→ Bradford City (loan)
→ Gateshead (loan)
→ Stockport County (loan)
→ Hartlepool United (loan)
→ Huddersfield Town (loan)
caps(goals) = 72 (0)
01 (0)
12 (0)
00 (0)
18 (0)
24 (0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = 15:07, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate =

Stephen Alan "Steve" Harper (born March 14, 1975 in Easington, County Durham) is an English footballer. He plays for Newcastle United as a goalkeeper.

Despite being at Newcastle for over 15 years, he has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular, being mainly used as a substitute and seen as an understudy to Shay Given. He has been loaned out to five lower league clubs and has regularly been linked to permanent transfers away from Newcastle, although these moves have never materialised.

Biography

Early life

Harper grew up in the mining village of Easington, County Durham. He was interested in football from a young age and was a supporter of Liverpool, with goalkeeper Bruce Grobelaar being his idol.cite news
date=2006-09-23
url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/sep/23/sport.comment2
title=Slip shunts Harper back into limelight
publisher=guardian.co.uk
accessdate=2008-06-13] Anfield was the first football ground he went to, where he watched Liverpool win a match 2–0 in the 1982–83 season. Harper attended Easington Comprehensive School. [cite news
date=2004-05-15
url=http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2004/5/15/52247.html
title=Boyd shooting for the stars
publisher=The Northern Echo
accessdate=2008-04-30] He was offered a place at the University of Liverpool.

Career

In 1993 he was signed by Newcastle United from his local club Seaham Red Star, for a nominal fee.

Seen as back-up to regular starter Pavel Srníček, later Shaka Hislop and then Shay Given, he has had loan spells at Bradford City, Gateshead, Stockport County, Hartlepool United and Huddersfield Town, and after 15 years has yet to establish himself as first choice goalkeeper for Newcastle.

Harper has came close to dislodging Given on numerous occasions, most notably in the 1998–1999. Harper played in the 1999 FA Cup Final, when Newcastle lost 2–0 to Manchester United. Manager at the time Ruud Gullit appeared to see Harper worthy of playing over Given. However at the start of the 1999–2000 season, Gullit resigned and Harper again became second choice goalkeeper, although he did enjoy another brief period of first team action for part of the 1999–2000 season when Given was injured. When Given returned from injury Harper was once again used as the back-up goalkeeper.

In 2002 he made several appearances in the UEFA Champions League, most notably against Juventus. The match was played at St James' Park and Harper managed to keep a clean sheet during a 1–0 win over the Italian champions. [cite news
date=2002-10-23
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/champions_league/2349169.stm
title=Newcastle edge out Juventus
publisher=BBC Sport
accessdate=2008-05-12] The victory helped Newcastle qualify from the group stages of the tournament.

Quote_box
width=30%
align=right
quote="I hadn't played for a while ... you're walking along shaking hands and you're thinking 'That's Pavel Nedvěd and that's Del Piero' and there's the Champions League music blaring."
source=Steve Harper|

Harper has handed in a transfer request in his time with Newcastle, citing lack of regular first team football as his reason (something which Given also did when Harper kept him out of the team under Gullit). He has been linked with moves to West Bromwich Albion, [cite news
date=2003-01-27
url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_2303987,00.html
title=Leeds Considering Milner Offer
publisher=Sky Sports
accessdate=2008-03-16] Celtic, [cite news
date=2003-05-30
url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_2284488,00.html
title=Bhoys chase Harper
publisher=Sky Sports
accessdate=2008-03-16] Watford, [cite news
date=2001-01-30
url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_2237968,00.html
title=Hornets eye Harper
publisher=Sky Sports
accessdate=2008-03-16] Rangers, [cite news
date=2001-06-25
url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_2236183,00.html
title=Robson keen to keep Harper
publisher=Sky Sports
accessdate=2008-03-16] and Liverpoolcite news
date=2008-04-29
url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/apr/29/newcastleunited.liverpool
title=Newcastle set to rebuff Liverpool offer for Harper
publisher=The Guardian
accessdate=2008-04-30] in his time with Newcastle, though none of these moves were finalised.

He again expressed his desire to achieve first team football in June 2006, [cite news
date=2006-06-12
url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_2380004,00.html
title=Harper admits frustration
publisher=Sky Sports
accessdate=2008-04-30] an act which saw then manager Glenn Roeder attempt to persuade Harper to remain with the club. This appeared to work as he signed a new contract to keep him at St. James' Park until June 2009. [cite news
date=2006-06-15
url=http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~895636,00.html
title=Harper Signs Contract Extension
publisher=Newcastle United
accessdate=2008-03-16] An injury to Given early in the 2006–07 season gave Harper another chance to prove his worth in the first team. However, he did not have the best start to first team action, as Newcastle lost 2–0 to Liverpool on September 20, 2006 in what was Harper's first league start for 15 months. The second goal, a 65 yard lob from Xabi Alonso, saw Harper slip whilst backpedaling to reach it, although he did still attempt to get up and stop it. Despite this setback Harper gave some excellent performances in the season. One particular moment was his wonderful save against Manchester City in early November. Harper also received another run in the first team after a third injury to Given later that season, the highlight of this would be keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea, a feat only matched by two other keepers that season. This was the first season Harper played consecutive league matches since 2001.

On July 26, 2007, Harper came on as a substitute against Celtic in a friendly match and played as a striker. [cite news
date=2007-07-26
url=http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1079538,00.html
title=Men Against Bhoys
publisher=nufc.co.uk
accessdate=2008-04-30] Harper continued as Newcastle's goalkeeper at the beginning of the 2007–08 season under the then new boss Sam Allardyce. Given struggling with a groin injury and rookie Tim Krul on loan at Falkirk, meant that Harper was able to start the first 6 Premiership games, keeping 2 clean sheets. However he lost his place again when Given was fit, though another injury to Given later in the season allowed Harper to gain more first team appearances under the new boss, and the manager who first brought him to Newcastle, Kevin Keegan. After a series of good performances, Harper was once again linked with a transfer away from Newcastle. Liverpool expressed an interest in signing him as backup to first choice goalkeeper José Manuel Reina. Keegan reacted to this by stating his intentions to keep Harper, [cite news
date=2008-04-29
url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_3493786,00.html
title=Keegan keen to keep Harper
publisher=Sky Sports
accessdate=2008-04-30] and acknowledging his record of conceding just once in seven and a half hours of play. [cite news
date=2008-05-11
url=http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1310746,00.html
title=KK Salutes Super Stopper Steve
publisher=nufc.co.uk
accessdate=2008-05-12]

Honours

With Newcastle:
* FA Cup runner-up: 1999

Outside football

Harper is also a Football Association-approved referee, one of the few professional footballers to have earned their referee's license. This was subject to analysis during Sky Sports News' "Respect The Ref" campaign, where appointing former footballers as referees was seen as a way to increase the respect shown to referees on the pitch. Harper is considering becoming a referee when he retires from playing.cite news
date=2007-10-28
url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article2753862.ece
title=Steve Harper moving to whistleblowing
publisher=Times Online
accessdate=2008-06-13]

He has a social sciences degree from the Open University, which he studied for whilst playing for the Newcastle reserve team. Harper also enjoys reading, as well as golf, which he plays with former Newcastle United teammate Alan Shearer.

References

External links

*soccerbase|3278|Steve Harper
* [http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/PlayerProfiles/0,,10278~5934,00.html Official Newcastle United profile]

Persondata
NAME = Harper, Stephen Alan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Harper, Steve
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Football (soccer) player
DATE OF BIRTH = March 14, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH = Easington, County Durham, England
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =