Timmy, Timmy Krul. Timmy, Timmy Kruuuul.Steve Harper now looks to be out for some time following the shoulder injury he picked up against Everton this weekend, which is unfortunate for the guy who has waited so long to be our number one in the Premier League.
Early indications suggest that Harper has suffered a shoulder ligament injury and will be sidelined for roughly three months although I must stress that nothing has been confirmed officially as yet.
As I say, it’s unfortunate for Harper, but now that the door to the first-team is temporarily closed for him, it means it is temporarily open for our young goalkeeper, Tim Krul, to make his name in the Premier League.
Most of us are aware that Krul has some significant talent, but are you aware that Krul is yet to concede a goal in any league game he has featured in for us? Neither was I until earlier! Granted, his appearances have been limited, but it shows that he can do a job for us, which is why he was kept at St James’ Park I would guess. (more…)
Harper: Waited long enough for his chance!Here we go with the first in a series of player reviews for the season just passed. Rather than an individual write up for each player I thought it would give us more to discuss and work through if I reviewed the team by on-field position.
That of course means our player review for the season 09/10 will feature four editions; Goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers. So in true football cliche style, let’s build from the back and start off between the sticks with a review of our goalkeepers and how they have done this season.
It does appear to have been an area where we have been blessed with quality for a good few years now, and with top quality rising through the ranks at St James’ Park it looks likely to remain one of our strongest positions for some years to come. For many years we had Shay Given, a brilliant keeper and widely regarded as one of the best in the Premier League throughout his time with us. In January 2009, Shay moved on to Manchester City where of course we wish him all the best, apart from against us next season. Whilst losing Shay was a blow, most of us knew we had a good backup ‘keeper in the form of the forgotten man of Newcastle United. (more…)
Hoping for a bigger trophy?According to his column in the Mail on Sunday, Gary Lineker reckons Newcastle’s very own Steve Harper can be the next Steve Bull. Well not quite, but he does believe that Fabio Capello should cast an eye to the Championship doldrums, if he’s worried about his World Cup custodian as he faces a dearth in quality goalkeeprs.
While there have been other examples, Sir Bobby Robson notably selected Steve Bull to represent England in the 1990 World Cup despite him playing in the second flight at the time. And Lineker believes that Capello would do well to follow the example of not ignoring those outside the Premiership, provided they’re capable enough.
Lineker wrote:
“I wonder if Fabio Capello might take a leaf out of Bobby Robson’s book by casting his eye over a player who is excelling in the Championship while rivals are floundering in the Premier League.
“Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper has been one of the main reasons his side are heading back to the top flight.
“Finding goalkeepers is a world problem because of the way the game has changed, particularly in the movement of the ball.(more…)
