Steve Harper knows what it takes to be a Newcastle United goalkeeper.
He made 199 appearances for Newcastle United, spending the majority of his career at St James’ Park.
But Steve Harper was always very reliable when called upon, boasting an incredible shot-stopping ability.
Now Harper is in charge of helping the next generation of Newcastle United players. He is the Magpies’ academy manager, with the club eager for as many youngsters as possible to rise through the ranks from youth football to the first-team.
And when it comes to goalkeepers, Steve Harper believes that Newcastle’s young shot-stoppers have someone ‘incredible’ to look up to in Nick Pope.
Steve Harper is a huge fan of Nick Pope
During an appearance on the Pod On The Tyne podcast, Harper was asked to give his thoughts on Newcastle United’s first choice goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Harper took the chance to hail Pope’s quality in between the sticks, despite some people complaining about his inability to play out from the back.
“I wish I was that size,” he said.
“He’s an incredible shot-stopper. He’s brilliantly effective. His presence and the confidence and he gives.
“I know people say about playing out from the back, but you cannot underestimate how good of a shot-stopper he is. How reassuring it is to know if we need him to make a save that he’s going to make it, and the positive effect that has on the rest of the team.
“He’s a great lad and a top top all round goalkeeper. What he produces when we need him is up there.”
Nick Pope wins Newcastle United points
Harper sums Pope up perfectly. He is an outstanding shot-stopper, and his ability at keeping the ball out of the net should never be underestimated.
Ben Foster recently compared Pope to Erling Haaland, suggesting that the Newcastle goalkeeper does not get the credit he deserves for some of the saves he makes, in the same way that the Man City striker does not get enough credit for all of his goals.
It is an interesting comparison, and one that makes sense. As Harper says, Pope will fill his teammates with so much more confidence, and that has already been evident this season.
The £10million man has won Newcastle plenty of points. Eddie Howe said Pope’s saves helped Newcastle win against Wolves, while Pep Guardiola said Pope was brilliant against Manchester City. That was summed up by an amazing late stop to deny Bernardo Silva.
Sure, Pope’s kicking can leave a lot to be desired. His distribution is dubious, while he is never going to be able to play out from the back like Alisson or Ederson.
But in terms of pure shot-stopping ability, he is one of the Premier League’s best, and Newcastle United are lucky to have him.
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