England Keeper

[Keith Scantlebury]

Fabio Cappelo has decided to call on Robert Green to keep goal for England in the Euro 2012 qualifier on 4th June. Not only has Green asked not to be considered, his gaffes for both club and country have been well reported. He is also part of a relegated team, so he must take his share of the blame for West Ham's relegation.

Many Neutral football fans [as well as NUFC supporters] agree that Steve Harper is , without doubt, the best English keeper never to be capped for his country. That is mainly due to the excellent form that Shay Given enjoyed during his tenure between the pegs at NUFC. Surely the Toon's #1 keeper deserves the chance to prove his worth to his country before it is too late for him to do so. You never know, he might just show the current England manager and his predecessors what they have missed out on. Come on Fabio, give the lad a chance [ along with Barton and Nolan] to prove he still has what it takes, after all, England has all but quallified for the 2012 finals, what is there to lose.

[John Fox (foxy)]

Fabio Cappelo has decided to call on Robert Green to keep goal for England in the Euro 2012 qualifier on 4th June. Not only has Green asked not to be considered, his gaffes for both club and country have been well reported. He is also part of a relegated team, so he must take his share of the blame for West Ham's relegation.

Many Neutral football fans [as well as NUFC supporters] agree that Steve Harper is , without doubt, the best English keeper never to be capped for his country. That is mainly due to the excellent form that Shay Given enjoyed during his tenure between the pegs at NUFC. Surely the Toon's #1 keeper deserves the chance to prove his worth to his country before it is too late for him to do so. You never know, he might just show the current England manager and his predecessors what they have missed out on. Come on Fabio, give the lad a chance [ along with Barton and Nolan] to prove he still has what it takes, after all, England has all but quallified for the 2012 finals, what is there to lose.

Keith,I agree with everything you say about Harper and Green but do you not think Harper may lack a bit of ambition? He had been sitting on the subs bench for months on end while Given was enjoying excellent form. If I had Harpers skill I wouldn't be second string to anyone and would have moved on. I think we could see Given doing just that before the new season begins,even though he is being paid megabucks.

Edited May 25, 2011 by foxy

[Keith Scantlebury]

Keith,I agree with everything you say about Harper and Green but do you not think Harper may lack a bit of ambition? He had been sitting on the subs bench for months on end while Given was enjoying excellent form. If I had Harpers skill I wouldn't be second string to anyone and would have moved on. I think we could see Given doing just that before the new season begins,even though he is being paid megabucks.

Don't know if it is lack of ambition or loyalty to the club. But I do agree that either of those has hampered his international chances. He may have had a more prolific career if he had moved to a "less glamorous" premiership club [if that is the correct phrase to use]. Newcastle United is clearly the club he loves and he has obviously been willing to play second fiddle to Shay Given. Givens unwillingness to play in the championship had elevated Harper to number 1 keeper. Over the years NUFC has had some excellent goalkeepers, many of them internationals, who have been happy to stick with the club for a number of years. Steve Harper can hold his own with many of them and I honestly believe he deserves to be capped for England. The current England manager could do a lot worse than give the guy a chance, even at this late stage of his career. There is of course, that imaginary line that is drawn from Merseyside to the East coast.[ Andy Carrol has done his international aspirations no harm at all ] Any footballer playing for a club above that line renders himself [in Capello's book] unable to play for England. Can anyone say that Mr. Capello has been a regular at St. James' Park to run the rule over a NUFC player? I don't think so. I don't even think that he has ever taken the opportunity to watch them when they have played in London for that reason. Stuart Pearce has used NUFC players in the under 21's in recent years, so that rules out travel sickness. Maybe it is an age over distance thing and the fact that Alan Shearer quit international football at a relatively young age. Newcastle United is, and has been for a long time, one of the biggest and most respected clubs in English football but for some reason it has become a no go area [in recent years] for England internationals. Was it an injury sustained playing against Sweden that ended Michael Owens international career, or the fact that he played for NUFC.

Edited May 25, 2011 by keith

[Merlin]

Don't know if it is lack of ambition or loyalty to the club. But I do agree that either of those has hampered his international chances. He may have had a more prolific career if he had moved to a "less glamorous" premiership club [if that is the correct phrase to use]. Newcastle United is clearly the club he loves and he has obviously been willing to play second fiddle to Shay Given. Givens unwillingness to play in the championship had elevated Harper to number 1 keeper. Over the years NUFC has had some excellent goalkeepers, many of them internationals, who have been happy to stick with the club for a number of years. Steve Harper can hold his own with many of them and I honestly believe he deserves to be capped for England. The current England manager could do a lot worse than give the guy a chance, even at this late stage of his career. There is of course, that imaginary line that is drawn from Merseyside to the East coast.[ Andy Carrol has done his international aspirations no harm at all ] Any footballer playing for a club above that line renders himself [in Capello's book] unable to play for England. Can anyone say that Mr. Capello has been a regular at St. James' Park to run the rule over a NUFC player? I don't think so. I don't even think that he has ever taken the opportunity to watch them when they have played in London for that reason. Stuart Pearce has used NUFC players in the under 21's in recent years, so that rules out travel sickness. Maybe it is an age over distance thing and the fact that Alan Shearer quit international football at a relatively young age. Newcastle United is, and has been for a long time, one of the biggest and most respected clubs in English football but for some reason it has become a no go area [in recent years] for England internationals. Was it an injury sustained playing against Sweden that ended Michael Owens international career, or the fact that he played for NUFC.

When, may I ask, did Owen PLAY for NUFC? If his recent outburst's on Twitter, and his desire to play for the hated enemy that is Man U, him being a Scouser an' all that, are anything to go by, then we are all right! He is one greedy little !*!@# !!!!!!!!