Harper Record Not Good But Was Shay Any Better?
Last updated : 10 May 2009 By Footy Mad - Editor
Steve Harper has come in to pick up the pieces, and he hopes United can draw something from the crowd on Monday night.
The Magpies have won only four times on their own pitch this season (against Bolton, West Brom, Aston Villa and Tottenham) the last of them on December 21.
That is an incredible four games from 19 played at St James' Park this season in all competitions.
Shay Given, now at Manchester City, was between the posts on all four occasions, and his replacement as number one has collected three points only once, at West Brom, in the 13 games he has played since the Irishman's departure.
Steve Harper: "You look back at the games earlier in the season that have cost us, like the equalisers against Wigan, Stoke and Manchester City - there's six points there.
"If we had beaten Hull at home, we would be out of the bottom three, but how far do you go back?
"We can't look back now - those games have gone. We have got three fixtures we can win, and we are going to try to win them all.
"We have got to do the job. We have got the get the maximum points we can from the next three games, including two massive home games.
"This is a very tough league. We haven't performed for 90 minutes often enough.
"We have got to do that in the next three games because the Premier League is not a forgiving environment.
"We have got to do it for 90 minutes, or you are punished, as we have been by Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea."
Newcastle have won just one of their last 17 league games and have scored only four goals in their last 10 despite having strikers Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins back in harness for the last few weeks.