United team spirit is special says Steve Harper

Oct 9 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

STEVE Harper believes Newcastle United’s summer purge has created a special bond between the players which has helped fire them to the top of the Championship.

Harper is the most experienced player in the United squad and claims he has never enjoyed a dressing-room atmosphere as much as he is this season as the team continues to draw strength from the club’s adversity.

And, having returned to pre-season training worrying about the mental state of the players after relegation from the Premier League, Harper feels the team have found a collective resilience which gives them an excellent chance of making an immediate return to the top flight.

“It does feel like a special atmosphere in the dressing room,” said Harper, who is also enjoying his status as first-choice goalkeeper after nearly a decade as back-up to Shay Given. “I think the trip to Ireland did us the world of good. It really brought us closer together as a squad, we got some really good training in and we got our heads around the situation we were in and what we could do about it. We have bonded really well and we are a strong group.

“In the past – and I’m not just talking about recent history here – there have been some complex characters in the dressing room who could be very difficult and that can affect the mood.

“When they had good days they were great, but when they had a bad day it was a problem for everyone else. What we have now is a small, tight-knit group who

are all pulling in the same direction. It is an enjoyable environment to work in and I think we are seeing the benefits of that out on the pitch.

“We just couldn’t carry people like that this season. We had to move forward and we have a squad now which wants to do that together.

“There have been plenty of distractions, but we have been protected from them and you have to say Chris Hughton, Colin Calderwood, Peter Barron and all the staff have been fantastic.”

The situation at United remains far from ideal, with little long term planning possible because of the continuing uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the club.