Newcastle coach Steve Harper says he has left the club after claiming he cannot commit to his role as lead Academy goalkeeping coach. The fan favourite made 199 appearances for the Magpies during his playing days and he was praised after staying put during the club’s relegation battles.
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Since he finished playing in 2016, Harper has worked as a coach at Newcastle but he has decided to end his spell with his boyhood club. The 44-year-old was working alongside Under-23 coach Ben Dawson and with goalkeepers Nathan Harker and Otto Huuhtanen but he has decided to move on, citing personal reasons.
In a social media post, Harper tweeted: “Thank you very much to everyone @NUFC Academy for their help and support with my role as Lead U17-23 GK Coach this season. “I’ve really enjoyed working with Nathan & Otto in the excellent U23 campaign as well as witnessing the progress & development of both of the U18 GKs and many of the talented young GKs in the Academy.
“However given the enormous time commitment working across both age groups this is a role I will not be able to continue with. “Also, my youngest son is going into NUFC Academy as an U9 GK and I don’t wish to be seen as a help and/or hindrance to his development by being in the same department as him and want to support him as a parent by giving him a clear run at hopefully representing this great club one day.”
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