Allardyce set to stick with Harper
by Football Staff, 14 September 2007
Shay Given looks set for a place on the bench again when Newcastle play Derby County on Monday.
Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce said it was not a hard decision to leave the fit-again Given out against Wigan a fortnight ago.
Steve Harper has not put a foot wrong since replacing Given and has kept two clean sheets in an unbeaten start to the campaign.
"How a manager deals with that situation is what makes you a manager," Allardyce told the Sunderland Echo.
"And the bottom line is, at the moment, that I don't see it being a difficult decision, to be honest."
Harper's Premier League appearance against Wigan Athletic was his 50th for United, while Given has turned out 414 times for Newcastle.
