Harps pays high price for loyalty

If he was tuned in to that game, he would have missed Carson, with the help of John Terry, make a right old pig's breakfast to allow Germany to equalise against England in Berlin's Olympic Stadium.

Terry demonstrated he is made of the right stuff by holding his hands up and taking responsibility for the goal - after making amends by grabbing a late winner.

But Carson was not blameless, judging by the reaction from England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence.

And who can forget his blunder against Croatia on a wet Wembley night which helped stop England from qualifying for Euro 2008?

Yet how many goals has Harper given away in his 11 years at St James's Park? A couple when he slipped at Spurs and Liverpool, which could happen to any player and were not really goalkeeping errors.

Other than those isolated moments, Harps has made tremendous saves, and his handling is usually impeccable.

However, he is 33 now, and while goalkeepers can usually last that bit longer than outfield players, he must know that despite all the problems England have had in finding an adequate keeper, he is never going to get his chance.

But if Stephen Alan Harper from the Durham pit village of Easington had played regular Premier League football then he would also have played for England.