I WANT RIVALS BOUNCING OFF ME
As the Championship returns, West Brom’s Rekeem Harper takes inspiration from a bruising clash with United to warn …
IT COULD have been the crunching tackle that left Bruno Fernandes crying foul or the reassuring tap from Marcus Rashford that followed but one thing for sure is Rekeem Harper left Old Trafford with a taste for life at the top.
‘They were all up saying that’s a foul but I knew I’d got the ball,’ smiles the West Brom midfielder.
‘Rashford just gave me a little tap and laughed. It was funny.
‘In the tunnel, I was like “Wow”. Just looking at the stadium, even the surface on the pitch. Then being up against Matic, Martial and Pogba... but once we were in the game I wasn’t fazed. You can’t play in awe because it will hold you back and we are winners.’
The Premier League is West Brom’s objective as they resume their Championship campaign today at Birmingham. A 2-1 victory over Manchester United in one of two friendlies the clubs played last week is not the most accurate barometer of progress but it certainly heightened motivation.
‘It still seems a crazy, surreal experience but it definitely made me want to play in the Premier League even more,’ enthuses 20-year- old Harper. ‘Pogba is a player I have followed closely as I play in a similar position.
‘He was constantly demanding the ball. Everything good they did seemed to go through him and when they went behind he was like a captain, shouting and encouraging the others to push on. Up close, you see how powerful he is.
‘The physique, the strength. Him and Matic, you just bounce off them. I came away thinking I’m going to get stronger, I want people bouncing off me.’
Harper is no weakling. A growth spurt at 14 means he is 6ft 2in and still growing, thanks in main to the rich Caribbean homecooking of mum Cerese. Team-mate Jake Livermore calls Harper his ‘Little Monster’. Harper cites Livermore and veteran Gareth Barry as two of the biggest influences on his fledgling career. It helps that they share the same agent.
‘Jake is like my big brother,’ says Harper. ‘ Since I came into the dressing room he’ll joke about my haircut, my style, my clothes, just having a laugh, but on the pitch he is a running machine, so unselfish and pushes me to have freedom in my game.
Barry has had similar impact. ‘On Gareth’s first training session we had a passing drill about how to beat a defensive line. He did it with his first touch. To see that confidence and level of quality was a reality check for me. That was the level I wanted to be at.’
Though linked with Juventus and Tottenham last season, Harper suffered a dip in confidence and turned to Barry for advice.
‘He told me we can’t all be great on the ball every day so focus on what you can control. Work hard, tackle, stay in position, then you always have the base for a performance. The next game, I scored my first goal.’
That thirst for improvement drove Harper to turn the lockdown period to his advantage.
He struggled with the initial drop in intensity from group training but used his time to read before turning to Netflix. His book of choice was Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable written by Tim Grover, the personal trainer of basketball stars Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, which discusses mental toughness.
That led him to The Last Dance, the documentary series detailing Jordan’s swansong with the Chicago Bulls. One quote from Jordan particularly resonated with Harper: ‘ I can accept failure, everyone fails at something, but I can’t accept not trying.’ It is now framed on Harper’s bedroom wall.
‘Reading it makes my mentality stronger,’ he says. ‘I want to leave an impression on every training session so that the manager wants to pick me week-in, week-out.’
Inspirational words from Jordan or contemporaries like Rashford and Raheem Sterling are not lost on a young, gifted boy from Birmingham at a time when movements such as Black Lives Matter reach out to sporting icons for support.
‘Maybe I’ve been fortunate. I had one bad experience with the Under 18s in Hungary and fans started making monkey ey noises. I was low, w, but I had to get et through it.’
He shouldn’t t have to though.
‘I believe in protest - as long as s you do it in the correct manner,’ insists Harper. ‘When you see people resorting to violence it devalues the protest. People will dismiss you. u. That’s not the way to get et heard.
‘I have been brought up not to judge people on how they look. Treat people how you would like to be treated yourself, with respect.’
He is well placed at West Brom. A beacon against racism since the 1970s when Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson, Remi Moses and Laurie Cunningham adorned their ranks, they earned further praise this month after a fan vowed to cancel his season ticket because the club participated in the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter.
When the club posted a blacked out picture with the caption ‘Together we are stronger’ stronger’, the supporter tweeted back saying ‘ Pathetic. Cancel my season ticket.’ Albion’s reply was succinct: ‘You won’t be missed.’
‘It was a brilliant response,’ says Harper. ‘It’s empowering to play for a club that has this history. Our dressing room has a large mix of different cultures but it doesn’t feel different, it feels normal. That says everything for the club’s morals and equality.’
● West Brom v Birmingham, 3pm kick-off, LIVE on Sky Sports Main Event from 2.45pm.
‘When people use violence it devalues the protest’