Players - Steve Harkness

Steve Harkness
Birthdate: 27 August 1971
Birthplace: Carlisle, England
Other clubs: Carlisle United (1987-89), Huddersfield Town (loan 1993), Southend United (loan 1995), Benfica (1999), Blackburn Rovers (1999-2000), Sheffield Wednesday (2000-02), Chester City (2002)
Signed from: Carlisle United
Signed for LFC: £75,000, 11.07.1989
Liverpool debut: 27.08.1991
Last appearance: 24.01.1999
Debut goal: 29.04.1995
Last goal: 25.10.1995
Contract expiry: 09.03.1999
Win ratio: 46.76% W:65 D:39 L:35
League games / goals / assists: 102 / 2 / 2
Total games / goals / assists: 139 / 3 / 4

Player Profile

Harkness was a centre-forward at Carlisle when he impressed Kenny Dalglish in a youth cup tie against Liverpool and had only played 13 games for the first team when Liverpool snapped him up. Harkness was a big prospect and was appointed captain of the England u-18 team. Injuries in the reserves meant he was tried as a left-back and he stayed in that position for the majority of his Liverpool career. David Burrows was Liverpool's first choice in that position and Harkness didn't make his competitive debut until on his twentieth birthday in a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers. Aside from Burrows, Harkness had to fight for a place at one time or another with Julian Dicks, Steve Staunton and Stig-Inge Bjørnebye. Harkness asked Roy Evans for a transfer in the 1994/95 season. He made six appearances for first division Southend United from February to March 1995 and was free to move there but Ronnie Whelan's Shrimpers couldn't afford the transfer fee. An injury crisis at Liverpool gave Harkness a second chance at the club at the end of the 1994/95 season. Harkness signed a new three-year contract and was first-choice for the first half of 1995/96 playing as a left wing-back in Evans' 3-5-2 formation. Harkness was pleased that his patience had paid off as he told 90 Minutes in September 1995: "Sometimes I would be in the A-team and wondering what I was doing there when I could have been playing in someone's first team. "I thought, 'I don't need this'. There were times when I was on the verge of packing it in but I had a change of luck and one last chance to prove myself, and I grabbed it."

Come January 1996 Harkness got suspended for receiving too many bookings and that cost him his place as the team seemed to prosper without him. He was in the starting line-up on 6 April against Coventry when disaster struck following an hour's play. John Salako, who had just come on as a substitute two minutes earlier, launched into a scything tackle that broke Harkness' leg. He was out for 11 months, returning to the team when it was, unfortunately, struggling following a promising first half of the 1996/97 season. Harkness was a regular from December onwards in 1997/98. He landed in the midst of a race storm when his former teammate, Stan Collymore, accused him of racially abusing him at Villa Park in February 1998. Collymore had reportedly told him to he would properly break his leg this time which incensed Harkness. Collymore claimed Harkness called him a "lazy coon". The players threatened to sue each other and no truce was made despite PFA's attempts. Nine months later when the sides met again, only 12 minutes in, Collymore made a horrific tackle on Harkness that could have easily broken his leg. He was stretchered off while Collymore escaped with a yellow card. Collymore later got a second yellow for an altercation with Michael Owen. Thankfully Harkness was only out of action for three weeks.

Harkness was one of the first players Houllier got rid of in his first season after he had only started two games in 1999. Souness, who was the manager at Benfica, persuaded Harkness to move to Portugal in March 1999 where former Liverpool players Dean Saunders and Michael Thomas were plying their trade. Souness was sacked a month later and Harkness was banned from first-team participation for arguing with the club's president following Souness' sacking. Brian Kidd at Blackburn offered Harkness a way out of his Portuguese nightmare in August 1999. Souness replaced Kidd as boss in March 2000 but Harkness was sold six months later to Sheffield Wednesday who had just been relegated from the Premier League. He spent two years at struggling Wednesday before joining former teammate, Mark Wright, at Nationwide Conference Chester City when his contract expired in July 2002. Four months later 31-year-old Harkness called it quits following a series of injuries.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 102 6 15 16 0 139
1990-1991 0 0 0 0 0 0
1991-1992 11 1 3 4 0 19
1992-1993 10 0 0 2 0 12
1993-1994 11 1 3 0 0 15
1994-1995 8 0 0 0 0 8
1995-1996 24 1 4 4 0 33
1996-1997 7 0 0 3 0 10
1997-1998 25 1 4 1 0 31
1998-1999 6 2 1 2 0 11
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
8 542 Coventry City
7 614 Newcastle United
7 553 Sheffield Wednesday
7 535 Southampton
7 529 Wimbledon
6 504 West Ham United
6 314 Aston Villa
5 450 Manchester United
5 450 Blackburn Rovers
5 415 Leeds United
4 360 Arsenal
4 360 Tottenham
4 350 Everton
4 346 Ipswich Town
4 332 Crystal Palace
4 257 Middlesbrough
3 270 Sunderland
3 270 Chelsea
3 270 QPR
3 270 Bolton Wanderers
3 270 Leicester City
3 218 Nottingham Forest
2 180 Manchester City
2 180 Norwich City
2 180 Spartak Vladi.
2 180 Brann
2 167 Brøndby
2 162 Swarovski Tirol
2 110 Port Vale
2 79 Apollon Limassol
1 90 Paris St Germain
1 90 Strasbourg
1 90 Rochdale
1 90 Kuusysi Lahti
1 90 Kosice
1 90 Barnsley
1 90 Derby
1 90 Stoke City
1 90 Bristol City
1 90 Sheffield United
1 78 Swindon Town
1 63 Notts County
1 61 Charlton Athletic
1 44 Auxerre
1 28 Peterborough United
1 17 Fulham
1 11 WBA
1 1 Valencia
Total Started/substitutions
119 Started
51 On the bench
20 Substitute
18 Substituted
Total Venue
77 Away
62 Home
Total Competition
91 Premier League
15 League Cup
11 League
11 UEFA Cup
6 FA Cup
5 European Cup Winners Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
84 41 22 21 48.8% Roy Evans
44 18 14 12 40.9% Graeme Souness
6 3 2 1 50% Evans / Houllier
5 3 1 1 60% Gérard Houllier
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 0 1 0 0 3
1990-1991 0 0 0 0 0 0
1991-1992 0 0 0 0 0 0
1992-1993 0 0 0 0 0 0
1993-1994 0 0 0 0 0 0
1994-1995 1 0 0 0 0 1
1995-1996 1 0 1 0 0 2
1996-1997 0 0 0 0 0 0
1997-1998 0 0 0 0 0 0
1998-1999 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Started/substitutions
3 Started
0 Substitute
Total Competition
2 Premier League
1 League Cup
Total Goal minute period
1 1-15 minutes
2 76-90 minutes
Total Goal origin
3 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 1 0 1 0 4
1990-1991 0 0 0 0 0 0
1991-1992 0 0 0 0 0 0
1992-1993 0 0 0 0 0 0
1993-1994 0 0 0 0 0 0
1994-1995 0 0 0 0 0 0
1995-1996 0 1 0 1 0 2
1996-1997 0 0 0 0 0 0
1997-1998 2 0 0 0 0 2
1998-1999 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 27.08.1991 QPR Anfield League
50 29.04.1995 Norwich City Carrow Road League
100 23.08.1997 Blackburn Rovers Ewood Park League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 7 29.04.1995 Norwich City Carrow Road League
Related Articles
Harkness hits back in Villa racism row

Article from Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd on 6 March 1998

Collymore in grudge row

Article from Sunday Mirror on 22 November 1998.

Colly wobbly costs Villa as fantastic Fowler strikes

Birmingham Post report on 21.11.1998 on Aston Villa - Liverpool

Harkness fights for his place

An Article from 90 Minutes in September 1995.

Harkness is a broken man

Match report on 06.04.1996 from "Press Association"

Related Quotes

"I was being wound up all game and was getting racial abuse ... Harkness called me a coon. There were also other things said that were even worse. It was racial abuse of the worst kind and totally out of order ... It hurt me very much indeed and I am still considering whether to make an official complaint. I went out of my way to tell the black players at Liverpool what had happened. Harkness has to live with them as well as himself."

Stan Collymore made public accusations against his former colleague, Liverpool defender Steve Harkness, after playing for Aston Villa at Villa Park in March 1998

Scrapbook
Harkness saves himself - August 1991
Harkness saves himself - August 1991
Harkness signs three-year deal - LFC Matchday Magazine 1995/96
Harkness signs three-year deal - LFC Matchday Magazine 1995/96
LFC Magazine interview from 1995/96
LFC Magazine interview from 1995/96
Liverpool splash out for boy wonder - July 1989
Liverpool splash out for boy wonder - July 1989
Poster in the LFC Magazine in 1994
Poster in the LFC Magazine in 1994
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Carlisle United 1988-1989 England Fourth Division 13 0 13 0
Huddersfield Town 1993-1994 England Second Division 5 0 6 0
Southend 1994-1995 England First Division 6 0 6 0
Benfica 1998-1999 Portugal 1 9 0 9 0
Blackburn Rovers 1999-2000 England First Division 17 0 20 0
Sheffield Wednesday 2000-2001 England First Division 30 1 32 1
Chester City 2002 League Two 10 0 10 0
Total 90 1 96 1