Will Newcastle be a success?

With Souness finally admitting his interest in Michael Owen, and a multi million pound summer spending spree at Newcastle (including the likes of Scott Parker, Emre, and Coco), one wonders what the new campaign will bring for the toon army and its faithful. I remember the shocking opening performances of last season which led to the understandable and inevitable departure of Sir Bobby Robson, and it is possible that if Newcastle suffer a similar ill start to the new season Souness could become the first managerial casualty in the Premiership.

Souness's "gung ho" relationships with some of his past players have led some Newcastle fans to believe that he is not capable of handling stroppy players (Dwight Yorke, Craig Bellamy, and Laurent Robert to name a few). The incident with Yorke is a particular blemish on Souness's resume, I believe. Yorke was reportedly furious with the Scotsman after he went over the top in Training with a heavy tackle. Surely Souness needs better man management skills to cut it at the top? I do not believe he handled the Dyer/Bowyer situation with aplomb either, and as everyone else noticed Newcastle's season virtually collapsed right after that violent, animal-like incident. That sort of behavior was never present under Sir Bobby. It makes me wonder about Souness as a person, let alone a manager. Watch this space after the Arsenal game on the opening day of the season!