Souness: I need magic wand

[Craig 6284]

Souness: Hoping luck will change

 

Graeme Souness believes says he has had "zero luck" as Newcastle boss and insists it would take a magic wand to ease his current problems.

 

The Scot is preparing for Saturday's clash with former club Blackburn knowing he will again be without more than half of his strongest team.

 

However, Souness is refusing to be bowed by a challenge which grows more difficult by the day.

 

"We have 52,000 pack our stadium every week, there's one club in the city and we are constantly under the spotlight," he said.

 

"I said 'yes' to the job 16 months ago, but we have had zero luck.

 

"At the minute we have to work with what we have - unless somebody can replace me and come out with a magic wand and make Michael Owen's injury into a two-weeker or bring Steven Taylor back quicker.

 

"I don't think I'm doing anything terribly wrong. Since we played Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Cup last season, it's been one problem after another."

 

The Magpies travelled to Fulham on Saturday without Owen, Taylor, Emre, Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker, Shola Ameobi and Craig Moore through injury and with Amady Faye away on international duty.

 

Owen began his rehabilitation from surgery to repair his fractured metatarsal on Tuesday, promising he would be back for at least the final month of the domestic season, but is likely to be out of action for a further eight weeks at least.

 

Newcastle were dealt a fresh blow on Saturday when Titus Bramble, who has been struggling for several weeks with a groin strain, failed a fitness test on an ankle injury, and their woes increased at half-time when Stephen Carr was unable to continue after aggravating a hernia problem.

 

Carr and Ameobi have both undergone scans to assess the extent of the damage, and Souness will be keeping his fingers crossed for more positive news.

 

He is hopeful of having both Bramble and Emre back for the weekend, but with the closure of the transfer window fast approaching, he will hope chairman Freddy Shepherd can help him out despite having already handed him £50million in transfer fees.

 

Fenerbahce striker Nicolas Anelka, a summer target, has made no secret of his desire to resume his Premiership career on Tyneside, but hard cash is at a premium and the Turks showed few signs of being prepared to negotiate on their £12million price tag last time around amid suggestions of a pay-as-you-play deal.

 

The Magpies also need defensive reinforcements and are keen to take Charlton midfielder Danny Murphy in exchange for Lee Bowyer, although are not prepared to make up the £2.5million difference in the Londoners' respective valuations of the two men

[Jimbo 133]

Fuck the wand, he needs the sack !

[sweetleftpeg 0]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we've won games/got draws that we've deserved nowt from, even with a fairly strong team out there. We've had plenty of luck this season.

[Jimbo 133]

Player fitness is directly related to training routines and techniques, clearly we have gone past the point of us just being unlucky, it is consequential not coincidental.

 

Sack him and his staff.

[Guest alex]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we've won games/got draws that we've deserved nowt from, even with a fairly strong team out there. We've had plenty of luck this season.

80899[/snapback]

Totally agree with that like, West Brom, Blackburn and West Ham away, not to mention Villa and 'Boro at home. That's just off the top of my head.

[Renton 17522]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we've won games/got draws that we've deserved nowt from, even with a fairly strong team out there. We've had plenty of luck this season.

80899[/snapback]

Totally agree with that like, West Brom, Blackburn and West Ham away, not to mention Villa and 'Boro at home. That's just off the top of my head.

80909[/snapback]

 

I agree. And Mansfield as well.

[Guest alex]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we've won games/got draws that we've deserved nowt from, even with a fairly strong team out there. We've had plenty of luck this season.

80899[/snapback]

Totally agree with that like, West Brom, Blackburn and West Ham away, not to mention Villa and 'Boro at home. That's just off the top of my head.

80909[/snapback]

 

I agree. And Mansfield as well.

80912[/snapback]

I didn't go We sounded shite though.

[David Kelly 1115]

I thought we deserved to beat West Brom but that's about it. Arguably you could put the makems into that list too!

[Guest alex]

I thought we deserved to beat West Brom but that's about it.  Arguably you could put the makems into that list too!

80917[/snapback]

We probably shaded it against West Brom but they had two-three good opportunities at 1-0 including a point blank save by Given. If they'd scored one of them we would have struggled. Same against Blackburn, better side (just) but flattered by the score. You're right about the Mackems too.