When he took over from Sir Bobby Robson earlier in the season, I said Graeme Souness would provide the backbone that Newcastle’s relegation-bound flops desperately needed.
It took time, of course — and the departure of moody Craig Bellamy on loan to Celtic. But after the stirring 4-0 win over Olympiakos in the Uefa Cup on Wednesday night, the Toon finally began to sing the name of their no-nonsense Scottish boss, who is such a different character from Robson, the great soccer softie.
With a record eight straight wins behind then, Newcastle have banished the spectre of relegation, they’re through to play Arsenal in the FA Cup semifinals and they’re in a European quarterfinal.
Souness said: ”I enjoyed the fans’ reaction but I’m realistic enough to know we can’t be 4-0 up in every game. We made a good team look average.”
Souey, of course, has made an average team look good. His talisman? Alan Shearer. The former England captain is retiring from football at the end of the season at a ridiculously early 34. He scored twice against the Greeks to take his tally to 191 goals for Newcastle, just nine short of the record held by the legendary Jackie Milburn.
Between the chants of ”Souness” there were clearly audible cries of ”Alan Shearer … one more season”. What promised to be the winter from hell has turned into a fairy-tale season for one of England’s biggest, best-supported clubs, which can now realistically look forward to two pieces of silverware come May.
The pressure on Shearer to stay on for another season will be immense, especially if we have an ”Alan Shearer Final” in the style of the 1954 FA Cup final when Blackpool triumphed 4-3 over Bolton in what history remembers as the ”Stanley Matthews Final”.
But this tale of redemption is not just about Shearer. It’s about Lee Bowyer, the nasty piece of work from south London, growing up to be a true professional. It’s about Kieron Dyer, a spoilt kid, finally proving his talent. About Shay Given being just the kind of goalkeeper Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool should have paid millions for. About the currently injured and generally unfortunate Titus Bramble refusing to bow to the critics.
And about a disparate group of foreigners such as Patrick Kluivert, and Lauren Robert finally deciding they are team players, welded together by Souness’s white-hot tongue.
To the west, Liverpool boss Rafael BenÃÂtez is finding it hard to find that consistency. A drab 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Anfield on Wednesday is hardly the result the Champions League quarterfinalists would have wanted before their derby with Everton, who are seven points ahead in the Premiership.
And Martin Jol must be scratching his head after a comprehensive 2-0 defeat at the hands of Charlton.
Liverpool and Tottenham failed to turn it on again. But Newcastle, already comfortably through after the first-leg 3-1 win in Greece, went out and did the business. The 32 163 Toon Army went home happy, while the 37 763 at Anfield drifted home wondering which Liverpool side will turn up for the Mersey derby on Sunday.
That’s because Souness refuses to accept that the modern highly paid professionals in his squad are allowed to cheat the fans. When he goes out for training, Souness expects nothing less than 100% from his investments.
As Dwight Yorke will tell you after coming up against his boss in a five-a-side training match at Blackburn last season, Souey is a hard man. And there’s still room for them in football.
What there isn’t room for is El Hadji Diouf. Sent off after just eight minutes in the FA Cup quarterfinal against Arsenal last Saturday, the Senegalese striker, on £40 000 a week, was to be found outside a London nightclub at 3.45am on Tuesday.
Already in hot water for spitting at a Celtic fan while in Liverpool’s colours in 2003 and doing the same to Portsmouth’s Arjan de Zeeuw last November, this time he stands accused of spitting at a beggar in Soho before having his car towed away. On Thursday morning we were treated to a huge picture of the 24 year old putting a finger up at the world in an obviously tired and emotional state.
His boss, Sam Allardyce, admitted on Wednesday: ”Diouf can control himself for 95% or 98% of the time but then the red light goes on and the fuse blows.”
Perhaps big Sam will turn out in five-a-side during training this week and teach the former African Player of the Year a thing or two.
This weekend, I expect the Championship to be all but wrapped up, with Chelsea extending their 11-point advantage. Here are the verdicts:
Blackburn vs Arsenal
This is a sneak preview of the FA Cup semifinal between these two clubs. As I predicted, rugged Scotsman Paul Dickov, an Arsenal youth player, scored the goal that put Rovers through in the quarterfinal against another of his old clubs, Leicester, last weekend. Expect him to shrug off injury and put it about again on Saturday. Arsenal were reasonably impressive in their 1-0 win at Bolton, though Diouf’s ridiculous sending off helped a bit. Hopefully Freddie Ljungberg will do what he did with his first chance, not the second, against Rovers this week. But Ewood Park could be a tough proposition.
Verdict: Blackburn 1 Arsenal 1
Bolton vs Norwich
Bolton were on a hell of a run until the quarterfinal defeat last week. Expect them to get back on track here. Kevin Davies is a handful for any defence, and Norwich, who defend like Dodos heading for extinction rather than flying Canaries, won’t find it easy. Still, if things get tough, chairperson Delia Smith can cook up a storm at half-time with a bit of ”let’s be having you”. I can’t really think of any positives for a side condemned to relegation. Dean Ashton’s arrival from Crewe hasn’t been a waste of cash — but I can’t help thinking we’ll see him move again at the end of the season for a Premiership future.
Verdict: Bolton 3 Norwich 0
Charlton vs West Brom
Big, big game for Bryan Robson’s West Brom at The Valley. Charlton have more quality, more nous, more experience in these situations but will Alan Curblishley be able to keep them hungry as they head for the summer break with not much to play for? The Baggies are desperate for points, Kevin Campbell has arrived from Everton with the Superman cape and could well help shoot them in to a position of hope. But, ultimately, they won’t survive.
Verdict: Charlton 1 West Brom 2
Chelsea vs Palace
Kevin Keegan’s departure speech at Manchester City centred on the inequalities of the modern game. How Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea can’t be caught by ordinary clubs. He’s right. Palace will be just as desperate as Norwich and West Brom but apart from penalty king Andy Johnson, where do they turn? Iain Dowie has done a reasonable job in difficult circumstances. Sadly, I can’t see a shock here.
Verdict: Chelsea 2 Palace 0
Man United vs Fulham
Wouldn’t it be great to see that former United icon Andy Cole get a couple against his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson? He’s still capable. And with Edwin van der Sar back on form in goal, they could just nick a point. Ruud van Nistelrooy remains off the pace, so Wayne Rooney should be the key to United keeping up what is a pointless chase in Chelsea’s shadow.
Verdict: United 2 Fulham 2
Pompey vs Newcastle
Great contrast in form here. Portsmouth were doing okay under Joe Jordan and his foreign bosses at Fratton Park, then it all started to go wrong and the post-Harry Redknapp depression set in. They’re on a terrible run while Newcastle are taking the Uefa Cup and FA Cup by storm with a record run.
Verdict: Portsmouth 2 Newcastle 3
Spurs vs Man City
Stuart Pearce is in solo charge of City for the first time, but so much depends on the fitness of Shaun Wright-Phillips. The fact that they gained Premiership safety under Keegan owes a lot to the youngster. Tottenham, so unlucky in the FA Cup quarterfinal at Newcastle last week, deserve a change of fortune. Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane and Freddie Kanoute might just be too good for Pearce on his coaching debut.
Verdict: Spurs 2 City 1
Birmingham vs Villa
The big Midlands derby, with Birmingham desperate to show manager Steve Bruce that the recent defeats against relegation fodder are just a blip. I’m not sure they were, but David O’Leary’s Aston Villa are little more consistent than their Brummie neighbours. This is one derby that will fall short of feverish excitement.
Verdict: Birmingham 0 Villa 0
Liverpool vs Everton
Game of the weekend, with ”Beneath Us” BenÃÂtez desperate to claw back points on Liverpool’s Mersey rivals at Anfield. David Moyes at Everton has shown that Keegan’s ”no chance for the poor clubs” philosophy can be disproved. This season, with a team of journeymen, he has kept his side in the Champions League positions despite selling Wayne Rooney and Tomas Gravesen. Liverpool, so cool in the Champions League, should prove Keegan right this time, though.
Verdict: Liverpool 2 Everton 0
Boro vs Southampton
Harry Redknapp’s tinkering has been producing positives lately, though the weekend’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat against Manchester United was hopeless. Southampton have been saving themselves for this one, if you ask Harry. Middlesbrough are a good side, well marshalled, but striker
Peter Crouch’s 2,06m figure might disrupt them.
Verdict: Boro 0 Southampton 1