Graeme Souness understands better than most what it feels like to sit in the Newcastle United hotseat, with all the pressure and expectations that come with it.
When he took over from Sir Bobby Robson in 2004, there was real hope that his experience and authority would push the club forward. However, things didn’t unfold the way anyone expected.
High-profile signings such as Michael Owen, Jean-Alain Boumsong, and Albert Luque failed to deliver on the pitch, and his time at St James’ Park ultimately became his final job in management.
Newcastle today is a completely different club from the one Souness left in 2006. With Saudi-backed ownership, major investment, and a clear long-term vision, the Magpies have risen from years of frustration to enjoy exciting moments under Eddie Howe.
Howe has delivered a Carabao Cup final, guided the team into the Champions League twice, and built a squad that finally feels competitive on the big stage. But despite this progress, the current Premier League campaign has disappointed many supporters.
Newcastle’s home form has remained strong, yet their inability to win away from home since last April has brought frustration. Back-to-back defeats at West Ham and Brentford have pushed them down to 14th, prompting the first whispers of concern during Howe’s four years in charge.
Still, Howe continues to enjoy strong backing from both the owners and the vast majority of fans who believe he is the right man to reclaim momentum. Souness agrees.
Speaking to ChronicleLive, he explained that Newcastle has always been a unique and emotionally charged environment, a place where football means everything.
According to him, when things go well at Newcastle, the energy is unbeatable, but when form dips, the atmosphere can change quickly. Even so, he insists Howe remains the ideal figure to guide the club forward.
Howe delivered Newcastle’s first major trophy since 1969 and has shown resilience through every challenge. Souness believes the poor away form is simply a hurdle Howe will fix in time.
The former manager also reflected on the summer saga surrounding Alexander Isak, who pushed for a move to Liverpool. Souness knows the stress such situations create for a manager, but he admits the modern game has changed dramatically.
During his career, he was never shy about confronting players directly, but he recognises that those days are over. Today, managers often have limited control when a star player decides he wants to leave.
Decisions are handled by directors, sporting departments, and executives higher up the structure, leaving the head coach with far less influence than in the past.
Souness points out that modern players hold incredible financial and strategic power. They are assets worth tens of millions, and when one decides to “down tools,” it places the club in a difficult position.
A manager cannot simply banish a player without consequences. Even if he isolates him from training, the player still interacts with teammates outside the club, which can affect the wider dressing room.
This makes handling player unrest far more complex than it was during his own managerial days. According to Souness, today’s biggest stars can effectively dictate their future simply by refusing to train or play, leaving clubs with little choice but to act in their favour.
For Souness, the pressure of managing Newcastle remains one of the toughest tests in football, but he believes Howe has already proven he can handle it. The team may be struggling on the road right now, but the foundations he has built are strong.
With patience, belief, and continued support, Souness is confident Howe will steer Newcastle back up the table and restore the excitement that has surrounded the club in recent years.
