Soccer: Newcastle United sack manager Souness

NEWCASTLE - English soccer club Newcastle United has sacked manager Graeme Souness following the team's fifth defeat in six league matches.

In a statement the struggling Premier League club said youth academy chief Glenn Roeder would take charge of the first team "for the immediate future" and would be assisted by captain Alan Shearer for Saturday's home match against Portsmouth.

Souness, 52, took over in September 2004 after Bobby Robson was sacked and last season Newcastle finished a disappointing 14th.

This season the team has been ravaged by injuries and Newcastle, who have not won a domestic honour since the FA Cup in 1955, are 15th in the 20-team Premier League.

On Wednesday Newcastle lost 3-0 at Manchester City.

"I am obviously saddened at the way things have worked out at St James' Park," Souness said in a statement released by his lawyers.

"I have enjoyed living and working in Newcastle and my family and I have been made to feel particularly welcome by the Geordies (locals).

"I wish the club, the players and the supporters good fortune and success going forward."

Souness is the second Premier League manager to lose his job this season. Portsmouth parted company with Frenchman Alain Perrin on November 24.

Newcastle's first team squad trained as normal on Thursday without Souness who left the training ground about lunchtime.

Roeder is a former Newcastle player and manager of West Ham United.

Souness, a combative former Scotland and Liverpool midfielder, had vowed to fight on despite coming under increasing pressure from the club's fans.

"The way results have gone, (chairman Freddy) Shepherd had no option but to part company with him," Frank Gilmore of the Newcastle United Independent Supporters' Association told the BBC.

"It was basically the way the team played. He got rid of players that we thought highly of and then the ones he brought in to replace them weren't good enough.

"I would say that the vast majority of the supporters would be happy."

Souness' biggest signing was England striker Michael Owen, bought for £16 million($42.04 million) from Real Madrid in August. Owen has not played this year after breaking a foot bone and is not expected to be fit until March.

Former England captain Shearer has long been considered a future candidate to be manager of his hometown club.

The 35-year-old is currently level with Jackie Milburn with 200 goals for Newcastle and is due to retire from playing at the end of the season.

- REUTERS