collision Course
Jun 29 2006
Freddie Shepherd has pinpointed the innocuous incident which made him think Graeme Souness had "lost the plot" as Newcastle manager.
Magpies fans never took to Souness after his controversial appointment in September 2004 and Shepherd believes by the time he finally called an end to the Scot's ill-fated reign at St James's Park, a parting of the ways was inevitable.
"It was one of those things where the manager knew it was time to go and the board knew it was time for him to go," he said.
Souness was sacked after a 3-2 Premiership defeat at Manchester City and the chairman said it was the evidence of that disappointing night at Eastlands which persuaded him to bring matters to a head.
"At the Man City game when (Scott) Parker, Emre and (Lee) Clark all ran in to each other in the centre circle during the game, I thought then, either I had lost the plot or the manager had lost the plot because that should never happen in a football game," said Shepherd in an interview for the club's official "Season Review 05/06" DVD.
"Obviously the formation was completely wrong. I would never try to tell Graeme Souness how to put a team out, but just looking at it I thought something was seriously wrong."
Nufcmismanagement view:
Freddy, most of the fans had Mr Souness worked out long before he even joined Newcastle, it took a clash of players to get you to sack him.
I think you were almost right when you said "either I had lost the plot or the manager had lost the plot," I would think you had both lost the plot, you really know how to sound pathetic.