Owen now unable to save Souness

SOCCER: Graeme Souness says that at Newcastle United the manager is only ever two defeats away from a crisis. After consecutive 2-0 losses at Liverpool and Tottenham, both abject, Souness will select a side for today's Tyne-Tees derby with Middlesbrough at St James' Park in a suitable state of trepidation.

A home defeat, especially if Newcastle fans temporarily dispense with some of their famous loyalty, would make his position close to untenable.

The ultimate decision on Souness's future belongs to the chairman Freddy Shepherd and deputy chairman Douglas Hall, and having been criticised for their removal of Bobby Robson without a replacement signed and sealed they would be reluctant to take that path again.

Nevertheless, Souness's immediate prospects are unpromising and they have not been helped by the broken metatarsal Michael Owen suffered at White Hart Lane on Saturday. The injury means Newcastle's record £16.5 million signing will be unavailable until mid to late March at the earliest. A decision will be made this week but the England striker is expected to undergo surgery and have a pin inserted.

Newcastle fans will be equally disturbed that Shay Given has damaged a thumb, which may keep him out of today's match, and that Scott Parker appears to have aggravated an existing knee complaint and is a doubt.

Add a knock to the young right back Peter Ramage - with Stephen Carr still out - and Souness's argument about Newcastle's injuries looks justified. But on Tyneside it is a remark which is wearing thin through repetition and, besides, there are deeper issues of concern to the hierarchy at the club and the 52,000 who regularly turn up.

The sight of Albert Luque initially failing to join in the pre-match warm-up at Tottenham should be far from reassuring for Souness. It required an intervention by Terry McDermott before the Spaniard was persuaded to warm up. When Luque, who was bought for £9.5 million from Deportivo La Coruna only four months ago, then came on for Ramage his demeanour was that of an uninterested man.

Luque may well be distracted by talk that Newcastle are negotiating with Real Madrid to bring either Jonathan Woodgate or Thomas Gravesen to Tyneside - or both - and that he himself may be part of that transaction. With Souness admitting he has no money to spend this month, such swaps or loans are likely.

Souness, who sets great store by recruiting only "proper" characters and who recently described the Newcastle dressingroom he had inherited from Robson as "stinking", cannot be impressed by Luque's attitude.

In Souness's last season as manager at Ewood Park Blackburn finished 15th; Newcastle under Robson finished fifth. The overall deterioration in Newcastle since then is marked and only Owen's highly expensive arrival altered it. Now Owen is missing.

Souness's bearing since November's League Cup exit at Wigan has frequently been sullen, but there are two things in his favour. One is that no other manager has been lined up, even if possible there is still the possibility of employing Glenn Roeder, now the academy director at Newcastle, as an interim successor.

The other is that today Newcastle host a Middlesbrough side who are similarly enduring dark introspection.

The mood music at St James' is funereal but with Owen out it would be typical of Alan Shearer to seize the day and score his 200th goal to equal Jackie Milburn's record.