FORMER Newcastle United captain Brian Kilcline has backed Magpies' boss Graeme Souness to be a success at St James' Park.

Despite widespread discontentment among the Tyneside faithful after yet another disappointing season in the Premiership, Kilcline believes the United manager can turn around the club's recent flagging fortunes.

Kilcline highlights that Souness has been a winner all his life and sees no reason why he can't deliver that coveted piece of silverware the club's fans crave.

But Kilcline, who was back in the North-East to promote this year's Empirepoker.com Northern Masters tournament at the Metro Radio Arena, admitted he could be on borrowed time.

"They are a still a very young side and he (Souness) didn't have them from the start of the season, did he?" said Kilcline.

"It's always hard to take over a club which has been set up by another manager but I can't see how Newcastle have struggled (this season) because they have so many good players.

"But he is the kind of bloke who is only used to success. He has got to do something because the supporters and the football club won't stand for it if he doesn't."

The 42-year-old enjoyed cult-hero status at St James' Park after manager Kevin Keegan paid Oldham £250,000 for his services in 1992. Although not knowing Souness personally, perhaps unsurprisingly the two crossed paths once or twice in their playing days.

"I played against him and he tackles quite hard I seem to remember," said Kilcline. "He has a winning mentality and if it's not happening he is going to make it happen. If he doesn't they'll have to get someone else in who will do it."

Apart from taking part in the Northern Masters football tournament each year and the odd testimonial, Kilcline confessed he rarely gets to see a football match these days. His time is divided up between his new found love of renovating old property and travel.

He admitted he had lost touch with how his old club was getting on because he has been out of the country, but did confess to being perplexed at recent off-the-field events when he finally caught up with what was happening.

He said: "There's a lot of strange things happened at the club recently.

"I was travelling for three or four months and I heard the tale that there were two lads fighting each other (Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer). Why are they doing that? They should be doing that in the dressing room.

" There was plenty of that in my day but when you went out on the pitch you fight for each other. You can scrap in the dressing room as much as you like.

"Sometimes when you trained you disliked people in your own team but when you played on a Saturday you played as a team to win."

Kilcline is in a strong Newcastle squad which includes Peter Beardsley, Rob Lee, John Beresford and Warren Barton. They will face last year's Northern Masters' champions Middlesbrough, whose side includes Dean Windass, John Hendrie, Peter Beagrie and Robbie Mustoe.

The Sunderland side is made up of Niall Quinn, Marco Gabbiadini, Gary Owers and Hartlepool caretaker boss Martin Scott.

The tournament at the Metro Radio Arena kicks-off at 3pm on June 12.

Newcastle's opponents in the third round of the Intertoto Cup will be known next month.

Slovakia's Dubnica take on Hungarian side Vasas this month in the first round, with the winner facing Turkish team Ankaraspor early next month in the second round. The winners will play the Magpies, who enter at the third-round stage.

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