GRAEME SOUNESS will be handed the financial backing to give the Newcastle United squad his personal attention as soon as the January transfer window opens.

Known as a manager to adopt the hard-line approach, Souness is expected to be ruthless in his judgement after Christmas when he has had the best part of four months to examine the playing staff he has inherited.

The key area of concern will be to plug the gap left by Jonathan Woodgate's sale and it is believed Souness will receive at least £10m in the New Year to try to do just that.

Returning to Ewood Park to look for that defender may not be on the cards, but he could try to sign Rovers' Scottish midfielder Barry Ferguson, who he made captain this season.

A swoop for Ferguson is likely if Souness takes a tough stance on a number of Newcastle's players that have developed a 'Brat Pack' reputation.

Bookmakers Reuben Page are already taking bets on the first to be shown the door by the strict disciplinarian.

Enigmatic French winger Laurent Robert, as famous for his lazy defensive displays as his fantastic ability to deliver the perfect cross, is favourite to feel the wrath of Souness first at 5-2.

While Kieron Dyer, who had a much-publicised spat with Robson for his refusal to play on the right of midfield, is not far behind at 100-30.

Craig Bellamy (10-1), Patrick Kluivert (10-1) and Titus Bramble (7-1) have also hit the headlines for the wrong reasons over the years and Souness' tough approach was the main reason chairman Freddy Shepherd opted for the Scot.

Newcastle's legendary skipper Alan Shearer is convinced the new man at the helm - who had spells in charge of Rangers, Liverpool, Southampton, Galatasaray, Benfica and Torino before leaving Blackburn on Monday - will bring a halt to indiscipline at the club and help to turn around fortunes on the pitch.

"All I keep hearing is that Graeme Souness will bring discipline to the club and I don't doubt this will be the case," said Shearer, who had been expected to step into coaching following the departure of Robson.

"But, for me, what he will bring to this football club is vast experience of managing a top-class club. He was a top-class player and is a top-class manager.

"If I'm not mistaken, Graeme Souness has won a trophy at every club he has been at apart from Southampton and that's because he wasn't there very long.

"He's a winner, a manager who wins trophies, and that's what we want at Newcastle.

"We all want the club to be successful, nobody more so than me. I have heard some fans asking how Graeme Souness will get on with Alan Shearer.

"Well my answer to that is that in the great scheme of things it is something that really does not matter. His job is to pick a football team to win matches and obviously I want to be part of that.

"But playing for Graeme Souness will be no different from playing for any other manager. If you play well you will be in the team. If you don't play well you won't be. It's a simple as that."

Souness will not take charge officially until Monday, after Newcastle have taken on his old employers Blackburn on Tyneside.

But he has already lined up his own coaching staff with assistant Alan Murray and coaches Phil Boersma and Dean Saunders also moving to St James'.

One boost to Souness when he takes take charge will be the return to fitness of centre-back Titus Bramble.

Bramble trained on his own on Monday in a bid to shake off hamstring trouble and it is unclear whether he will be available for Saturday's match with Blackburn.

However, the former Ipswich Town man should be back in the squad for next either next Thursday's visit of Israeli side Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin or the trip to Southampton a week on Sunday.

Newcastle have had to depend on Aaron Hughes playing alongside Andy O'Brien at the heart of the defence in recent games.

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