GRAEME Souness has spent the last fortnight desperately searching for a striker - on the evidence of last night's Intertoto Cup defeat to Deportivo La Coruna, he had better add a couple of defenders to his already lengthy shopping list.

The start of the season is still nine days away yet Newcastle are already out of Europe and displaying all of the familiar failings that cost them so dearly last term.

With James Milner's opener having left them in the driving seat, the Magpies proceeded to concede two goals in six minutes either side of half-time.

That the second came from a catastrophic Robbie Elliott back-pass merely served to underline Newcastle's repeated ability to locate the self-destruct button.

At least now they can concentrate on the league.

The Intertoto Cup might not be the most prestigious of competitions, but the urgency of Newcastle's start last night at least suggested Souness had left his players in no doubt as to the importance of overturning Deportivo's slender first-leg lead.

With Milner and Lee Bowyer stationed either side of lone striker Alan Shearer, the Magpies enjoyed plenty of early possession but, apart from a speculative 17th-minute strike from debutant Emre, they rarely looked like converting it into a meaningful opportunity.

With fellow newcomer Scott Parker and Amdy Faye largely getting in each other's way at the base of midfield, the home side's play quickly became disjointed as Deportivo understandably refused to push too many players forward.

The visitors showed little in the way of attacking ambition until they were home and hosed but could, and perhaps should, have cancelled out Newcastle's away goal on the half-hour mark.

Shearer was their unwitting accomplice in the six-yard box but, after the United skipper had flicked on Pedro Munitis' corner, full-back Joan Capdevila somehow stabbed the ball over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy.

The escape seemed to spur Newcastle into action and, four minutes later, Shearer came close to breaking the deadlock by using his head to rather better effect at the other end.

The United skipper rose highest to meet Milner's left-wing cross but Deportivo goalkeeper Jose Molina flung himself to his right to palm the header around the post.

Shearer's timing went awry from the resultant corner though, with his mistimed challenge on Molina sparking an unseemly melee in the penalty area that was mirrored on the touchline and repeated in the tunnel at half-time.

Terry McDermott ended the off-field argument by soaking his Deportivo counterpart with water and, with the atmosphere becoming more and more frenetic, Milner dampened the Spaniards' mood even further six minutes before half-time.

The former Leeds midfielder was in the right place at the right time as Bowyer's scuffed shot trundled towards goal and his reflexes were quick enough to divert the ball beyond Molina's grasp.

With an away goal from the first leg, Newcastle were in the driving seat at 1-0 but, with grim predictability, their advantage lasted just six minutes. Seasons might change, but United's propensity to throw away the lead shows no sign of abating.

Their tendency to be their own worst enemies also remains. Jean-Alain Boumsong leapt ineffectually as Aldo Duscher flicked on Capdevila's long ball and Steven Taylor was slow to respond as Jorge Andrade stole in behind the Newcastle defence to beat an exposed Shay Given.

That was sloppy enough, but it was nothing compared with the aberration from Elliott that put the tie out of reach two minutes after the re-start.

The left-back was under no pressure at all midway inside his own half but a shockingly under-hit back-pass allowed the advancing Diego Tristan to skip round Given.

Stephen Carr's superb last-ditch tackle prevented Munitis from reaching the loose ball but, cruelly, also diverted it back into the path of Tristan, who was able to walk it into the empty net.

In the space of six minutes, United had gone from potential finalists to a side needing three more goals to progress.

Unsurprisingly, they didn't get them.

Substitute Shola Ameobi came close in the 71st minute - firing wide at the back post after Molina had flapped at Milner's corner - and Emre came even closer four minutes from time when his 30-yard free-kick crashed against the crossbar.

But while Newcastle's lack of striking options hindered their attempts at a comeback, it was their age-old defensive problems that ultimately proved decisive yet again.

* New Australia boss Guus Hiddink could be heading for rows with Premiership managers after organising a training camp in his native Holland just one day into the season.

The Dutchman has named a 28-man squad for the camp, including nine players from the Premier League, which will start on August 14 - including Newcastle's Craig Moore and Middlesbrough pair Mark Viduka and Mark Schwarzer.

The former PSV coach wants to examine his options ahead of the Socceroos' game with the Solomon Islands on September 3.

Result: Newcastle United 1 Deportivo La Coruna 2.

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