GRAEME Souness has promised Titus Bramble he will be the lynchpin of the Newcastle defence if he maintains the discipline that has seen him banish his injury blues.

Bramble has proved something of an enigma since making a £5m move from Ipswich in July 2002, with the occasional match-winning display invariably being followed by a more error-strewn performance.

Former Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson expected this to be the 23-year-old's breakthrough season but, after picking up a hamstring injury in the club's final pre-season game against Sporting Lisbon, the centre-half found himself sidelined for an infuriating two-and-a-half months.

His return to action has been gradual, with Souness initially preferring to partner Robbie Elliott and Andy O'Brien at the heart of defence.

But, with the Magpies continuing to ship goals, Bramble has found himself elevated to the starting XI and Thursday night's eye-catching display in Sochaux underlined just how valuable he could be if he could iron out the inconsistencies that have plagued him in the past.

Souness accepts that one dominant display does not prove the former England Under-21 international has turned the corner, but he has told him he will be guaranteed a starting spot if he hits the same high notes on a regular basis.

"The way he played against Sochaux is the standard he's set himself now," said the United boss, who is likely to name an unchanged back four when surprise packages Everton visit St James' Park tomorrow.

"If he can play like that regularly, I'll be happy and the chairman will be absolutely delighted because he will save him a few quid.

"People were bouncing off him all night on Thursday. His passing was good and his anticipation was very good as well, but it's not about doing that once every two or three games. He's got to do it week in, week out for us.

"He's got pace, athleticism and he's really powerful - they are attributes that few other players possess. He's aggressive and good on the ball, but he's got that youthfulness about him that sometimes lets him down.

"You forget that he's still a baby, but maybe the time for him to stop being a boy is now."

Despite his occasional clangers, Bramble still managed to make 42 appearances for the Magpies last season.

Robson was unstinting in his faith in the centre-half but, after shelling out a multi-million pound fee, there was always a sense that the former Newcastle boss felt unable to drop someone he had invested in so heavily.

Souness does not have that problem and, with Bramble now back to full fitness, the current Magpies manager insists he will not be afraid to make some ruthless decisions if they are required.

"I'm not the manager who bought him and sometimes that makes a difference," he said. "I've not got the bind of having paid a lot of money to bring him to the club.

"It's not a big deal for me to leave him out of the side. It's up to him to make sure I don't because, if he plays like he did in France every week, he will be the first name on the team-sheet.

"You need him to have had half a dozen games back to back before you can really make a judgment on him. Titus is approaching that now."

Bramble's footballing inconsistencies have been accompanied by a series of salacious headlines referring to his actions away from the field of play.

The two factors have combined to create the impression of a playboy lacking in both direction and guidance but, since finding himself sidelined at the start of the season, a rather different Titus Bramble has come to the fore.

Three training sessions a day became the norm as he battled back to full fitness and, after finally re-capturing his first-team spot, the defender is ready to silence the St James' Park cynics who have questioned both his ability and attitude.

"I just want to be successful and, the more games I play, the more I can show people what I can do," said Bramble, who marshalled the United defence in April's 4-2 home win over Everton.

"I did a lot of fitness work in pre-season, but then I got injured in the last pre-season game and that set me back a long way.

"I was out for seven or eight weeks, so I had to do a mini pre-season to get my fitness back. I was swimming really early in the morning and, for a week or two, that was really tough.

"I was swimming almost as soon as I got up, then having breakfast and doing a full session in the morning.

"That was followed by lunch, then I would do another full session in the afternoon. But it was good to get fit and I feel like I'm getting the benefits of that work now."

Bramble's improved form will be put to the test tomorrow as he comes up against an Everton forward line who have fired their side to third in the Premiership table.

His confidence grows with every game and, while in-form Marcus Bent and former Magpie Duncan Ferguson will pose very different challenges, United are desperate to end a run of three successive home defeats.

"It's the same for any player," said Bramble. "The more games you play, the more confident you get. But it's more important to get the three points than achieve anything personally.

"Everton are doing really well this season and we can't afford to take them lightly. If we play like we did in the second half against Sochaux, I think we'll get a good result.