SUNDAY'S seven-goal thriller with Manchester City might have been bad for his nerves, but Graeme Souness has been warned it was merely par for the course in the weird and wonderful world of Newcastle United.

Souness' side were maintaining a well-established tradition of end- to-end classics when they traded blows with Kevin Keegan's City last weekend, with Craig Bellamy's dramatic late winner ensuring the latest instalment would be remembered fondly for many years.

Alan Shearer knows more than most about great United games after grabbing a hat-trick in 1997's 4-3 win over Leicester and slotting home an all-important penalty in 2001's triumph over Leeds by the same scoreline.

The Newcastle skipper accepts that his side must look at the goals they conceded last weekend.

But while defensive errors still need to be stamped out, the club's reputation for eye-catching attacking play will continue to come first.

"We always fancy scoring goals and I do not think that will ever change," said Shearer, who took his tally for the season to eight with United's second on Sunday.

"Before my time here Newcastle were renowned for scoring goals, and that will continue after I am gone and everyone else has left.

"The fans demand a team that scores goals and we have to play a certain way. Many people who are not from here don't understand that.

"In doing so, it is inevitable we will concede more goals than we want to, and the number of times we've been involved in 4-3 games in recent seasons proves that. Kevin must be sick of the sight of them."

Shearer's second penalty in the space of four days underlined his continued importance to the side, but Bellamy's 89th-minute winner ensured his strike partner's efforts would be overshadowed.

The Wales international has endured a fraught seven days after his public spat with Souness.

But with the United boss and the club's fans having given him a ringing endorsement at the weekend, all parties are keen to draw a line under the affair.

Off the pitch Bellamy remains something of a loose cannon. But on it the 25-year-old's strike power is a major asset in Newcastle's arsenal.

"The manager knows he is a great talent," said Shearer. "And together we are a decent partnership.

"He plays off me and we complement each other - he knows what he has to do and he will do it. If he keeps on putting in performances like that, there will be no problems.

"It has been a tough week for everyone, not just for him. We had a lot of travelling and a game in Athens, while Manchester City had a week to rest.

"It ended on a high and it's great credit to the team that we came away from Sunday with three points."

The win over Manchester City extended Graeme Souness' unbeaten to run to eight games and, while United are still to face any of the big guns since the Scot replaced Sir Bobby Robson, the feelgood factor appears to be returning to St James' Park.

Newcastle have risen to seventh in the Premiership and are little more than one win away from the last 32 of the UEFA Cup.

But, more importantly, Souness has flexed his managerial muscles in an attempt to end the in-fighting and indiscipline that had dogged the end of Robson's reign.

"A new manager and coach wants to stamp his authority on a club and that is what Graeme has done," said Shearer, who is just three goals short of the 400-mark in his first-class career.

"We are on a great run and we are playing slightly differently under Graeme, particularly at home.

"Every manager wants to do that because he has to turn it into his football club.

"He was left with a great situation and it didn't need too much work to turn things round. It just needed some fine tuning, which we have done, and now we need to carry it on."

* Stephen Carr is an early doubt for tomorrow night's Carling Cup clash with Norwich after a knee injury suffered on Sunday.

The former Tottenham right-back picked up a knock as he won the penalty that led to Newcastle's second goal - and missed most of the ensuing mayhem as a result.

"I didn't have a clue what was going on," admitted Carr. "I could hear the cheers as I was getting treatment, but as far as I knew we were still 2-0 up.

"When I came back up the tunnel it was 3-3 - and I hadn't been away for that long.

"The knock on my knee proves it was definitely a penalty.