NEVER mind the Ides of March - Newcastle's new manager should beware the end of August.

When Sir Bobby Robson was sacked yesterday, he became the third successive Magpies boss to be relieved of his duties in the final week of the month.

Kenny Dalglish was the first to go on August 27, 1998, when Freddy Shepherd decided enough was enough just two games into the new season.

The Scotsman had come under pressure towards the end of the preceding campaign, with Newcastle's fans chanting "Attack, attack, attack" as their side tamely surrendered to Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

Things got worse when Newcastle were booed off following the opening game of the following season - a grim goalless draw against Charlton Athletic - and while United followed that up with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea, Dalglish's number was up.

His departure was generally welcomed, with the appointment of Ruud Gullit offering the hope of a return to the "sexy football" enjoyed in the era of Kevin Keegan.

Things were looking good when one of Gullit's earliest games ended in a memorable 5-1 win at Coventry but, by the following August, the Dutchman was even less popular than his predecessor.

Another run to the FA Cup final failed to paper over the cracks of a team slipping into the bottom half of the Premiership, and signing the likes of Marcelino and Silvio Maric hardly endeared Gullit to a Newcastle support desperate for a return to the big time.

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