AN embattled Graeme Souness last night insisted he was not afraid of losing his job despite a calamitous pre-season leaving him short of both options and firepower ahead of the opening weekend of the Premiership season.

All of Britain's leading bookmakers expect the Newcastle manager to be the first top-flight boss to lose his job this season, following a summer of strife that has seen a succession of star names leave St James' Park.

Seven senior players have been either sold or released since the end of last season - including strike duo Craig Bellamy and Patrick Kluivert - with only Scott Parker, Emre and Craig Moore arriving to plug the gaps.

All three will feature as Newcastle kick-off at Arsenal tomorrow, but their presence is unlikely to placate a travelling support already questioning the potency of an attack centred solely on 34-year-old Alan Shearer.

Souness remains confident of signing at least one more striker by the end of August, claiming there was still a "good chance" of prising Michael Owen from Real Madrid.

But, even if the Magpies manager is able to persuade Owen to turn his back on European football in the next two weeks, he is not guaranteed to be on Tyneside himself to greet the new arrival.

Newcastle's last three managers - Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit and Sir Bobby Robson - were all dismissed in late August and, while Freddy Shepherd has stood squarely behind Souness in public, the chairman's reluctance to splash the cash this summer has been interpreted in some quarters as a sign of growing friction.

A slow start will only serve to enflame the situation but, despite Newcastle's poor recent record at Arsenal, Souness is refusing to hit the panic button before the season has even begun.

"I'm not concerned and feel no pressure whatsoever," claimed the Scot, who is expected to name Jermaine Jenas in his side tomorrow despite the Gunners showing an interest in the unsettled midfielder.

"It's no different to any other job I have had. I have managed big clubs and it's the price on the ticket.

"If you can't deal with it, you shouldn't do it. I have done it a few times. I don't gamble, so I don't understand the odds."

The odds might not have been so overwhelmingly stacked against Newcastle tomorrow had Souness been able to land one of his numerous striking targets this summer.

The likes of Christian Vieiri, Alan Smith, Robbie Keane, Mark Viduka and Nicolas Anelka have all been pursued to no avail, leaving the Magpies with just Shearer to lead the line at Highbury in the absence of the suspended Shola Ameobi and the injured Michael Chopra.

Owen was identified as Newcastle's number one target back in May and, while the striker has shown little public desire to move to Tyneside, he continues to dominate the club's thinking.

"The chance of playing in front of our crowd can help us get Michael Owen," said Souness. "He knows how big this football club, how passionate it is.

"The chance to play with some excellent players will appeal. I'm sure he looks at our midfield and thinks he would be supplied with goals.

"I would assume Michael is very much aware that he has to be playing this year.

"I think the possibility of the tribune (stands) would not be very appealing to him, especially in World Cup year.

"We're short of firepower, but I would rather look at what we have than what we don't have.

"We have eight or nine players that every other Premiership manager would like in their squad. That's something we should be proud of and something that will stand us in good stead this season."

Newcastle had plenty of talented players last season, but a mixture of poor defending and persistent indiscipline left them rooted in the bottom half of the table.

By selling Bellamy and Laurent Robert, Souness has removed two of the squad's more explosive influences and, while their creative qualities will be missed, their sniping from the sidelines will not.

"We now have a group of players who are more together and more committed than at any time since I arrived," claimed the Newcastle boss. "We have a group of players ready to show total commitment.

"We will see that this season. I don't think there will be too many occasions when the fans feel the players haven't given them 100 per cent. That's something we should be able to guarantee every time we cross the line."

Such commitment will be vital if Newcastle are to avoid making their last scheduled trip to Highbury - Arsenal will move to the newly-built Emirates Stadium next season - an unsuccessful one.

While last season's runners-up have lost inspirational captain Patrick Vieira this summer, the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Jose Antonio Reyes should still ensure a tortuous afternoon for centre-halves Jean-Alain Boumsong and Moore.

"Nobody can say it will be easy to silence Henry," admitted Boumsong, who was still feeling his way into the Newcastle side when Arsenal won 1-0 on home soil in January. "I played with him for France's Under-21s on a number of different occasions. His quality was apparent even then, he's a very good player.

"But you can't just concentrate on Thierry Henry because all of Arsenal's outfield players can score.

"They have a very good team. I watched them in the Community Shield on Sunday and thought they played very well.

"We will have a hard game at Highbury."

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