Even by Newcastle's high standards for attracting criticism over the years, last season's farcical 'Carry On' antics reached epidemic proportions at Sid James' Park.

Widespread discontent and disillusionment on yet another miserable campaign of turbulence and disappointment, on and off the pitch, had many Newcastle United fans saying they had had enough and were not renewing their season tickets.

But with more promises from the club that 'things can only get better' - in the words of pop band D-Ream - it looked as if the United faithful were once again filled with pre-season optimism and made last-ditch decisions to fill in their renewal forms, judging by Saturday's 51,620 attendance.

After witnessing an unimaginative and insipid performance against newly promoted West Ham United, the words delivered by Johnny Rotten - rather than D-Ream - however, would seem to carry more resonance. "Have you ever felt cheated?" sneered the Sex Pistols' frontman during one gig, at the height of punk svengali Malcolm McClaren's self-confessed 'Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle'.

On Saturday's display the fans had a good right to feel cheated by their club's empty rhetoric and voiced their discontent immediately after the final whistle.

Boos swirled around the ground and chants of "Sack the Board" and "Shepherd Out" echoed menacingly as the crowd dispersed towards the pubs and clubs. Disenfranchised supporters made it quite clear where their venom was being directed.

Newcastle boss Graeme Souness, so far, has gathered little sympathy from the local brethren; which is hardly surprising considering he followed the football icon that is Sir Bobby Robson into the United hot-seat and sold fans' favourites Craig Bellamy and Laurent Robert.

Now Souness, of course, can't be blamed for Robson's dismissal and only time will tell if his decisions to remove bad boy Bellamy and the temperamental Frenchman were correct.

But at this present moment in time there has to be a certain degree of sympathy for the manager because it seems as if he isn't being allowed to manage the club.

The players Souness has targeted have not arrived on Tyneside, which is largely down to chairman Freddy Shepherd.

Shepherd recently said the club would no longer be held to ransom and pay way over the odds for players. But because he has allowed several players to leave the club before replacing them this is exactly what is happening.

In the past the chairman has backed every manager at the club, and if the Magpies are to prevent falling further behind the Premiership's elite then he should show the same commitment to his current boss and sign the players he requires.

If Souness does not deliver with the team he has assembled then he would be the first to hold his hands to say he has failed - in the meantime he must be given the tools to complete the job.

But with rumours circulating Souness is close to getting the chop the farce continues at Sid James' Park, and the 52-year-old Scot currently finds himself involved in an episode of 'Carry On Don't Lose Your Head'.