WITH critics lining up to accuse Premiership clubs of being boring, Graeme Souness has insisted he will not be altering his philosophy to mirror the prevailing preference for safety-first football.

Fifteen per cent of all top-flight games have finished goalless this season - the highest proportion in Premiership history - and, with average attendances continuing to tumble, English football is facing its biggest crisis of confidence for years.

A league once widely acknowledged to be the most exciting in Europe is rapidly losing its lustre but, as Newcastle look to make it two wins in a row against Manchester City this afternoon, Souness will not be adding further fuel to the fire.

The Scot has largely resisted the current trend for five-man midfields - partly through a need to accommodate both Alan Shearer and Michael Owen in the same side - and, with a nod to the Magpies' cherished reputation as entertainers, will be urging his players to attack at every opportunity this afternoon.

"I try to get my teams playing the game the way I think it should be played," said Souness, who will again be without three of his most influential midfielders, Nolberto Solano, Kieron Dyer and Emre. "That will never change.

"My outlook comes from my time at Liverpool - we could do a bit of everything on the football field.

"We could stop the opposition and we could keep possession, but scoring goals was never a problem. That's the way I was brought up and I don't think anything has changed.

"I would never send a side out without the intention of winning the game. We only play one way. The players that I have up here are not set out to play defensively in order to grind out a 0-0 draw."

Last season's game with Manchester City underlined the point. Souness' side edged a seven-goal thriller thanks to Craig Bellamy's dramatic 89th-minute winner but, while the Magpies' manager is keen to entertain, he would like things to be at least a little more sedate this afternoon.

"I'd take a 1-0," he admitted. "I don't want to see seven goals again - unless we score all of them.

"It was a real rollercoaster of a game of football up here last year. We appeared to be sitting very comfortably in the game but then they came right back at us.

"We ended up winning and I'd settle for the three points again. Ideally, I'd like things to be a bit more straightforward this time around."

That is as maybe, but there is no doubt that Newcastle's rip-roaring past has helped to cement the bond between the club and its fans.

That link remains as strong as ever and, while the majority of Premiership clubs have witnessed a fall in attendance this season, St James' Park continues to be sold out for every league game.

The fact that more than 15,000 fans turned out for the unveiling of Michael Owen merely served to confirm that, while football might be on the wane in other areas, it remains as integral as ever on the banks of the Tyne.

"It boils down to what is the most important thing in your life," explained Souness. "I would think that, in the case of our supporters, it's their families, closely followed by their football club.

"That's not the case, I would suggest, in the south of England. There are hotbeds in this country, and it will always be like that, but this is as hot as it gets."

That heat was not replicated on the field at the start of the season. The opening five league games hardly matched Souness' free-flowing ideal, but last weekend's 3-0 win at Blackburn finally provided the first signs of a renaissance.

Despite appearing hesitant and edgy before the break, Newcastle's players gradually found their feet in the second half, successfully shrugging off the disappointment of Steven Taylor's dismissal.

Bolstered by their eventual success, the Magpies have displayed a renewed buoyancy in training this week and Souness is expecting them to carry that confidence into today's encounter.

"Confidence plays such a big part in football," he said. "Some people need a lot of it and some can get by with just a little.

"The ones that get by with very little are the top players. A top player thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread no matter what is happening in a particular game of football.

"He'll always want the ball and he'll always want to show people that he is the best player on the pitch. That's what top players are all about.

"Winning a game gives you confidence and, hopefully, the win at Blackburn will have helped us in that regard."

Souness is likely to make two changes to the side that won at Ewood Park. One is enforced - Titus Bramble replacing the suspended Taylor - while the other is optional, with Scott Parker set to replace Amdy Faye following his one-game ban.

"I would imagine it's only a matter of time before Scott is playing in the England team," said the Newcastle boss.

"England are blessed with some fantastic midfield players but they're not blessed with his type.

"He's aggressive - he's the type of midfield player who's going to win the ball back for your team - he's extremely mobile and he's quick. There aren't many players going to beat him over ten yards and he's got a very good technique."

Souness almost went as far as describing the 26-year-old as 'exciting'.

This afternoon's game will help determine whether, as their manager suggests, the rest of his team-mates fit that bill.