Souness hoping for a bit of dressing room unrest

After spending the first two months of the season scrambling for 11 fit players, Souness is gradually starting to welcome some of his biggest names back from the treatment table.

Emre and Nolberto Solano started last weekend's 3-2 win over Sunderland, while Michael Owen and Stephen Carr are both expected to start at the Hawthorns this weekend.

With Lee Bowyer and Shola Ameobi also hoping to pass a fitness test today in order to take their place in the squad, Souness is finally facing the kind of selection dilemma he is entitled to expect after a summer outlay of more than £27m.

And, after fostering a sense of unity since replacing Sir Bobby Robson last year, the Scot is bracing himself for a spate of angry reactions in the next few weeks.

"We've had tremendous harmony at the club this year," said Souness, who has seen his side score in just one of their five Premiership away games this season.

"Everyone's getting on very well with each other, but maybe there'll be a few angry heads around now that we have to start leaving people out of the team. I think we can still have harmony with that kind of competitiveness.

"Right now, it's the end of October and we've not had to make too many difficult decisions. As a manager, you want to have those decisions to make every time you pick the team.

"Obviously, in my head, I think I've got most of what I think would be my strongest players. In my mind I might know eight or nine that would be in my strongest XI, but I'm miles away from that yet.

"I don't know what my strongest team is until I've seen them play together."

Owen and Shearer are undoubtedly part of that strongest team, and the pair will be re-united tomorrow for their fifth game together this season.

The previous four have brought three goals and, even if Ameobi is declared fit to travel to the Midlands, last weekend's double will not be enough to keep him in the starting line-up.

Owen has shaken off the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Tyne-Wear derby, while Shearer is raring to go despite the after-effects of Wednesday night's clash with Justin Whittle and a well-publicised hernia problem that will eventually require surgery.

Shearer's verbal volley at the Grimsby skipper overshadowed his clinical late winner - a goal that Souness hopes will start a run for the United skipper.

"I thought Alan showed tremendous restraint on Wednesday," said Souness.

"He provided the perfect response with his goal, and let's hope that's the start of regular goals from him.

"Nobody would be surprised if he went on and scored on Sunday, then on the following Saturday as well.

"He's got a history of scoring goals and I'm sure it will remain like that until the end of the season.

"He'll get a lot of goals between now and then because he'll benefit from the return of the players who will create things for him."

Wednesday's winner took Shearer to within four goals of Jackie Milburn's club record, a tally that will surely be broken before the season ends.

The 35-year-old's impending retirement shows no signs of diminishing his appetite, with Souness repeatedly finding himself amazed at his skipper's unquenchable thirst for the game.

"Why, at that age and with the situation he's in - a position where he's very comfortable in every aspect in his life - would you put yourself into the situation he put himself into at Grimsby on a wet Wednesday night?" asked the Newcastle boss.

"At 35 you have to be a very special person to want to do that. I've seen it happen to me - you get to 33 or 34 and people are looking to make a name for themselves by leaving one on you.

"He's still playing in the hardest position to play on the pitch - you have to be a special, special man and a special talent to do that."

Last weekend's win over Sunderland lifted the Magpies back above their North-East rivals, Middlesbrough, and a further success tomorrow could take Souness' side to within four points of second-placed Charlton.

They might have lost three of their first four games but, with only Chelsea showing any real consistency, Newcastle remain handily-placed for a concerted push up the league.

"Nothing's been settled yet," claimed Souness. "If you look at the whole league, other than Wigan, Chelsea and Tottenham, everyone's having a topsy-turvy season.

"They're the three teams who I think would regard themselves as having had a good season so far. The rest of us don't yet feel we're sparking.

"The reason we don't feel we're sparking is because we haven't had our best players on the pitch yet. Thankfully, that's gradually starting to change."