In a surprise move, Newcastle have appointed Graeme Souness as successor to the sacked Sir Bobby Robson. The Scot, who is best remembered in Portugal for his spell in charge of Benfica, resigned as Blackburn boss and is expected to instil some iron discipline into the increasingly wayward St James Park squad. At Ewood Park, Tony Parkes has taken on the caretaker role until a long-term Souness replacement can be found. Front-runners Mark Hughes and Paul Jewell look unlikely to be available and Gerard Houllier, Gordon Strachan and Dick Advocaat are the current favourites to take over.
In Portugal’s Superliga, Mariano Barreto has taken charge of the Madeira side, Maritimo, on a one-year contract. The experienced coach has been guiding Ghana’s World Cup qualifying campaign, overseeing the victory over Cape Verde only last week.
