The sacking, which had been anticipated for weeks, came the day after a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City left the Magpies 15th in the Premiership table, just six points above the relegation zone following a run in which they have taken one point from six matches.

For a club with one of the biggest and most passionate supports in English football, such a position was untenable, particularly given that Souness had been allowed to spend nearly 50 million pounds on bringing in new players.

"Newcastle United today announced that the employment of Graeme Souness has been terminated with immediate effect," a statement from the club said.

Glenn Roeder, the former West Ham manager who is currently head of Newcastle's youth academy, will take charge of the first team for Saturday's match against Portsmouth, with club captain Alan Shearer assisting him.

Shearer, who is due to stop playing at the end of this season, has long been seen as a future manager of his hometown club.

The 52-year-old Souness began as player-manager at Scottish giants Rangers, revolutionising Scottish football with big-name imports from England before moving to Liverpool, where he had enjoyed huge success as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.

After two seasons at Anfield, during which he under-went open heart surgery, Souness had spells at Turkey's Galatasaray, Southampton, Torino, Benfica, Southampton and Blackburn before joining Newcastle.