Graeme Souness

Graeme James SounessCBE(/ˈsuːnɪs/; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professionalfootballplayer, manager and televisionpundit.
Amidfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of theLiverpoolteam of the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which he won fiveFirst Divisiontitles and threeEuropean Cuptrophies. He wascaptainfor three seasons at Liverpool until his departure toSampdoriain 1984. Souness later becameplayer-managerforRangers, leading the club to threeScottish titlesand four league cups. His final game as a player came in the closing minutes of Rangers' final match of the1989–90 season, which was his only appearance of the season.
Souness continued as Rangers coach for a further year before joiningLiverpoolas manager for the1991–92English First Division season. He went on to have spells atGalatasaray,Southampton,Torino,Benfica,Blackburn RoversandNewcastle United.
At international level, Souness gained 54 caps forScotland, captaining the team on 27 occasions.
Souness was brought up in theSaughtonMains area ofEdinburgh, and supported local sideHeartsandRangers.As a teenager, Souness played for local boys' club North Merchiston.
Souness' career began as an apprentice atTottenham HotspurunderBill Nicholson. He signed professional forms as a 15-year-old in 1968. Frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities, the teenage Souness told Nicholson he should be selected for the first team.Souness made one first-team appearance for Spurs, in aUEFA Cuptie as a substitute.
During the summer of 1972, Souness played in theNorth American Soccer Leaguefor theMontreal Olympique. He appeared in 10 of his team's 14 matches and was named in the league's All-Star team for that season.
Spurs sold Souness toMiddlesbroughfor £30,000 in 1972. He made his first appearance for Middlesbrough on 6 January 1973 in a 2–1 league defeat toFulhamatCraven Cottage. His first goal came on 11 December 1973 in a 3–0 league victory overPreston North EndatAyresome Park.
Souness' tenacious style began to garner acclaim during his time at Middlesbrough. His first season saw Middlesbrough finish fourth, two places and 14 points short of promotion.Jack Charltonwas appointed Middlesbrough manager, his first managerial post, in May 1973. One of Charlton's first signings was experienced formerCelticmidfielderBobby Murdoch, a fellow Scot whom Souness later cited as an important influence in the development of his playing style.Promotion as champions of theSecond Divisionfollowed in1973–74. Souness' influence was demonstrated when he scored ahat-trickin the season's final fixture, an 8–0 victory overSheffield Wednesday.
Souness' playing career is best remembered for his seven seasons atLiverpool, where he won fiveLeague Championships, threeEuropean Cupsand fourLeague Cups.
Souness' time atAnfieldbegan in January 1978 as a replacement for veteranIan Callaghan. After winning his firstEuropean Cupin 1977, Liverpool managerBob Paisleysought reinforcements by signing three Scottish players, all of whom were to contribute substantially to further success. Central defenderAlan Hansenarrived fromPartick Thistlefor £110,000.Kenny Dalglish– an established Scottish international – signed fromCelticfor a then British record fee of £440,000. Souness formed the final part of the Scottish triumvirate, leaving Middlesbrough in acrimonious circumstances for a club-record fee of £350,000 on 10 January 1978.
Souness' Liverpool debut came in a 1–0 league victory overWest Bromwich AlbionatThe Hawthornson 14 January 1978. His first goal – a volley from just inside the penalty box, eventually awarded fans' goal of the season – came in a 3–1 win over rivalsManchester Unitedat Anfield on 25 February 1978.
Souness played a pivotal role in Liverpool's retention of theEuropean CupagainstFC Brugesin1978atWembley Stadium, providing the pass for Kenny Dalglish to score the match's only goal.
Sustained success followed. Souness's first League title medals were won in seasons1978–79and1979–80. A secondEuropean Cupmedal for Souness arrived in1981with a 1–0 victory overReal Madrid– the culmination of a campaign in which Souness scored a hat-trick in the quarter-final againstCSKA Sofia.
This burst of success prompted Paisley to award Souness the club captaincy for season1981–82, to the chagrin of the incumbentPhil Thompsonwho had made some errors that season and with whom Paisley had a vicious row during one match atAston Villa.Thompson initially refused to speak to Souness, claiming he had "stolen the captaincy" from behind his back. This was the start of several long-running feuds between the two robust characters, and over the coming years, they would confront each other in various circumstances.
Under Souness' captaincy, two trophies followed as Liverpool regained the League championship and retained the League Cup, trophies that were successfully defended in season1982–83. For the trophy award presentation after the 2–1 win over Manchester United in1983, Souness stepped back and insisted that Paisley collect the trophy in the manager's retirement season.
In1983–84, Souness lifted three trophies. He scored the winning goal in the 1984 League Cup final replay atMaine Roadagainst Merseyside rivalsEverton, the firstall-Merseysidecup final.Liverpool won the league title for the third consecutive season and reached the 1984European Cupfinalafter beating Romanian championsDinamo Bucureștiin the semi-final 3–1 on aggregate. In an ill-tempered first leg at Anfield, Souness broke the jaw of Dinamo captainLică Movilă, which went unpunished by the referee.Liverpool won the1984final after a penalty shoot-out win overRoma, with Souness scoring one of the penalties in the shootout.
Souness' Liverpool career ended in 1984 after 358 appearances and 56 goals.
Souness left Liverpool in 1984, joiningSampdoriafor a fee of £650,000. Souness and England internationalTrevor Francis– a player at theGenoa-based club since 1982 – added experience to an emerging group of futureItalian internationals, includingRoberto Mancini,Pietro VierchowodandGianluca Vialli. In his first season, Sampdoria won theCoppa Italiawith a 3–1 aggregate victory overSerie ArivalsMilanin thefinal, securing the trophy for the first time in club history.Souness scored the only goal of the game in the first leg of the final.
Souness' career in Italy ended in 1986 as he took up the position ofplayer-managerat Rangers.His playing career atIbroxbegan inauspiciously. His competitive debut – in the opening match of the 1986–87 season, againstHibernianin his hometown of Edinburgh – saw him sent off after two yellow cards in the first 34 minutes.
Disciplinary problems – something that had recurred periodically throughout Souness's career – resurfaced on a number of occasions during his time as a player at Rangers, and the spell was also blighted by injury. He made 73 appearances in total for Rangers (50 in the league), scoring three goals.His final appearance as a player was at Ibrox in a 2–0 victory overDunfermline Athleticin Rangers' last home match of the1989–90 season, when he brought himself on for the final 20 minutes.
While a Middlesbrough player, Souness received his firstinternational capforScotlandon 30 October 1974 in a 3–0 friendly victory overEast GermanyatHampden Park.By the time Souness was selected by managerAlly McLeodfor the Scotland squad for the1978 FIFA World Cupin Argentina, he had been awarded only six caps. His move to Liverpool increased his profile. Souness missed Scotland's first two matches, a defeat toPeruand a draw withIran, due to injury. He was selected for the final group match against theNetherlands. Souness contributed to a 3–2 victory that nevertheless saw Scotland eliminated from the tournament on goal difference.
Souness played in two further World Cups. The first, in1982in Spain, saw Souness play all three group stage matches. His first international goal arrived in the final game prior to elimination, a 2–2 draw with theSoviet UnioninMálaga.
A final World Cup appearance came in1986in Mexico, at a time when Souness had already been appointed Rangers player-manager.Souness played in defeats toDenmarkandWest Germany. He later said he had performed poorly in those matches, having struggled with the high altitude and losing a significant amount of weight and power.Souness was omitted by caretaker managerAlex Fergusonfor Scotland's final match againstUruguay.Souness claimed in his autobiography,The Management Years, and press interviews that this was the only time in his whole career he had been dropped.Souness also stated Ferguson was unusually apologetic and was very respectful and diplomatic in his conversation with Souness at night when he broke the news to him, as he held Souness in high regard.His international career ended after the 1986 World Cup.He had made 54 appearances in almost 12 years, scoring four goals.
Souness was appointed Rangers' first player-manager in April 1986, signing from Sampdoria for a fee of £300,000 and succeedingJock Wallace.Financed initially by the club's then owner, Lawrence Marlborough, Souness and club chairmanDavid Holmesembarked upon a bold strategy of reclaiming the footballing ascendancy Rangers had lacked in recent years, having not won the league title since 1978, with all of the Scottish league titles since then being claimed by their arch-rivals Celtic, and the emerging"New Firm"ofAberdeenandDundee United. A 33-year-old Souness arrived at Ibrox with a reputation as one of Europe's leading midfielders. His signing was unusual in that Scottish clubs had rarely been able to sign top-quality internationals, including Scots, from other leagues. Scottish clubs had often found themselves being in the position of selling their top players to English clubs, notable examples beingKenny Dalglish(sold from Celtic to Liverpool in 1977),Gordon Strachan(sold fromAberdeentoManchester Unitedin 1984) andFrank McAvennie(sold from St Mirren toWest Ham Unitedin 1985).
A string of major signings for Rangers from English clubs began to be termed the "Souness Revolution". Significantly, this reversed the historic pattern of Scotland's most able footballers playing in England. His first signings includedTerry Butcher, captain ofIpswich Townand an establishedEngland international, andChris WoodsofNorwich City, England's second-choice goalkeeper. Subsequent seasons saw the arrival of other English internationals, such asTrevor Steven,Gary Stevens,Trevor FrancisandRay Wilkins. Souness was able to offer the lure of European club competition, at a time – 1985–1990 – when English clubs were banned from Europe in the wake of theHeysel Stadium disaster. Rangers profited from this by embarking upon a signing policy which drew on their relative wealth to compete, for the first time, directly with England's most powerful clubs.
Souness revitalised Rangers quickly began to dominate Scottish football. In his first season,1986–87, they won the Championship and the League Cup, defeating Celtic 2–1 in the final. They retained the League Cup in 1987–88, defeating Aberdeen on penalties after extra-time, although they surrendered their league title to Celtic.Two more Championships were to follow, this time in successive seasons (1988–89and1989–90), and a further two League Cup victories, over Aberdeen 3–2 in 1988–89 and Celtic 2–1 (after extra time) in1990–91.In April 1991, Rangers were in the process of winning a fourth league title in five seasons when Souness left Rangers to take over as manager of Liverpool. He was replaced by his assistantWalter Smithfour matches prior to the end of what was to become another championship-winning season. Rangers went on to win six further league titles in succession, as well as a string of domestic cups, under Smith's management.
Although Souness had been hugely successful in his time atIbrox, his time in charge had not been without controversy. A significant act was the signing ofMo Johnstonin 1989. Rangers, historically a team supported byProtestants, had for most of the 20th centurya policyof refusing to signRoman Catholics. Although there had been many Rangers players of Catholic faith, particularly before thesectarian divisionshardened after World War I, none of them were as high-profile as Johnston. He had previously played for Celtic, and had looked set to rejoin them fromNantesuntil Souness made an offer to sign him.Johnston publicly announced he would return to Celtic in a press conference atCeltic Park, but days later he signed for Rangers.Souness stated that religion was not an issue for him; his first wife was a Catholic and the children from that marriage were baptised Catholic.His main consideration was that Johnston was a good player, but he also believed that the signing would damage Celtic.He was also responsible for ordering a picture of QueenElizabeth IIbe hung in the Rangers dressing room, a tradition Rangers continued.
Souness also found himself under scrutiny from theScottish Football Association(SFA) andScottish Leaguemore than once. A succession of confrontational after-match comments pitched Souness regularly at loggerheads with both organisations, prompting touchline bans which Souness circumvented in characteristically provocative fashion by naming himself as a substitute, allowing access as a player to thedugout. In May 1990, Souness was fined £5,000 by the SFA for breaching a touchline ban after television pictures showed him in the tunnel area yelling at his players on the pitch.Souness later said that conflict with officialdom was one of the principal factors precipitating his departure from Ibrox.
In 2009, Souness said of his time as Rangers manager, "When I look back on my actions and antics at Ibrox I bordered on being out of order. I was obnoxious and difficult to deal with."He was manager during 261 matches in all competitions for Rangers, winning 125 (64%) of 193 league fixtures.
Kenny Dalglish, who had played alongside Souness at Liverpool, had resigned as Liverpool manager in February 1991, despite having won three league titles and two FA Cups in the previous five seasons, and with Liverpool still being in contention for both trophies when he resigned.Long-serving coachRonnie Moranwas put in temporary charge following Dalglish's sudden resignation, but he did not want the job permanently.Souness was appointed Liverpool manager, having signed a five-year contract, on 16 April 1991,leaving Rangers with four games of their season remaining.
Souness took over at Anfield just before Liverpool surrendered their defence of the English league title toArsenal. He made a major reorganisation of the squad in his first six months as manager, bringing inDean Saundersfor an English record of £2.9 million as well as defendersMark WrightandRob Jonesand midfielderMark Walters. He also gave a regular place in the team to 19-year-old midfielderSteve McManaman, whose debut had come under Dalglish in December 1990, and a debut to one of Dalglish's last signings, teenage midfielderJamie Redknapp. At the end of that campaign, Souness gave a professional contract to 17-year-old strikerRobbie Fowler.
During the1991–92 season, Liverpool rarely looked like serious title contenders, but it soon became a two-horse race betweenLeeds UnitedandManchester United. Leeds eventually won the title, while Liverpool came sixth. They returned to European competition that season after six years of isolation following theHeysel disasterof 1985, and reached theUEFA Cup quarter-finals, where they were eliminated byGenoa. By April 1992, they were only in contention for the FA Cup.
Souness had majorheart surgeryin April 1992. A controversy arose after theFA Cupsemi-final againstPortsmouth, which Liverpool needed a replay and penalties to win. In the event of a victory for Liverpool, an interview was due to be published inthe Sun, a British tabloid, with Souness celebrating the win and his own successful surgery.The photograph which accompanied the interview was of Souness, in his hospital ward, kissing his girlfriend with joy at his own recovery and his team's win.The interview was due to go in alongside the match report on 14 April 1992, but the late end to the game meant the deadline for publication was missed and the report, with interview and photograph, went in on 15 April instead – the third anniversary of theHillsborough disaster.Many Liverpool fans reacted with fury after seeing the interview was conducted withThe Sun, a newspaper which had been reviled and widely shunned onMerseysidefollowing itsfalse reportingon the disaster.Souness himself had restricted Liverpool players from talking toThe Sun.Although he apologised at the time, Souness has since said that he probably should have resigned at that point. There were continued calls from many fans for Souness to resign or be sacked.Souness attended the1992 FA Cup Final, which Liverpool won 2–0 againstSunderland, against the advice of his doctors.
1992–93was an even more frustrating season for Souness. Just after the start of the season, he soldDean Saundersto Aston Villa. While Saunders was a key player in Villa's near-successful title challenge, his successorPaul Stewartproved to be a huge disappointment, scoring just one league goal from 32 appearances over the next two seasons, struggling with injuries as well as inconsistent form. Top scorerIan Rushwas having a difficult time scoring goals, and Liverpool spent much of the season in the bottom half of the table. They entered March still only in 15th place, but an excellent final quarter of the season, in which Rush scored 11 Premier League goals, saw them finish sixth. This time there was no success in any of the cup competitions, meaning that there would be no European competition for Liverpool in the 1993–94 season. Aside from the six seasons when Liverpool were banned from European competitions, this was the first time since 1963 that Liverpool had failed to qualify for Europe.
The pressure on Souness continued to mount throughout 1993, but he made another attempt at revitalising Liverpool by signing defenderJulian Dicksand strikerNigel Cloughfor the1993–94 season. The season began well, but the disappointing results quickly returned. Souness finally resigned as Liverpool manager at the end of January 1994 when Liverpool had suffered a shockFA Cupexit at the hands ofBristol City. He was succeeded by long-serving coachRoy Evans.
Souness's three-year reign as Liverpool manager was not remembered with fondness by the club's fans, although his reign did bring some success to the club. Apart from guiding them to FA Cup success in 1992, he also oversaw the breakthrough of three young players who would go on to be a key part in Liverpool's improved performances over the next five years – Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler andJamie Redknapp, allowing them to play and develop in the first team where they went on to inspire an upturn in fortunes atAnfield.
Souness later said in his autobiographyThe Management Yearsthat he faced an uphill struggle from the start for a number of reasons. The majority of key players were in their late 20s or early 30s when he took over, and some appeared to have passed their peak. He knew they had to be eventually replaced and he doubted the desire of some of them. He said the senior players also appeared not to want to listen to him and may have resented his disciplinarian approach to their behaviour, and also claimed a number of players – includingPeter BeardsleyandSteve McMahon– asked for improved terms in their contracts or they would move elsewhere.In the end, Beardsley, McMahon and Houghton were sold, seemingly before suitable replacements were found and these key components of Kenny Dalglish's great side were not adequately replaced. Souness said Ian Rush and Ray Houghton had also questioned why new signings like Mark Wright were earning more money than them, despite not yet having won any trophies.The sale of Peter Beardsley to local rivalsEvertonwas a controversial move, and the player performed well for Everton in his two seasons there, and continued to do well despite his advancing years during four seasons atNewcastle United.
Souness also claims Liverpool chief executive Peter Robinson at the time had warned him this was a Liverpool team in decline and that they only had one player who was still "great" -John Barnes. Souness was left disappointed by Barnes as he was at this time frequently suffering from injuries, and in particular suffered a ruptured achilles tendon which was to eventually affect his acceleration therefore affecting his playing style, and not giving Souness what he wanted from a vintage Barnes at his peak, which was what he saw as a "devastating winger with pace and goalscoring touch". He had also said Barnes was once the "best player in Britain" but unfortunately only saw flashes of his brilliance.
Souness also fell out with former Liverpool teammatesTommy Smithand Phil Thompson during his time in charge at Anfield. In his autobiography, Souness said that Thompson, the reserve team manager, was overheard angrily criticising his tactics and purchases behind his back. This was overheard by Manchester United assistant managerBrian Kiddand relayed toWalter Smith, who was so alarmed by Thompson's behaviour that he drove from Scotland to Liverpool to tell Souness what had been said. Souness dismissed Thompson as a result and the two have remained bitter towards each other since, with Thompson claiming in his own book he would never speak to Souness again as a result.
Souness said he had a number of disputes as a Liverpool player with Thompson, including in 1981, when Thompson initially refused to speak to Souness for a while after he lost the captaincy to him; Thompson had accused Souness to his face and in front of the other Liverpool players of "stealing the captaincy behind his back". They also had an argument and physical fight which took place after Thompson had accused Souness of marrying his first wife Danielle only because she was wealthy. Souness believed these incidents may have contributed to Thompson's hostility and disrespect of him.Tommy Smith had been strongly critical of Souness in the local media at the time, and he had been caught mixing with the players and some of the coaches at Anfield despite no longer having an official position at the club. Souness banned Smith from the club areas, and said that in his last phone call with Smith, instructing him not to be seen around the official club areas, he was certain he had "made an enemy for life".
After leaving Liverpool, Souness was out of work for over a year, despite reports at the end of the1993–94 seasonlinking him with a return to Middlesbrough, this time as a manager, a job which went toBryan Robsoninstead.
Souness went to manageGalatasarayin Turkey in June 1995, and again managed to court controversy with local issues, nearly sparking a riot after placing a large Galatasaray flag into the centre circle of the pitch of arch rivalsFenerbahçeafter Galatasaray had beaten them in theTurkish Cupfinal on 24 April 1996. The iconic image of Souness planting the flag drew comparisons with Turkish heroUlubatlı Hasan, who was killed as he planted theOttomanflag at the end of theSiege of Constantinople. This earned Souness the nickname "Ulubatlı Souness".
Souness then returned to England to manageSouthampton, but after one season he resigned, citing differences with chairmanRupert Lowe. Souness is perhaps best remembered at Southampton for signing Senegalese playerAli Dia, supposedly on the recommendation of formerFIFA World Player of the Yearand formerLiberianstrikerGeorge Weah. Souness did not check any of Dia's credentials as a good player, which proved to be a hoax instigated by Dia's friend (who had made the initial call). When Dia made his sole appearance in the Premier League, as a substitute forMatt Le Tissier, he performed amazingly poorly and was substituted. A notable high point of the season was a 6–3 home win over defending championsManchester Unitedin late October.
TheSaintsmanaged to avoid relegation from the Premier League in 1996–97, finishing 16th, but he resigned towards the end of May 1997. Within days, it was reported Everton, Liverpool'slocal rivals, were interested in appointing Souness as manager to succeedJoe Royle, butHoward Kendallwas appointed for a third time instead.
After his stint at Southampton, Souness went back to Italy to become the coach atTorino. When he arrived, it was clear he would have no say in what players he could buy or sell, as the club's owner made those decisions.Souness lasted just four months before being dismissed.
In November 1997, Souness was appointed byBenfica's new chairmanJoão Vale e Azevedo, who promised to return the club to its former glory. The Scottish manager brought several British players from the Premier League, including defendersSteve HarknessandGary Charles, midfieldersMichael ThomasandMark Pembridgeand forwardsDean SaundersandBrian Deane, as well as refusing to sign emerging talentDeco. 18 months later, Souness left the club and stated, "Vale e Azevedo lies when he looks in the eyes. Be careful, this man is dangerous."
Souness returned to the English league in March 2000 to become manager ofBlackburn Rovers, earning promotion back to the Premier League in his first full season. During his four-year spell at Blackburn, he initially got the very best out of talented youngsters such asDamien Duff,David DunnandMatt Jansen, as well as bringingHenning Bergback to the club and signing big name players likeAndy Cole,Tugay Kerimoğlu,Barry Ferguson,Brad FriedelandDwight Yorke. Cole and Jansen scored in Blackburn's 2–1 League Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in February 2002. Blackburn were still battling against relegation back to Division One when they lifted the League Cup, but went on to finish a secure 10th in the final table.
Souness then guided Blackburn to a sixth-place finish in 2003 and took them into theUEFA Cupfor a second successive season, before finishing a disappointing 15th in2003–04.
Souness left Blackburn in September 2004 to become manager ofNewcastle Unitedfollowing the sacking of 71-year-oldSir Bobby Robsona few games into the season.
Despite a promising start onTyneside, Souness quickly fell out with a number of players, includingWelsh internationalCraig Bellamy, who left the club to join Blackburn, after being loaned out to Celtic.Laurent Robert,Olivier BernardandJermaine Jenaswere also reported to have left the club on bad terms with Souness. The club finished 14th in the league (their lowest finish since promotion in 1993) and despite making it to the quarter-finals of theUEFA Cupand the semi-finals of theFA Cup, Souness found himself under mounting pressure fromToonsupporters.
Newcastle had a slow start to the2005–06 season, but Souness was hoping that the purchase ofMichael Owenfrom Real Madrid on 30 August for an estimated club-record fee of £17 million would help to turn the club's fortunes around and bring a repeat of the top five finishes achieved during Robson's final three seasons. Newcastle recorded a win in theTyne-Wear derbyagainst Sunderland (3–2), and went on to win their next three matches, keeping three clean sheets. Souness seemed to be tightening up Newcastle in defence, with six clean sheets in Newcastle's first 12 games of the season, as many as the whole of the preceding campaign. His decision to reunite the former England striker duoAlan Shearerand Michael Owen initially appeared shrewd. However, Owen cracked the fifth metatarsal of his right foot when he clashed with England teammatePaul Robinsonduring a 2–0 defeat at Tottenham on 30 December 2005 and was out of action for three months, adding to the club's injury woes.
Souness was criticised for an apparent lack of long-term planning at Newcastle, centred on a small squad, and a consequent vulnerability to injury among his players. Expensive signings – such asJean-Alain Boumsongfor £8 million,andAlbert Luquefor £10 million – failed to live up to expectations. By the beginning of February 2006, Newcastle United were placed 15th in the Premier League table and sliding dangerously towards a relegation battle, despite having spent over £50million on players in the last 18 months. On 2 February 2006, Souness was sacked as manager by chairmanFreddy Shepherdand replaced by United's Youth Academy DirectorGlenn Roeder.
In the club's DVD season review for the 2005–06 season, goalkeeperShay Givenand defenderRobbie Elliottacknowledged Souness was under pressure at the club as a result of injuries to the squad and admitted some players were to blame for their lack of all-round effort, but also admitted there was a bad atmosphere at the training ground, with Souness seeming to favour some players over others. Alan Shearer acknowledged the fans never really accepted Souness, as well as several injuries being instrumental in damaging the team's confidence. Chairman Freddy Shepherd declared it was the team's formation and loss againstManchester Citythat prompted his decision to sack Souness.
Souness did not return to football management after leaving Newcastle.
In the report of theStevens inquiryinto football corruption published in June 2007, Souness was criticised for an apparent lack of consistency:
Souness issued a statement denying any wrongdoing:
The Stevens inquiry then issued a clarification:
In July 2007, Newcastle United was raided by theCity of London Police, who were investigating transfer deals involving Newcastle, Rangers and Portsmouth. Two Souness transfers, Jean-Alain Boumsong andAmdy Faye, were among a list of 17 transfers not cleared by Quest.The Boumsong deal in particular was so odd that it was widely commented upon at the time.Four months after succeedingSir Bobby Robsonas manager, Souness was in his first transfer window as Newcastle manager. At £8.2 million, Boumsong was his first big signing and Souness said he would replaceJonathan Woodgatein the Newcastle defence,which had conceded several leads earlier in the season.
Newcastle were aware of Boumsong prior to his move fromAuxerreto Rangers on afree transfer.Robson had travelled to France to watch him, but he declined the opportunity to sign Boumsong.Liverpool were also interested in signing Boumsong.Robson's doubts were confirmed when Boumsong marked Alan Shearer in a pre-season game against Rangers.Shearer came off to speak in dismissive terms about the Frenchman's lack of physicality,and he later mentioned Boumsong's previous availability on a free transfer on television.
When Boumsong was given a torrid time byDJ Campbellduring his Newcastle debut againstYeadingin the FA Cup, doubts over the wisdom of the transfer mushroomed.The agent in the Boumsong and Faye transfers wasWillie McKay. On 7 November 2007, Quest issued the following statement about McKay's dealings:
Souness has appeared as a television analyst in the UK and Ireland regularly since his managerial career ended. He was one of the main analysts onSky Sportscoverage of thePremier League, regularly appearing on theSuper Sundayprogramme featuring the biggest head-to-head matches, and was one of the main pundits used on theirUEFA Champions Leaguecoverage until they lost the rights in 2015. He left Sky Sports on 30 April 2023.
Souness previously featured onRTÉ's live coverage of the UEFA Champions League and on their highlights showPremier Soccer Saturday, covering the Premier League. He was also regularly seen covering RTÉ's coverage of Republic of Ireland football internationals. Souness contributed toRTÉ Sport's coverage of the2010 FIFA World Cup, alongsideJohnny Giles,Eamon Dunphy,Liam Brady,Ronnie Whelan,Denis Irwin,Ossie ArdilesandDietmar Hamannfor the duration of the group stage.
During analysis of the World Cup match betweenGhanaandSerbiaon 13 June 2010, Souness made a controversial comment involvingNemanja VidićandFernando Torreslive on air, commenting, "Vidic got raped... sorry, taken apart by Torres at Liverpool", which forced RTÉ to censure Souness and publicly apologise after a commercial break.
As a pundit, Souness is also known for his frequent criticism of Manchester United'sPaul Pogba.Pogba himself is unaware what he has done to warrant such criticism. Instead, he affirms he has no idea of Souness' existence.
In June 2006, the chairman ofCrystal Palace,Simon Jordan, said he wished to discuss with Souness a role in managing the club following the departure ofIain Dowie.However, no contract materialised.
Souness looked to be the front-runner for theBolton Wanderersmanager's job following the departure of his former Liverpool teammateSammy Leein October 2007, but later pulled out of the running when it became apparent the job was set to be given toGary Megson.At around the same time, Souness was linked with taking over theRepublic of Ireland national team.
In January 2008, Souness announced he would be willing to return to Newcastle United as manager, following the departure ofSam Allardyceand the arrival of the club's new ownership and board. However, United only interviewedHarry RedknappandKevin Keeganfor the position, with Keegan soon after being appointed with the job; Souness's interest has never been publicly acknowledged by the club.
Following the sacking of Blackburn Rovers managerPaul Inceon 16 December 2008, Souness was linked with a return to the club as manager.However, Sam Allardyce was appointed as the new manager on 17 December, after Souness said he had no contact from Blackburn about the position.
Having been linked with the Scotland national team in November 2009, Souness stated he has no desire to return to management at any level.
In January 2007, it was reported by theDaily Mirrorthat Souness was heading a £20 million consortium to take overFootball League ChampionshipclubWolverhampton Wanderers. He attended a Wolves game as a VIP guest and made a formal offer for the club, asking to see the club's finances. The bid was rejected by the Wolves board, which felt it undervalued the club.Souness did not make a repeat offer for the club and it was later sold to another investor.
In 1985, Souness wrote an autobiography calledNo Half Measures. In 1999, he wrote another book chronicling his post-playing career up to and including his spell at Southampton, entitledSouness: The Management Years.
Souness' first wife was Danielle Wilson; they met in 1982 and married in 1984. He adopted her young daughter, and they had three more children together. They separated in 1989 and later divorced.
Souness has been married to Karen Souness, his second wife, since 1994. Together, the couple have a son and Souness has two stepchildren from Karen's previous relationship.
In 2010, Souness sold the family home inColintonin Edinburgh for £3.5m toFred Goodwin,and moved to a newly developed property inSandbanks,Poole, Dorset.
During a discussion about climate change onSky SportsSuper Sundayin 2021, Souness announced that he had been following avegandiet for the previous three years.
Souness' political views have, at various points in his career, generated comment.
In 1982, Souness and teammate Sammy Lee made cameo appearances, as themselves, in an episode of theBBC's Liverpudlian drama seriesBoys from the Blackstuff. Written byAlan Bleasdale, the series offered a critique ofThatcherism– and in particular the large-scale unemployment then evident in urban Britain – apparently at odds with Souness's ownConservativepolitics.
In 2007, in the lead-up to elections to theScottish Parliament, Souness was one of 15 prominent current and former footballers named in a newspaper advertisement urging "every patriotic Scot to help maintain Scotland's place in the United Kingdom which has served Scotland well."
Souness launched a fundraising campaign forDEBRA, a charity seeking a cure forepidermolysis bullosa, in May 2023.As part of the fundraising activities he announced plans to swim theEnglish Channel.On 18 June 2023, he completed the swim, in a wetsuit, as part of a six-person relay team, raising £1m for the charity.
Souness was described byThe Daily Telegraphas "one of the most fearsome men in the game."However, his Liverpool team-mateMichael Robinsonsaid of Souness in 2016: "I found him a very personal, cuddly chap who was actually quite vulnerable about being a human being with emotions. To this day, he still tries very hard not to be this lovely cuddly person, when really he is."
Souness was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire(CBE) in the2024 Birthday Honoursfor services to association football and to charity.
Tottenham Hotspur Youth
Middlesbrough
Liverpool
Sampdoria
Rangers
Scotland
Individual
Rangers
Liverpool
Galatasaray
Blackburn Rovers
Individual
Inducted into theScotland national football team roll of honourin 1985, when he gained his 50th international cap. In 1998, Souness was included in theFootball League 100 Legendslist. A poll of 110,000 Liverpool supporters –100 Players Who Shook The Kop,saw Souness placed the ninth most popular player in the club's history. Souness has been inducted into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame(in 2007), theScottish Football Hall of Fame(in 2004)and theRangers F.C. Hall of Fame.
A summary of Souness's personal achievements are as follows in chronological order: