Souness believes frustrated Benitez could quit the Magpies

GRAEME Souness believes Rafa Benitez could quit Newcastle United if his transfer demands are not met. And the ex-Magpies boss has also once again claimed that the passion and pressure of the Toon fans can be detrimental to the football club. Souness spent less than two seasons at St James’ Park in a largely unsuccessful period as manager before being sacked in 2006.

Despite spending around £50million on transfers, Souness only managed a 14th-place finish in his first season in charge before being sacked in February 2006 with Newcastle 15th, slipping dangerously towards the relegation zone.

Souness was a guest on Alan Brazil’s TalkSport breakfast show yesterday where he discussed Newcastle’s poor start to the season.

On the expectations at the club, he said: “I think for all three clubs coming up it’s going to be very difficult to stay in that league.

“For Newcastle the expectation level is enormous up there, I think.

“And Rafa, too, expects to get more and better players in but that’s not happened for him. Mike Ashley has said he can have every penny that is generated.

“But I’ve been up there at Newcastle and it’s a very hard place to perform when things are not going well. They are so passionate that you are only ever a couple of games away from the roof caving in.

“They really want their team to do well, but sometimes that passion can show itself in a detrimental way, and that’s what I found up there.”

On the future of Benitez at the Magpies, Souness added: “Yeah, definitely (he could quit). Obviously he is not happy. It is hard to speculate because you weren’t party to the conversations that took place, but it would appear that he expected to get more and better players in.”