Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has blamed the club's problems with Craig Bellamy on former Magpies manager Sir Bobby Robson. "Graeme Souness has been unfairly blamed for what has happened," Shepherd told the Sunday Mirror.
"But the seeds of the Craig Bellamy situation were sown before he arrived at the club.
"Many of the problems Graeme is having to deal with are down to the way the previous manager handled discipline."
He added: "If Sir Bobby had taken a harder line I am convinced we wouldn't be facing this situation."
 |  Graeme has had the guts to say enough is enough |
Bellamy is involved in a bitter feud with Souness who accused the striker of feigning injury and saying the player then accused him of lying.
Shepherd is angry Robson spoke publicly about the Bellamy row engulfing the Magpies and has backed the manner in which Souness is handling the club's wayward stars.
"It needed to be done. Some players have been getting away with challenging the authority of the manager and seemed to believe they were untouchable.
"Graeme has had the guts to say enough is enough and has shown in the strongest manner possible that he won't stand for indiscipline."
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
