Gullit's future in doubt

Ruud Gullit's position as Newcastle manager looked increasingly tenuous last night after his side suffered their third defeat in their opening three games of the new season. When asked about his future after the game Gullit was unable to confirm that he would be in charge of the team when Wimbledon visit St James' Park on Saturday.

The new season may be barely a week old, but the Dutchman's catalogue of woes grows by the day. Bottom of the Premiership after Newcastle's worst start in 40 years, his girlfriend Estelle Cruyff is begging him to return to the Netherlands full-time.

He is already facing an FA misconduct charge for arguing with the referee following Alan Shearer's dismissal in the opening-day defeat by Aston Villa, has been accused of arrogant treatment of players and made a public climbdown after absolving himself of blame for the defeat at Tottenham. And yesterday he had to watch a repeat of that spineless collapse by his team, who once again took the lead but then leaked goals alarmingly.

"Will you resign?" Gullit was asked afterwards. "You never know," he replied.

"Will you be in charge next week?" he was pressed. "I will have to think about it, about what I saw today and what I saw in the last couple of weeks." After spending about £17 million on players this summer and just under £30 million, Gullit really has no excuse for the sad state of his team. Southampton came out for the second half and, with the help of two inspired substitutions, ripped into Newcastle with a passion that Gullit's side just could not handle.

Including last season, Newcastle have now gone 10 games without a win and last kept a clean sheet in February. Gullit has a lot of work to do before the Wimbledon game and demonstrated the seriousness of the situation by postponing a trip to South Africa this coming week, where he was to take charge of a FIFA XI in a Nelson Mandela charity game.

The question is whether Gullit is capable of turning things round. Yesterday he did not sound too convinced. "Why the team is not playing well is a mystery," he added. "I'm sure the fans can't believe their eyes." In the event of him taking a one-way flight to Amsterdam, Terry Venables and Bobby Robson are reportedly waiting in the wings, one or the other possibly forming a managerial team with Alan Shearer, who has been promised such a role by the club.

Newcastle's fans - who still support Gullit, it should be noted - deserve better, especially as Gullit has only been in the job only a year.

The funny thing was that Newcastle began yesterday's game impressively. They were bright and inventive, tight in the tackle and well-oiled in the passing department. And on 22 minutes they went ahead when Claus Lundekvam brought down Kieron Dyer and Alan Shearer converted the penalty.

Dyer posed a constant threat to Southampton in the first half. An audacious flick over the head of Hassan Kachloul nearly produced Goal of the Month and soon after Temuri Ketsbaia also went close. Newcastle's new goalkeeper John Karelse, a £50,000 signing from NAC Breda, was not troubled until the 44th minute.

Gullit must have thought his troubles were over, but with the rain lashing down Southampton came out for the second half and kicked up a storm. Matthew Oakley and the ineffective Matthew Le Tissier were withdrawn from midfield and replaced by Southampton's new signing Trond Soltvedt and the former England winger Stuart Ripley. They changed the course of the game.

Sharper now in the tackle and more direct going forward, Southampton equalised on 59 minutes when Ripley skipped past Didier Domi on the right and Kachloul tapped in the cross unmarked on the far post.

Soltvedt had already gone close before Southampton took the lead after 67 minutes, Ripley firing a long ball forward that which evaded Alain Goma and fell for Pahars to stab the ball home.

Newcastle were neither stopping the crosses at source nor dealing with them at their destination and two minutes later Southampton went 3-1 up. Scott Hiley's long ball reached Pahars, Newcastle failed to clear it properly and Kachloul pounced for his second.

Egil Ostenstad and Dean Richards went close for Southampton before, 10 minutes from time, Ostenstad nodded the ball down to Soltvedt, who fed Mark Hughes about 20 yards out and the old stager hammered home a brilliant volley.

Gary Speed did manage a headed goal near the end but for Newcastle's fans it was scant consolation.

SOUTHAMPTON: Jones, Hiley, Richards, Lundekvam, Benali, Oakley (Ripley 45), Hughes, Kachloul (Bridge 88), Le Tissier (Soltvedt 45), Ostenstad, Pahars. Subs Not Used: Colleter, Moss. Booked: Hughes, Benali. Goals: Kachloul 58, Pahars 66, Kachloul 68, Hughes 78.

NEWCASTLE: Karelse, Barton, Domi, Shearer, Ketsbaia, Speed, Goma, Hughes, Solano, Serrant (Maric 13), Dyer, Maric (Robinson 71). Subs Not Used: Harper, McClen, Caldwell. Goals: Shearer 22 pen, Speed 84.

Referee: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).