GRAEME SOUNESS WAS IN THE media hall at St James’ Park, talking about priorities; family first, then work. He was facing darkened windows, which prevent curious supporters from gazing in, but do not deflect noise. As he spoke to journalists composing obituaries for his career, vowing to battle on “until someone tells me different”, chants of “Souness out” threatened to suffocate his words.

While several hundred Newcastle United fans mutinied outside, Souness accepted a cuppa from Kath Cassidy, the stadium’s long-serving tea lady. He embraced her, inquired about her health and, when his press conference petered out, chatted to her in private about illness and medication. In the circumstances — a decent man flailing in untenable conditions — it is a gesture worth noting.

After Saturday’s defeat by Blackburn Rovers, Tyneside delivered its judgment. At a club where instability is ingrained, where there are more trophy signings than trophies, where misfortune has ripped apart a small squad, where foundations have been laid in quicksand and self-preservation is the culture, scapegoats are not obvious, but a culprit has been found.

The perception is that Souness is finished at Newcastle, a perception that has become entrenched since they went out of the Carling Cup with a whimper against Wigan Athletic in November. Afterwards, a local newspaper with close ties to the chairman, Freddy Shepherd, ran a story headlined “Souness on the brink”. The Scot was furious, but there could be only political consequences to his fractured relationship with the Evening Chronicle.

With Michael Owen, Scott Parker, Steven Taylor, Stephen Carr, Shola Ameobi, Emre Belözoglu, Craig Moore and Kieron Dyer injured, Souness has, understandably, made repeated reference to his limited resources. On Thursday, Shepherd appeared on the club’s website demanding less negativity. Names were not mentioned, but it was a dig at his manager; the two men are sparring, albeit in code.

Here is the context. Since the match against Wigan, Shepherd has concluded that Souness should leave, but having stretched the club’s finances to sign Owen, Newcastle can barely afford the £5 million it would take to dismiss the coaching staff. Resignation would solve that problem, but as Souness is at pains to reiterate, “that can never happen”.

So Shepherd, who appointed Souness 16 months ago, is in a quandary. Having won two of their past ten league fixtures, Newcastle are drifting. When does he pull the trigger? From a skinny field, is Sam Allardyce, apparently restless at Bolton Wanderers, the best replacement? Some of Shepherd’s colleagues believe so.

It is understood that Shepherd’s opinion has hardened and, in the meantime, the team are seeping confidence and the crowd has grown tired of mediocrity and excuses. If the Wigan match was not the tipping point, was the game against Blackburn? Is it this weekend’s FA Cup tie away to Cheltenham Town? Is it the closure of the transfer window, when there is a ready-made excuse to deny funds to a new appointment? Or is it the end of the season?

Players read newspapers, gossip and sense vibes. “As far as I’m concerned, everyone is behind the manager, even if it may not look like it in terms of results,” Lee Clark, the midfield player, said. That, of course, is the salient issue. Blackburn were fit, bullish and had the benefit of luck when a handball by Morten Gamst Pedersen propelled an ugly effort from Shefki Kuqi across the line.

“We have to get some points or we’ll be in a dogfight,” Alan Shearer said, and the Newcastle captain will have a role to play in the coming days. In Glenn Roeder and Peter Beardsley, Shepherd employs caretaker-management material. There was no meeting between Shepherd and Souness yesterday, but the manager is effectively out; everything else concerns timing, dignity and priorities.