IF NEWCASTLE United are to be successful they have to follow the examples of the two Premiership clubs they visit this month.

One look at the home dugout at Old Trafford this evening, and at the Emirates Stadium on January 29, should remind Newcastle owner Mike Ashley that continuity is the key to success.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been Manchester United manager for 21 years and Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal back in 1996.

But Newcastle, like Southampton prior to George Burley's arrival, are currently experiencing the highest turnover ofmanagers in their history.

It is no coincidence that they won their last trophy, the 1969 Inter Cities Fairs Cup, during Joe Harvey's 13-year reign as manager.

Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson have had five-year spells at St James's Park but that is as long as any manager has been given since Newcastle won their last trophy.

Sam Allardyce was very unfortunate to be given just 24 games. Six months is no time at all but he was brought in by the previous chairman, Freddy Shepherd, and Ashley clearly wants his own man on board.

I suppose he is entitled to that when he has ploughed £250m into the club but Sam had no chance. He resurrected Bolton Wanderers - and the careers of talented players who were going nowhere - and he will bounce back. But you have to question whether Newcastle are the big club they think they are.

Apart from finishing as runners-up in style under Keegan and qualifying for the Champions League with fluent football under Sir Bobby, Newcastle have done nothing since.

However, I loved playing in the north-east for Southampton because the crowds are passionate and appreciate good football.

Harry Redknapp would have been a good appointment as Big Sam's successor but it looks a non-starter. I do not know Harry particularly well but he has come a long way since we played on the right flanks for our respective clubs - West Ham and Southampton - in the 1960s. Harry was a flying machine who, like me, did his best to jump out of tackles! His sides play stylish football, as West Ham did under Ron Greenwood, and Harry has served his apprenticeship by producing some excellent footballing sides at Upton Park and with Pompey.

He gets the job done by bringing the best out of players and I think he would have been the rightman for Newcastle. He would not have had to do much to improve on Newcastle's last performance. They were desperate in the FA Cup against Stoke City last week.