FACTFILE
Born Edinburgh, May 6.
1968: Joins Tottenham as apprentice.
1972: Moves to Middlesbrough.
1973: Makes league debut, going on to make 176 league appearances for the club.
1974: Helps Middlesbrough win promotion as champions of the old Second Division. Makes debut for Scotland in 3-0 Hampden win over East Germany.
1978: Signs for Liverpool for £350,000 and goes on to make 247 league appearances for the club, winning five titles, three European Cups and four League Cups.
1984: Joins Italian Serie A club Sampdoria for £650,000.
1986: Wins last of 54 caps for Scotland against West Germany in the World Cup in Mexico (also played in the 1978 and 1982 tournaments). Returns from Italy to join Rangers as player-manager for £300,000. Leads the Glasgow club to three League titles and four Skol Cup wins. Also Scottish Cup runners-up in 1989.
1991: Returns to Liverpool as successor to Kenny Dalglish.
1992: Enters hospital for triple heart bypass operation 24 hours after FA Cup semi-final draw against Portsmouth. Liverpool go on to beat Sunderland at Wembley with Souness there to watch them lift the trophy.
1993: Hits out at Liverpool players after FA Cup third-round defeat by Bolton. Club goes on to suffer worst season for 30 years.
1994: Leaves Anfield.
1995: Appointed manager of Galatasaray.
1996: Wins Turkish Cup but is sacked by Galatasaray, appointed manager of Southampton on July 3 in succession to Dave Merrington.
1997: May - Secures Premiership survival for Southampton. Resigns as manager.
1997: October - Fired as coach of Italian Serie B club Torino less than four months into a two-year contract.
1997: November - Souness taken on as boss of Benfica and signs a contract up to June 2000.
1999: April 19 - Benfica announce Souness will leave at the end of the season.
May 2 - The Portuguese club announce that Souness has been suspended and is subject to an "internal club investigation" after a 1-1 draw against lowly Campomaiorense.
1999: November - Souness, back in Britain after severing all ties with Benfica, admits he wants to be considered for the manager's job at Ewood Park after Blackburn sack Brian Kidd. Souness said: "Any job I'm offered I will think hard about, but the Blackburn post is an attractive one."
2000: March 14 - After four-month wait, finally appointed Blackburn boss, signing a three-and-a-half year contract.
May - Souness leads Blackburn into the Premiership with automatic promotion from the First Division.
2002: Leads Blackburn to their first ever League Cup success, beating Tottenham.
2003: May - Rovers finish sixth, their highest position for five years.
2004: September - Quits as manager of Blackburn, unveiled as Newcastle boss on September 6.
2005: August 30 - Signs Michael Owen for £17million.
2006: February 2 - Sacked, the morning after a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City and with Newcastle struggling in 15th place in the Premiership.