Shepherd told the Newcastle public: "our next manager will be a Geordie, because Geordies give you 10% more!"
Perhaps someone should have told him Geordies are traditionally from Tyneside ... NOT Edinburgh ... where Souness was born.
The Souness appointment even had the bookies beaten, because they didn't even have him on their list.
But Shepherd (who allegedly bought a Skoda because he thought it was made of mazipan) plucked Souness out of a hat, and he never won over the Toon Army.
During an hour-long show at the weekend, Souness criticised fans "up there" for assuming Newcastle is a big club.
Graeme Souness: "The last job well and truly sickened me. The Newcastle one was a bad experience . . . I'm sure if you asked Sam Allardyce he would tell you the same, it was just an unhealthy situation there.
"I believe Newcastle is a club that gets 52,000 people paying to watch them every other week and they have 22,000 supporters and 30,000 customers. They are extremely critical.
"You ask yourself why are they so unforgiving? They've done nothing since 1969, so where does this opinion come from that they are a big club and should be winning things?"
"It could be a fabulous club. I was there 18 months. We reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.
"I think it was nine consecutive wins which equalled the club record and I can remember going into that period where we had these semi-finals coming up and thinking 'If we lose these they will be calling for our heads' and that's the way it is up there.
"Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer ended up fighting each other and that's typical of that club. The fans need to give someone a chance.
"As far as I can see only Kevin (Keegan) or Alan Shearer would be given the time needed to turn it into a powerful club."
So WHY, when Sam Allardyce was sacked, did Souness say: "of course I would love a return to Newcastle. It is a dream job; fabulous supporters; and a massive club".?