And the Geordie that was given the job was none other than Graeme Souness ... who was born in Edinburgh!
Freddy Shepherd has admitted his idea of a Geordie manager was a bit naive, and he is prepared to wait until after the World Cup to land the right man for the job - bringing the likes of Guus Hiddink, Luiz Felipe Scolari and even Sven-Goran Eriksson into the equation.
Shepherd: "In the past I have expressed a preference for a British manager but I feel that at this difficult time we have to look at every option open to us. That means we will be looking at every available candidate, no matter which country they coach or manage in.
"It is a World Cup year and that could throw up one or two interesting possibilities. Ideally, I would like to have the managerial situation sorted out sooner rather than later, but if waiting until after the World Cup led to getting the right man then I would be prepared to bide my time."