Graeme Souness claims Craig Bellamy has created problems ever since he took charge.
Graeme Souness has accused Craig Bellamy of creating problems ever since he was appointed as manager of Newcastle United.Bellamy is expected to leave St James' Park before the close of the transfer window, with Birmingham City having a bid of £6 million accepted by Newcastle.
The Wales international is heading for the exit door following a massive bust-up with Souness, which culminated in Bellamy branding his boss 'a liar'.
His subsequent refusal to apologise has terminated his career on Tyneside, with Souness admitting Bellamy's attitude has been an issue from the moment he took over The Magpies.
Souness also expanded on the incident which brought the matter to a head when Bellamy was omitted from last Sunday's Premiership clash at Arsenal.
"Craig Bellamy has been a disruptive influence from the minute I walked into this football club with his attitude to the coaching staff, to me and to his team-mates," wrote Souness in his programme notes for Saturday's FA Cup tie with Coventry City.
"On the Friday before the Arsenal game I met the press at St James' Park and when I later arrived at the training ground Craig was taking off his boots in the boot room.
"I asked him 'What's the problem?' and he told me his hamstring was tight. I asked if he had tugged it and he said no, it was just tight.
"I then went on to the training ground where Dean Saunders said to me: 'You will never believe what he's just done?'
"Dean said Craig had told the players prior to coming out on to the training ground that he was going to feign an injury and that is exactly what he has done.
"From that moment, I had an almighty problem. When we finished training, I said in front of the players: 'Craig, you and I have got to go and see the chairman'.
"By 1pm we were in the chairman's office at the ground. The first thing the chairman asked was 'Craig, did you feign an injury this morning?' and Craig said 'yes' to that.
"At that point, I still had a conciliatory note so I asked what had brought things on and he said it was all the speculation about bringing new players in and him being used as a makeweight in a transfer.
"I reassured him that he had not been offered in any deal and I wanted him here but on my terms - my terms being that he was fully committed and not being disruptive about the place."
Souness made the decision to leave Bellamy out of the squad for the game at Highbury after he failed to apologise to his team-mates for feigning the injury, after being told so by his manager.
Bellamy has also been upset about being deployed on the flank during Souness' reign but the former Blackburn Rovers manager insists he has not been trying to convert the striker into a winger.
He added: "It is not a good situation and he has been disciplined but I believe it is important to point out that at no time has Craig been asked to play as any type of winger because I feel that in the modern game there are no wingers - they are wide working players.
"He has been asked (a) to do a job for the cause and (b) to play as one of the three strikers."
