Bramble out as Allardyce rebuilds

Bramble does not figure in Sam Allardyce's plans

Newly-appointed Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has wasted little time in releasing five players.

Defenders Titus Bramble, 25, and 31-year-old Australian Craig Moore have not been offered new contracts.

Czech keeper Pavel Srnicek, 39, and left-back Olivier Bernard, 27, have also been shown the door.

Allardyce has also opted not to make United States defender Oguchi Onyewu's loan period from Belgian club Standard Liege into a permanent move.

The new Magpies boss said he is unlikely to replace the axed quintet with big name players.

Allardyce built his reputation at Bolton on unearthing previously undiscovered talent.

He said: "It's important we recruit the best players possible and make sure we are not always looking for the big names all the time, as Newcastle have done in the past.

"There are very talented players outside this country who want to prove themselves in the Premiership."

Bramble joined Newcastle for £5m from Ipswich in 2002, but his time has been blighted by costly errors.

I think four or five players would be the top end of what we would try and get Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd

Experienced defender Moore arrived on Tyneside in July 2005 from Borussia Moenchengladbach, following two spells at Rangers either side of a loan period at Crystal Palace.

Newcastle signed Bernard on a free transfer from Lyon in August 2000 and in his first five years made 82 League starts.

He had spells at Rangers and Southampton before returning to St James Park in September 2006.

Much-travelled Czech Republic international keeper Srnicek has ended his second spell at St James' Park.

He first signed for the Magpies for £250,000 from Banik Ostrava in February 1991 and made 148 League starts during a six-year spell when he was Newcastle's number one.

Srnicek returned to Banik in August 1998, but then embarked on a tour of clubs, including Sheffield Wednesday, Brescia, Portsmouth and West Ham.

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Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd said he was ready to back Allardyce's recruitment drive, although he would not commit himself on the level of funding for it.

Shepherd said: "I think four or five players would be the top end of what we would try and get to resolve some of the problems that happened last year.

"There are obviously some resources there to bolster the squad.

"You have never heard any manager at Newcastle saying we have never backed them."