On This Day – 25th August
Ruud Gullit put the final nail in his Newcastle United coffin on this day back in 1999 after deciding to start the Tyne-Wear Derby against Sunderland with Alan Shearer on the bench.
Fans filing in to St James’s Park must all have thought that their number 9 was probably the only player who could get something out of the derby against their most hated rivals. The Toon Army fans were in for a shock though when they found out that their hero was going to be watching from the touchline!
Newcastle had one solitary point to their name from their first five games and were 18th in the Premier League table. This was not the start anyone had expected from the Toon Army, who had reached a second consecutive FA Cup Final the previous season.
Sunderland had returned to the top flight after two seasons in the First Division. They had stormed to the First Division title, losing only 3 of their 46 league games and finishing 18 points ahead of runners-up Bradford City!
The game went ahead despite a torrential downpour that fell over the city throughout the day. The poor weather continued throughout the game, making any attempt to play any decent football a complete write-off.
Youngster Kieran Dyer broke free from the Sunderland defence to fire the home side into the lead on 28 minutes. However, the devastating strike partnership of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips struck in the second half to give the visitors all three points.
Newcastle fired Ruud Gullit shortly after the defeat to Sunderland. After losing their next game 5-1 away to champions Manchester United, Bobby Robson came in to replace the Dutchman.
Newcastle would lose Robson’s first game 1-0 away to Chelsea but won his first home game at St James’s Park 8-0 against Sheffield Wednesday. Who else but Alan Shearer weighed in with five of the goals!
Sunderland had a fantastic start to the season and were third in the table after the Boxing Day fixtures were finished. Their match at Goodison Park on Boxing Day marked the halfway point in the season and ended in a 5-0 win for the hosts Everton. The wheels came off Sunderland’s season after that, as if the thumping by Everton gave them a bit of a shock.
Sadly for Mackems fans, they had a Christmas hangover that lasted until the end of May and they didn’t win a game until 25th March, ironically against Everton! They finished the season in 7th, narrowly missing out on European football that was thoroughly deserved for their first half of the season.
Kevin Phillips would end the season with 30 Premier League goals and winning the Premier League Golden Boot in the process. His strike partner Niall Quinn scored 14 and the rest of the squad managed just 13 between them.
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