Leaving Alan Shearer out was f**king ridiculous, so I told Ruud Gullit. I went in early and gave it to him' Duncan Ferguson recalls his showdown with Newcastle United's manager the morning after the club's derby defeat to Sunderland in the rain

In the lead-up to the 1999/00 Tyne-Wear derby, Newcastle manager Ruud Gullit's decision to bench key players Duncan Ferguson and Alan Shearer raised eyebrows. During a training match the day before, both were placed on the reserve team, a move that indicated Gullit's lack of confidence or strategy. Despite a season fraught with losses and tensions rising between Gullit and Shearer, Ferguson questioned Gullit’s motives, suggesting he was losing interest in the club. The decision to leave them out proved disastrous as Newcastle won 2-0, highlighting a chaotic managerial era.

Gullit failed to react to what he saw on the training ground the day before the derby and paid the price.

Normally, Gullit would change things round if the bomb squad beat the team that was playing against Sunderland, but he never did.

I think he wanted out in the end. Alan and Gullit were at loggerheads, they were clashing. I felt I got caught in the middle.

The context makes Gullit's decision to leave his captain, and Duncan Ferguson on the bench even more baffling.

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