Premier League manager begged to end contract after realising 'this isn't for me'

Daily Mirror

02-05-2025

Ruud Gullit has recalled being "begged" to stay at Newcastle United despite his falling-out with Alan Shearer.
The Dutch icon made the controversial decision to bench club legend Shearer for a game against local rivals Sunderland early in the 1999/00 season, a move that caused uproar among fans.
Fellow forward Duncan Ferguson was also left out of the starting line-up. Newcastle were defeated 2-1 despite Kieran Dyer's early goal, with Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips turning the game around in the second half.
This match marked Gullit's final act as Magpies manager as he stepped down soon after, clearing the path for Sir Bobby Robson's arrival.
Gullit knew his days on Tyneside were numbered when Sunderland took the lead. He told Stick to Football:"We were 1-0 up against Sunderland and it was raining like hell.
"And then in one moment, they had a pass up front and the ball went in the pond, everybody went past it, and then they chipped it out over the goalkeeper. Then you feel, 'OK, this is maybe not for me'."
Despite a torrid start to that season, the board pleaded for him to stay. He explained: "I went to the board, and I said, 'Look, I don't think this is for me' – and they begged me to stay. Freddy Shepherd [chairman] and I became friends because of that.
"I said to him, 'Look, I don't need the money. I just want to end the contract, I'm very thankful for what I could do, but this is not for me. This is not the way to do it'.
"I knew that I could not change the environment in that moment. I was right, because later, they were relegated. I knew exactly what was going on, but I didn't have the power to change that.
"Alan Shearer, in that moment, he was not doing the things that we needed him to do to play, and he understood that as well. Alan is a great striker – I needed him to do a little bit different to make it work.
"He was not informed well of the tenacity that I had, from the beginning – maybe that was my fault because I had to talk with him more and tell him what I really needed."
However, Gullit remains fond of the club and was delighted to see them win the Carabao Cup recently. He added: "The biggest problem [with Newcastle] is, not everybody wants to go there," he said.
"The biggest success they had was when Kevin Keegan was there. That was the best team they had – didn't win it [the league], but now they've won a trophy, I'm so happy for them."