Newcastle United 1 Sunderland 2 – Premier League 1999

Wednesday August 25, 1999; Premier League

Newcastle United 1 Sunderland 2

Newcastle: T.Wright, W.Barton, N.Dabizas, A.Goma, D.Domi, S.Maric (A.Shearer), J.McClen, G.Speed, N.Solano, K.Dyer, P.Robinson (D.Ferguson).

Sunderland: T.Sorensen, C.Makin, P.Butler, S.Bould, M.Gray, N.Summerbee, A.Rae, S.Schwarz (K.Ball), G.McCann, N.Quinn, K.Phillips.

Match Report: This game was very clearly of even more significance than your run of the mill Tyne-Wear derby game.

Sunderland had just returned to the top flight after a two year absence and had only managed one win, at home to Watford, in their opening four games. They apparently approached this game in better order than their neighbours, however.

Newcastle had gained only one point from their first four games even though they had led in three of those fixtures. In fact they had not managed a victory since overcoming Spurs after extra time in the previous seasons’ FA Cup semi final.

There was mounting pressure on the Newcastle boss Ruud Gullit and not only because of poor results. There was obvious friction between the manager and the man widely regarded as his star player, Alan Shearer.

With many feeling that this was a make or break game for Gullit the Dutchman took the remarkable step of leaving Shearer on the bench, adding fuel to his own potential funeral pyre by declaring that it was “a night for big hearts.”

Not a man to do things by halves he also decided to keep Duncan Ferguson in reserve while handing the lone strikers role in his team to Paul Robinson.

Paul who? was not an unreasonable question then and it remains so to this day.

Robinson was a low key signing from Darlington. He had scored 3 goals in 26 appearances for the Quakers, although most of those had been as a substitute, and would be making his second Newcastle start here.

Now even though you need all sorts of qualifications to become a top flight football manager sometimes it isn’t really rocket science at all. Although Ruud didn’t manage to work this out at the time, this was one of them.

Oh yes, and Robinson was a Mackem, born and bred.

The feeling that St James Park was about to witness something of biblical proportions was reinforced by the weather.

The rain was extraordinary, lashing down in torrents and adding to the sensed of the surreal, as did the flashes of lightning snaking out above the stadium.

All eyes and cameras were inevitably focused on Shearer as the preliminaries took place with the Geordie crowd, intriguingly, chanting Gullit’s name first before belting out Shearer’s.

Once the game began, however, the rivalry that mattered was between the Geordies and the Mackems, not the Rasta and the Skinhead.

Sunderland were first to attack, doubtless feeling this was an opportunity to expose any insecurities festering within the home sides’ ranks.

Alex Rae made a dangerous burst into the Newcastle box before wasting the opportunity by over hitting his centre.

The home sides’ confidence did look fragile as they began to give the ball away cheaply with disturbing regularity in their own half and Sunderland continued to press forward.

Nicky Summerbee tested Didier Domi for pace and showed himself to have the legs on his full back. Despite a clear tug by the defender Summerbee managed to whip in a dangerous ball which Kevin Phillips was inches from converting as he slid in at pace and when the ball reached Warren Barton at the far post the defender sidefooted his clearance back across goal and just wide of the post.

From Summerbee’s corner Niall Quinn rose highest but only succeeded in clearing. The ball fell to Rae, however, and nifty footwork took him beyond three defenders before another challenger sent him crashing to the turf.

Despite the suspicious nature of the incident the referee, Graham Poll, was happy to let play continue.

It is fair to say that Tyneside was not wholly united behind Shearer in his feud with Gullit but the dreadful opening quarter of an hour put in by their side ended with the first cries since kick off of “Shearer” ringing around the stadium.

At least this restlessness did seem to stir the home side into some more meaningful action.

Nolberto Solano set off on a neat sideways dribble before linking with Silvio Maric who set up Gary Speed for a shot from 30 yards. The effort was well struck but flew straight at Thomas Sorensen in the Sunderland goal.

Sunderland responded strongly although it did look like a clear foul on Maric by Chris Makin which set their next attack in motion.

Phillips was quickly released down the left to send over a superb low ball across the six yard box. Quinn came hurtling in at full stretch but could only toe poke wide of the far post.

There was no stopping the giant forward as he careered across the greasy surface and he ended up pinning Tommy Wright painfully against his own goalpost head first.

Wright had been called in on loan from Manchester City to answer a goalkeeping crisis and the short, now concussed, custodian did little to increase the assurance of the home side.

With the game approaching the half hour mark, however, the game suddenly took an unexpected turn.

Solano once again produced some nifty footwork in midfield and after Maric and Speed had played simple passes Robinson suddenly dinked a killer ball through the Sunderland defence which had Kieron Dyer clear and onside.

Sorensen rushed out but Dyer’s finish was clinically lifted beyond the keeper and into the net to give Newcastle the lead.

As the cameras panned onto Alan Shearer again on the bench it was strange to see the self-proclaimed massive Newcastle fan looking so poker faced after taking the lead against the old enemy.

The goal put an extra spring into Newcastle’s step and clearly disturbed the composure of the visitors.

Both Phillips and Paul Butler were booked in quick succession for dissent and the Sunderland defence was at full stretch to clear an Alain Goma header after a wicked free kick from Solano.

Summerbee’s ability to get the better of Domi presented Sunderland with their next attacking opportunity which ended with one of the bizarrest efforts on goal of all time.

Summerbee’s centre was half cleared to Stefan Schwarz, lurking just outside the box, and his cross shot looked perfect for Quinn to convert in the centre.

Rather than go for the daisy cutter with his foot, however, the lanky Irishman launched himself at the ball torpedo fashion and appeared to make contact with his shoulder.

There was no way of knowing where the ball was going to go and Newcastle were relieved to see it loop just over the angle of post and bar.

Goma was the next Newcastle defender to embarrass himself, getting into a terrible tangle under a huge Sorensen punt and then having to drag Quinn to the floor just outside the box. Nicky Summerbee’s free kick was woefully off target, however.

The half actually ended with Newcastle enjoying their first period of real control but this possession only realised one decent opening which was spurned and the game remained delicately poised at the interval.

Half Time: Newcastle United 1 Sunderland 0

The rain remained incessant as the game resumed and the play directly after the interval was even less inspiring than it had been before the break.

Long punts were traded as the game switched from end to end with no style or quality whatsoever.

Warren Barton suddenly whacked one forward that fortuitously split the Sunderland defence wide open but Robinson was unable to connect as the ball skidded away from him as it bounced and a relieved Sorensen was able to collect.

Route one then almost paid off for Sunderland. Sorensen booted forward, Quinn rose above Goma to flick on and Phillips was darting between Nickos Dabizas and Barton to collect. Instinctively Phillips looked to lift the ball over Wright on the bounce but he was unable to get enough on the effort and the keeper saved comfortably.

Robinson then inadvertantly set Sunderland on the attack with a crossfield ball which presented Michael Gray with an easy interception.

Gray fed Rae who combined with Summerbee and Schwartz in a cracking move which ended with Summerbee planting a deep centre onto Quinn’s head but, despite being unchallenged, the header was mistimed and failed to test Wright.

By now the rain was getting even heavier and conditions could be fairly described as atrocious. Indeed there had to be a chance that the game would not now run its’ course.

Ruud Gullit now decided that it was time for a change and if he hadn’t been making a point with regards to Shearer with his original selection he certainly was now.

Robinson was the man to be replaced but Duncan Ferguson was the man summoned to take his place, not Shearer.

Almost imediately Nobby Solano put his side in trouble with a careless pass and then conceded a free kick by checking Summerbee in his bid to make amends.

Summerbee took the kick himself and simply knocked it into the near post where Niall Quinn was waiting, with no man placed in front of him, to glance a header into the far corner without having to leave the ground.

There was no quelling the cries for “Shearer” now and it was not long before the local hero was replacing Maric, who was no doubt glad to get in out of the rain.

There was lying water all over the pitch now, you could call them puddles if you wanted to, and coherent football was probably impossible, even if it had been two other teams playing.

Sorensen came beyond the angle of his box to deal with a forward pass but found the ball stop dead and the onrushing Dyer was able to knock the ball past him.

Amazingly the ball then stopped dead in another puddle to completely defeat the Newcastle man and Sunderland escaped.

Sunderland managed to pen Newcastle back in their own half for a few minutes and Shearer dropped back to try and alleviate the pressure.

Holding the ball up tight to the left hand touchline Shearer was met with a fierce challenge from Gavin McCann which could easily have been viewed as a foul but Graham Poll was happy for play to continue.

The ball broke loose and after a massive melee Summerbee was able to whip a ball over to the far post where Kevin Phillips was completely clear.

With glory beckoning the striker was only able to prod a weak effort straight into the chest of the oncoming Wright.

The ball bounced behind Phillips and Wright chose to head back for his nets. This proved to be a mistake as Phillips reacted quickly to turn and chip an instant shot over the keeper and covering defenders into the far corner.

The Sunderland players raced to celebrate with the 850 fans they had been allowed to take while the mood around the rest of St James’ took another turn for the worse.

The mood would have been considerably different at the Stadium of Light where the game was being beamed live.

Sunderland continued to look the side most likely to score and it took a lunging tackle from Goma to deny Phillips after a sweeping ball from Quinn.

From the resulting corner Steve Bould managed to flick on to Phillips and when he knocked the ball goalwards Quinn, stationed in front of Wright, looked a certain scorer but somehow failed to make any contact whatsoever.

Belatedly Newcastle managed a response and when Ferguson steered a high ball down into Shearer’s path the striker had his first sight of goal.

Unusually Shearer squared the ball to Solano whose shot was wide of the near post.

Under another manager it is likely that Shearer would have shot himself. Under Gullit he was only likely to have shot himself off the pitch.

The closest Newcastle came to an equaliser was in appropriately bizarre fashion.

Solano leathered a pass at Ferguson which the striker, with his back to goal, was unable to trap on his chest. The ball ran loose between Ferguson and the newly introduced Kevin Ball to set up one of footballs’ scariest 50/50’s.

Both players launched themselves into the challenge for all they were worth and Ball, probably by accident, made perfect contact with the ball.

From 35 yards out the impact sent the ball soaring towards his own goal, clearing the helpless Sorensen but bouncing behind for a corner off the top of the bar.

Newcastle would not come close to levelling again and the final whistle was met with a chorus of boos probably never equalled in the history of St James Park.

That is with the possible exception of when Roy Keane got sent off there for trying to rip Shearer’s head off, I suppose.

The fall out from this game was massive and the inevitable conclusion was that Gullit had left his post by the end of the week.

Absolutely, utterly and without question one of the strangest games of football ever played in the Premier League and still, not surprisingly, fondly remembered on Wearside.

Full Time: Newcastle United 1 Sunderland 2