Shearer likens Belgium dressing room to Newcastle under Gullit

Alan Shearer likens ‘unhappy’ Belgium dressing room to what it was like at Newcastle when Ruud Gullit was manager… amid reports that players clashed following their defeat to Morocco

  • Belgium players reportedly clashed after their 2-0 World Cup loss to Morocco
  • Roberto Martinez dropped captain Eden Hazard from the squad against Croatia
  • Alan Shearer has compared Belgium’s dressing room to Newcastle in the 1990s
  • He said Newcastle had an ‘unhappy’ dressing room under Ruud Gullit 
  • Follow updates from Belgium’s World Cup clash with Croatia here 
  • Click here for all the latest news and updates from the World Cup in our live blog 

Alan Shearer has compared Belgium’s dressing room to what it was like for him at Newcastle under Ruud Gullit in the late 1990s. 

There were reports after Belgium’s 2-0 defeat to Morocco that Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Jan Vertonghen clashed in the dressing-room  

Captain Hazard was dropped for their deciding game with Croatia, while both De Bruyne and Vertonghen made the starting line-up.

Alan Shearer has compared Belgium’s dressing room to that of Newcastle in the late 1990s

There were reports of a rift in the Belgium dressing-room after their defeat to Morocco 

Ahead of the game, Shearer told BBC Sport: ‘There is no harm in having an experienced squad. The difference between the teams at the minute is hunger and desire and using it in the right way. What we have seen [from Belgium] so far is not good enough.

‘[I had it at} Newcastle when Ruud was there. It was an unhappy dressing room, you are trying to conceal things and then go out and play. It looks like a similar thing happening here.’

Shearer’s fellow BBC pundit, Didier Drogba added: ‘Normally it stays quiet in the dressing room. You hear of problems in the dressing room, but the exact problem does not normally come out. 


Defender Jan Vertonghen (left) and Kevin de Bruyne (right) were among the players involved in the dressing room clash

Tensions between the players spilled over following their shock 2-0 defeat by Morocco

‘De Bruyne said the team is old. Croatia might be an old team, but they are taking their chances.

Micah Richards in response to De Bruyne’s comment said: ‘I think it would be said in frustration. He is in the form of his life at his club. 

‘He shouldn’t dig his team-mates out like that. Vertonghen’s reaction was worse, you don’t respond like that.’

In comments ahead of the tournament which seem to have caused a stir in the Belgian camp, star midfielder De Bruyne said in an interview that Belgium were too old to win the World Cup.

Hazard added fuel to the fire ahead of the Morocco match, saying: ‘To be fair I think we had a better chance to win four years ago. The team was better four years ago but still we have the quality to win games and to win the competition.’

After the 2-0 defeat, a clearly incensed Vertonghen had to bite his tongue, saying: ‘There’s so much going through my mind right now, things I shouldn’t say in the open air.’

Gullit famously struggled to get along with Shearer during his short reign at Newcastle

But Vertonghen also said sarcastically: ‘Where did it go wrong? We probably also attack badly because we are too old, that must be it now, surely?’

He added: ‘We have a lot of quality up front, but so does Morocco, and they came out better today. This is very frustrating.’

Tensions appeared to boil over after the match as it was said that Romelu Lukaku had to pull his teammates apart as desperate players tried to calm the situation inside the Al Thumama stadium.

Hazard denied reports of the rift though keeper Thibaut Courtois said it would be the ‘last day in the changing room’ if it’s found out who leaked the clash. 

Shearer famously didn’t get on with Gullit who was in charge at Newcastle from 1998 to 1999.

After a promising first season together, which saw Shearer score 14 goals and Gullit lead Newcastle to the FA Cup final, their relationship quickly broke down.

The then-Newcastle boss believed that Shearer was not pulling his weight in the side and left the former England international out of the squad for the Tyne-Wear derby with Sunderland – Gullit’s last game in charge.  




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