Sunderland players were ’embarrassed’ by some of Steve Bruce’s team selection for the infamous 5-1 derby defeat to Newcastle in 2010.
That is the frank verdict of former Black Cats defender Anton Ferdinand, who claims former Sunderland winger Ahmed Elmohamady was among a number of players who were like ‘rabbits in the headlights’ when they emerged on to the pitch at St James’ Park.
In what has since proven to be the last time Newcastle beat Sunderland on home turf, the Magpies ran riot in a dominant derby display and reflecting on that day, Ferdinand has revealed some of Sunderland’s senior stars were left miffed by Bruce’s team selection.
“When you are in the dressing room and people are looking embarrassed when they are picked ahead of you. At Sunderland, it happened on the regular,” Ferdinand told Vibe With Five.
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“The team was getting picked and people would be looking around thinking: ‘How am I getting picked ahead of him?’ Not just me, other players.
“We played Newcastle away, the 5-1, when we got beat 5-1. Steve Bruce wanted to play his players that he had brought in. These guys, some of them, had never played in a derby, never mind this derby. It is unbelievable, there is so much hatred in it. It is ridiculous.
“There was me, Kieran Richardson, Bolo Zenden [on the bench]. We have all played in big games, experienced in big games, but experienced in that big game as well.
“How can you go into a derby and not play players who understand that game and know what it means to play in that game?
“I knew in the warm up that we were going to get beat. We came out for the warm up at St James’ Park to whistles and jeers and we were jogging and then all of a sudden we stopped for a stretch.
“I remember standing next to Kieran and I said: ‘We are f****d’. When you come out of the tunnel for a derby and there are jeers, there are boos and there are whistles, you look around and look into peoples’ eyes and ask: ‘Are they with me?’
“I looked around and saw [Ahmed] Elmohamady. Man was like a rabbit in the headlights. Not just him, there were four or five of them. [For the first derby] It is understandable but I said to Kieran: ‘We are in trouble’. 5-1.”
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