Stamp hoping to give Gullit rude awakening

PAUL KIDDIE

PHIL STAMP will never forget the time when Ruud Gullit ruined the biggest day of his life - now the Hearts star is determined to spoil the Dutchman’s party tonight.

The midfielder saw his dreams of an FA Cup winner’s medal destroyed by the former Holland internationalist when Chelsea defeated Middlesbrough 2-0 in the 1997 cup final.

Stamp had missed his side’s dramatic semi-final victory over Chesterfield at Hillsborough but was named in Bryan Robson’s starting XI alongside the likes of Brazilian playmakers Juninho and Emerson and Italian superstar Fabrizio Ravanelli for the Wembley showpiece. A local Teesside lad, Stamp had been hoping to help his boyhood heroes to a famous triumph in the shadow of the Twin Towers in front of 80,000 fans. However, Gullit had other ideas and the then Stamford Bridge boss mastermined a comfortable win for the Londoners, Roberto di Matteo - with the quickest-ever cup final goal after just 45 seconds - and Eddie Newton sealing the win.

More than seven years on and the Gorgie star has the chance to exact some sweet revenge tonight as the Jambos go head to head with Gullit’s Feyenoord side in the De Kuip Stadium.

It’s a tough ask for the Jambos but Stamp is confident the men in maroon can upset the odds again - and what he would give for a Ruud awakening in Rotterdam.

"I have played against Gullit’s sides when he was in charge at Chelsea and Newcastle. I don’t have that great a record and the FA Cup final was a huge disappointment," said Stamp. "Hopefully that will all change tonight.

"Feyenoord, though, are an excellent footballing side with a lot of internationals. However, we have already shown in Bordeaux last season that we are capable of getting results against big teams and I think the lads are capable of doing it again.

"The boys work their socks off for each other and we’ll have to do that against Feyenoord as they are a very good side and have just gone to the top of the first division in Holland.

The least their fans will be expecting them to do is qualify from this group so the pressure is all on them."

Taken from the Scotsman