John Carver knows only too well that a Tyne-Wear derby can make or break a manager . His first in the dugout was as assistant to Ruud Gullit in August , 1999 , when on a sodden night at St James ' Park the Dutchman left out Alan Shearer and Duncan Ferguson and paid for his selection with his job after a 2-1 defeat . Carver is now fighting to win the head coach position beyond the end of this season and knows what impact a victory – or a loss – could have on Sunday afternoon . John Carver is relishing the chance to take charge of his hometown club against Sunderland on Sunday . Gullit controversially decided not to start star players Duncan Ferguson and Alan Shearer in 1999 . Carver was assistant to former Newcastle manager Ruud Gullit who managed the club between 1998 and 1999 . His memories of Gullit 's downfall remind him of such consequences . 'We were at the old training ground at Durham Cricket Club and I was in the room with Steve Clarke and Ruud , ' recalls Carver . 'All of a sudden , he started talking about what the team was going to be against Sunderland . I said , 'Sorry Ruud , what did you say there ? ' . 'He said he was going to leave out Alan and Duncan . I said , 'Do you know how important this game is ? ' . 'He said , ' I have played in some massive derbies . I 've played in them in Holland and London and I played in the Milan derby too ' . ' I said , 'Yeah , but you have n't played in one like this Ruud ' . 'And then we just walked out of the room . He seemed set on the fact that was what he was going to do . ' I talked about it being a motivation for the opposition seeing Alan and Duncan on the bench . But he had no concerns whatsoever . ' I actually thought , 'If we do n't win it , he 's gone ' . I said to Steve , 'Is he writing his resignation before the game ? ' . Gullit 's selection gambit did not pay off and Newcastle ended up losing 2-1 to Sunderland at St James ' Park . 'We actually went 1-0 up but they turned it around and then the heavens opened . It was a dreadful night . ' The following morning Shearer went to see Gullit , only Ferguson had beaten him to it , knocking the door off the hinges , legend has it . By the end of the week he had quit . Carver was also by Alan Pardew 's side during the last four derby defeats , a factor the former manager admits did him little favours with the Toon Army . In that respect , Carver knows how much a positive result could aid his chances of landing the job on a permanent basis . 'In the eyes of the fans , if you win a derby game , it 's massive , ' he said . ' I 'm not saying everything else is forgotten , but it certainly helps your case . If I come off and it 's not been a football match but we win 1-0 , I 'll be delighted with that . 'We had a good football match last weekend ( 2-1 defeat at home to Arsenal ) and got nothing for it . At the end of the day , it 's all about getting the win . ' Carver was also assistant manager to Alan Pardew , who lost four successive games against Sunderland .
Newcastle boss John Carver is relishing the chance to take charge of his hometown club against Sunderland in the Wear-Tyne Derby . Carver has been part of the coaching staff for previous Newcastle managers Alan Pardew , Sir Bobby Robson and Ruud Gullit . He was Gullit 's assistant when Newcastle were beaten 1-1 by Sunderland after the Dutchman benched Alan Shearer and Duncan Ferguson . Carver insists that he will not make the same mistakes as his predecessor .