Robert Lee claims Newcastle would be playing in the first division if Ruud Gullit had won the biggest gamble of his controversial managerial career.

Gullit, who had dispatched Newcastle ace Lee to the soccer wilderness, stunned football by axing Alan Shearer to the subs' bench against North-East rivals Sunderland 15 months ago.

Shearer yesterday described the shock snub as "the worst moment of my career" while Lee, following the game on teletext at home, admitted he willed his team to lose because the consequences of victory were too hard to bear.

The pair head for tomorrow's derby clash at St James' Park insisting it's payback time with the memory of last season's confrontation horribly fresh in their minds.

Shearer said: "It was bad enough being left out of the team. But to find out I wasn't starting the match by looking at a notice board an hour before the game really hurt.

"It was the lowest point not only of my time at Newcastle but of my whole career. It was an experience I never want to repeat."

Lee promised to put Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips on his Christmas card list after they scored the goals that gunned down the Toon in a 2-1 victory that was followed 48 hours later by Gullit's resignation.

He has publicly thanked the Sunderland strike duo for saving his Newcastle career after revealing that he was a week away from walking out on the club.

But they won't get his vote this time as he warned: "I won't be happy if they score on Saturday and they know that. Hopefully I'll be closer to the pitch than I was last year."

Lee, who lifted the lid on the feud at the launch of his autobiography 'Come in number 37,' insisted: "I wasn't being disloyal.

"I wanted Newcastle to lose because I knew that if we beat Sunderland Gullit would have stayed. I would have been gone and Alan Shearer and some others wouldn't have been far behind me.

"It's the only time I have ever wanted a team of mine to be beaten but Geordie folk know what I mean. Look at us now and where we were then. We would have been relegated and that would have been a disaster.

Lee was labelled too old by the Dutchman but he goes into tomorrow's Tyne-Wear rematch boosted by the backing of Robson, who recently suggested the 34-year-old midfielder was still good enough to do a sweeper job for England.

Lee and Alain Goma are both expected to pass late fitness tests while Warren Barton could also come into contention.

Thomas Sorensen is ready to take on Shearer and Co tomorrow after successfully staking his claim to become Peter Schmeichel's successor as Denmark's No 1.

The Sunderland keeper starred in the 3-1 friendly win over Germany following his first start for the Danes with Schmeichel injured.

Sorensen said yesterday: "It couldn't have worked out better.

"I was very satisfied with my performance. I was disappointed with Germany's goal but I saw it late and I was pleased with the saves I made during the game.

"It's a massive month for me with games against Newcastle and Manchester United to come. And the excitement will not drop."

Stan Varga meanwhile is pushing for a first derby call-up after playing the whole of Slovakia's 2-0 friendly win over Greece