‘Dennis Wise was furious when I subbed him during a Chelsea game – he didn’t speak to me for two weeks. Eventually he did, and the rest was history – he was magnificent’ Ruud Gullit on his turbulent relationship with his cup-winning captain
Ruud Gullit won one major trophy as a manager – and Dennis Wise was the captain who lifted it.
After a legendary career in which he claimed two European Cups and the Ballon d’Or, Gullit joined Chelsea as a player in 1995, then was appointed as manager a year later following the departure of Glenn Hoddle for the England job.
The Dutchman would spend around 18 months as Stamford Bridge gaffer, guiding Chelsea to the 1997 FA Cup – the club’s first major trophy for 26 years.
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When Gullit managed Wise
Wise had been part of the Chelsea squad since 1990, and was 29 when Gullit took charge six years later. He’d won 12 England caps but had not been a regular presence in the Three Lions squad, and didn’t go to Euro 96.
The midfielder was sceptical about whether his new manager would be good for him.
“We clashed early on because Dennis was convinced I was only interested in fielding foreign players,” Gullit revealed.
“I told him directly ‘I want you to play to your full footballing potential, not like a wild street-fighter picking up constant yellow and red cards’.
“I invited him over to my home for a proper talk. I said ‘If you play the way I know you can play, you’ll represent the national team.’ He literally laughed at me!”
In October, Chelsea travelled to Leicester for a Premier League match, and Wise was brought off at half-time.
“Shortly after our chat, I substituted him while captain against Leicester when we were 1-0 down, and we turned it around to win 3-1,” explained Gullit, speaking on behalf of NY Sports Day. “He was furious and didn’t speak to me for two weeks!
“Eventually, a mutual friend I played golf with told Dennis he was misjudging the situation and urged him to talk to me properly. He did, and the rest is history.
“Dennis Wise was an outstanding footballer when focusing on his technical game. I gave him an ultimatum – ‘Either play the way I know you can play, or you don’t play at all, captain or not.” He chose to adapt, and he was magnificent for us.”
