This Sunday sees one of the fiercest rivalries in English football once again take centre stage as Newcastle make to short journey to Wearside to do battle with arch rivals Sunderland.
For Newcastle fans, there is more than three points at stake, with the possibility of ending a seven-game hoodoo against the Black Cats on the line. The last time the Magpies got the better of their rivals was in August 2011, when a Ryan Taylor free kick earned the Toon a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light. When the return fixture took place later that season, Newcastle were chasing a Champions League spot and many expected them to easily account for a Sunderland side with nothing to play for. It was not to be as a last minute equaliser from Shola Ameobi was needed to rescue a point.
The next meeting early in the new season was a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light but what has followed since then has been nothing short of bizarre. Five derbies have been played since then, all of which have been won by Sunderland by a combined score of 10-1.
The first of these came in April 2013 when Paolo Di Canio had only just been appointed and his side travelled to St James’ Park without high hopes. A 3-0 win for Sunderland was the catalyst for a late-season charge which saw them beat the drop. Magpies fans were obviously devastated, but they thought this was just a one-off.
Six months later in the new season, Di Canio had just been shown the door and Gus Poyet took charge of his second match as Sunderland boss in the derby. With the scores tied at 1-1, Fabio Borini stepped up to score a fine goal from outside the box to get the Black Cats their first win. Another 3-0 defeat for Newcastle at St James’ Park in the derby followed in February 2014.
Last December saw Sunderland stretch their winning streak over their rivals to four in a row when a 89th-minute strike from Adam Johnson completely against the run of play meant it was more heartbreak for the Toon Army. As is the case with Sunderland, the managerial merry-go-round meant that Gus Poyet’s time was up and Dick Advocaat was appointed just in time for the visit of Newcastle in April this year. By now, you should be noticing a trend in the timing of the appointment of new Sunderland managers. Once again, the Black Cats took the three points courtesy of a sublime strike from Jermain Defoe, which reduced the English striker to tears of elation.
Fast forward six months and once again Sunderland have a new manager just before the derby, with Sam Allardyce charged with the responsibility of making it six derby wins in a row. For a club that claims to be the biggest in the Northeast, Newcastle simply can not let this poor run against Sunderland continue and will draw plenty of confidence from their last match against Norwich, which saw them claim their first win of the season.
So now that leaves the question: will the new manager’s impact once again see Sunderland beat Newcastle, or will a rejuvenated Magpies outfit spearheaded by Georginio Wijnaldum finally stop the rot? Either way, it looms to be yet another fascinating Tyne-Wear Derby.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
