Why this Sunderland v Magpies Fixture Means So Much

Eddie Howe found himself on safe ground as he rang the bell.

The Newcastle United head coach had just set the 2023 Great North Run started to loud cheers in the heart of the city.

But he had not accounted for those Black Cats runners who were not so thrilled to see him as they whizzed past.

"The worst abuse I've ever had," he remarked this week. "I got abused by 50% of the people there."

This is not an ordinary rivalry. These North East neighbours have won only one major domestic trophy between them in the past 50 years, and Sunday's game signals the first time they will meet in the Premier League for nearly a decade.

But hardly any fixtures bring a region to a standstill quite like the North East derby as former Black Cats manager Peter Reid understands better than most.

"These are football crackers," he said. "Put it this way, there is a little bit more needle up there."

A fixture like no other

A former Newcastle defender also is aware of what can happen when these worlds collide.

A huge framed photograph in the ex- Newcastle defender's home acts as a daily reminder.

It captures the Greek ecstatic, bare chested and among his jubilant team-mates, after scoring the winner in front of the away fans at the Stadium of Light in 2002.

This was a fixture that definitely left its mark on him.

"The key is the passion of the fans," he said. "This feeling that goes from father to son. This tradition makes this game so special."

So what is at the root of the fierce rivalry between two one-club cities less than 15 miles apart?

Well, as far as a Black Cats loyal fan is concerned, it goes beyond football itself.

"You can go back to the English Civil War with Newcastle supporting the monarchy and the other side backing the parliament," he said. "It's rooted in historical and economic factors.

"Newcastle get the investment, Newcastle have the metropolitan status, Newcastle are the ones people always talk about when it comes to the North East. Sunderland are always shadowed."

But it is not at all one-sided.

A former player's father was even "swarmed" by delirious Newcastle supporters after his son scored a match-winning free-kick in a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light in 2011.

That is how much it meant to the Geordies.

"It took a little bit of time afterwards to realise the importance of it," the player said.

"It eased my life a lot easier. I was allowed to make the occasional mistake when playing, purely because of that goal.

"I still go up to St James' Park and you've got dads telling their kids, 'See this lad? He scored the winner against our rivals'."

A derby win can even boost the standing of an already beloved figure.

A former Newcastle manager had not long delivered promotion back to the Premier League when he took charge of his first derby in 2010.

There may have only technically been three points at stake, but he quickly understood the "added responsibility" of this game because people in the North East "breathe their football".

He said: "There are some derbies where you are not quite sure why they are derbies. This one, you do.

"These are two massive clubs - not far away from each other - with their own character.

"In effect, they are the two biggest games of the season so you are conscious that the last thing you want to do is to lose, particularly in your own stadium."

A region reignited

That manager need not have worried.

His side ended up thrashing Sunderland 5-1 at St James' Park in 2010, but Newcastle have only won a solitary derby in the Premier League since then.

In fact, The Wearside club have been victorious in six of the last seven contests in the top flight.

A former Sunderland manager masterminded half of those victories, having swiftly realised that the fixture was "more significant" than many outsiders thought.

"After family, the club is the most vital thing to the people of Sunderland," he said.

"The passion is such that the result of the club can alter the atmosphere of the city so imagine the result of the derby? You can sense it.

"They told me on the first day. 'Please stay up, but you must beat Newcastle'. I still don't know if it was more important to stay up or to beat Newcastle."

Sunderland, like Newcastle before them, eventually succumbed to the relegation trapdoor in 2017, and spent eight years away from the top flight.

So a division separated these rivals when they last met in the domestic cup nearly two years ago.

And the contrast was pronounced.

The combined cost of Sunderland's starting line-up that day was a mere fraction of the £40m Newcastle had invested in a single player.

The most experienced individual in the hosts' starting line-up was a clear margin ahead of others, at just 30 years of age.

"It's unlikely the fans really believed, deep down, that we were going to win that game," a former midfielder said. "But now it's different."

In so many ways.

Only two players are likely to be the only survivors from that 3-0 defeat in Sunday's lineup following the inspired arrivals of several new signings.

Sunderland also have a new manager, of course.

Not only has he led Sunderland to promotion - his fearless side have competed evenly against some the best teams in the top flight.

In fact, the reigning champions are the only team in the current top six to have defeated Sunderland this season, while his side are also unbeaten on their own ground.

Such an strong start to the campaign means Sunderland go into Sunday's game a point clear of Newcastle in the table.

So it is all set up to be a captivating afternoon when these rivals renew hostilities at the Stadium of Light.

"Come Sunday, the world will know the North East is back on the map with elite fixtures again," a former player added.