🔗 Share this article

The Newcastle manager was technically on firm footing as he rang the bell.

The Newcastle United manager 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 sped past.

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

This is far from an inter-city 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 halt an area quite like the Tyne-Wear derby as former Black Cats manager Peter Reid understands better than most.

"These are football crackers," he said. "Let's just say, there is a little bit more needle up there."

A fixture like no other

Nikos Dabizas also is aware of what can happen when these worlds collide.

A huge framed photograph in the former Newcastle centre-back's home serves as a daily reminder.

It shows the Greek wild-eyed, shirtless and among his elated team-mates, after netting the winner in front of the traveling support at the Stadium of Light in 2002.

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

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

So what is at the root of the fierce rivalry between two football-mad towns less than 15 miles apart?

Well, as far as a Sunderland loyal fan is concerned, it transcends football itself.

"You can trace it 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 economical tensions.

"Newcastle receive the investment, Newcastle have the big city, Newcastle are the ones people always talk about when it comes to the North East. The other side are always shadowed."

But it is far from one-sided.

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

That is how much it meant to the Geordies.

"I needed a little bit of time afterwards to realise the significance of it," the player said.

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

"Even now when I visit up to St James' Park and you've got dads telling their kids, 'See this lad? He scored the winner against the Mackems'."

A derby win can even further elevate the standing of an already popular figure.

A former Newcastle manager had recently delivered promotion back to the Premier League when he took charge of his first derby in 2010.

There may have only officially been three points at stake, but he quickly recognised 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 represent 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, especially in your own stadium."

'The world will know the North East is back on the map'

That manager had nothing to fear.

His side ended up hammering 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, Sunderland have been victorious in six of the last seven contests in the top flight.

A former Sunderland manager oversaw half of those victories, having quickly realised that the fixture was "much bigger" than many outsiders thought.

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

"The passion is such that the result of the club can change the mood of the city so consider the result of the derby? You can sense it.

"I was informed 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 drop in 2017, and spent eight years outside the top flight.

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

And the difference was stark.

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

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

"It's unlikely the fans really expected, 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 holdovers from that 3-0 defeat in Sunday's lineup following the inspired arrivals of several new signings.

Sunderland also have a different manager, of course.

Not only has he led Sunderland to promotion - his bold side have gone toe-to-toe with some the best teams in the top flight.

In fact, the reigning champions are the only team in the current top six to have beaten Sunderland this season, while his side are also undefeated 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 relevant again with elite fixtures again," a former player added.