How Sunderland fans thought they might feel ahead of the first Wear-Tyne derby for nine years when languishing in the depths of League One is difficult to recall. Being stuck in the maelstrom of Fleetwood, Rochdale, and Accrington away while up the road Newcastle United were becoming the “Richest Clerrrb in the Werrld” [TM] was – don’t deny it – galling, upsetting, and hard to accept.
Seeing them froth at their Greggs pasty-crumbed mouths over anticipated success and world domination while Cristiano
Ronaldo cleaned the boots, Lionel Messi served the pies, and Victoria Beckham washed the strips was enough to sour the milk in the udders of those poor cows on Newcastle’s Town Moor. It was euphoria so scarcely deserved, like seeing a grinning Jeffrey Epstein being handed a cheque for £100,000 by Carol Vorderman on those Postcode Lottery ads.
The jibes were really poor quality, weren’t they? “It’s worth the Netflix subscription alone,” “enjoy Burton,” “thanks for the easy six points,” as well as other barbs so unique you’d think these golden nuggets of craic were NFTs only served to fuel the desire for revenge. However, there was a nagging doubt at the back of all of our minds, wasn’t there? The fact is they would most likely smash us. And the FA Cup back in January last year brought that into sharp focus. Physically, technically, and tactically better from the first whistle. It was a game which simply showed how far Sunderland were away from the elite.
But here’s the thing – the closer this game comes, the more relevant our Newcastle friends will tell us that it mattered. In short, it counted. Why? Well, we all know the answer to that – because Sunderland have announced themselves as a threat. Not just that but a threat which in defeat will shake Newcastle United to their foundations, in their self-proclaimed assumed position of North-East Top Dogs but also future rulers of the footballing world. It would, in short, announce this theory – along with their dreams of a new stadium and multiple Premier Leagues – as a bullshit Saudi mirage.
Because let’s face it, if the multi-billion-pound PIF portfolio was a Sunday newspaper, Newcastle United would amount to so little it would probably be an advert for a stairlift tucked away in the lifestyle section. In other words, utterly fucking irrelevant.
Back to Sunderland, the 15 games of this season have shifted the perception of our club and taken them to a point which has meant the Geordie silence has, ironically, spoken. Don’t take the mick unless it comes back to bite you. Well, keeping your counsel at this late juncture is far too little, far too late.
Because Sunday is not about the fear of defeat. It’s about the desire for victory. There isn’t necessarily a confidence for Sunday alone, but an overriding feeling that this side, with the people in charge that it has, will get to the place it wants to be. There are no questions over that. What Sunderland can achieve transcends the rivalry against Newcastle – it’s a chance to move on to 25 points and the feeling that anything is possible this season, particularly as the majority of the toughest games are out of the way and the feeling Sunderland can take anyone at home. Who would have thought that would be the case less than a year ago? The result matters of course, but it will not define the campaign more than any other game.
Confidence courses through our veins and pride thumps through our chests for these boys. They’ve earned it these last seven months.
We should of course give credit to Newcastle United and the side which Eddie Howe has built over the last few years. Sure, some of it has come from money which couldn’t have been more dubious than if Mohammed bin Salman had roamed the streets of Gosforth, punched a 90-year-old woman in the face, robbed her of her fish supper, and nicked her wallet. However, having said that, Howe’s ability to make the hot mess of Schär, Burn, and Murphy go from players who looked like they were horny for a paddling off Wigan away to players who have shone against the elite. Well, you have to say he’s done a fantastic job.
Régis Le Bris is here now though, and he has presented the Premier League with a conundrum that’s very hard to solve. Newcastle are in our Crystal Maze, and there are only a few seconds to go. They haven’t found the elusive treasure yet and they know it, but they thought it would be easy – for eight long years.
A squad has presented itself with a steel and togetherness which few could have foreseen. 13 points gained from losing positions this season is a very clear indicator that it is a side which marries the exuberance of youth with composed experience. The result? 11 leviathans of mentality.
However the truth is this is about three points and moving up the table. We aren’t here as in seasons gone by where survival and beating Newcastle United would suffice. Sure, it was great but after many years of being put down, this is now a club and a city with a point to prove.
Sunday is one game. Ride the momentum, clear the fence. Believe.
Sunderland AFC are like Andy Dufresne escaping to freedom in The Shawshank Redemption. A win on Sunday would make us embrace the rain.
Let’s do this.
