This Sunday marks the end of a long-awaited derby that all classic old-school PL fans wanted. Newcastle Vs Sunderland, also known as the Tyne-Wear derby. One of the fiercest fixtures in Europe & by far the most intense rivalry in England. Pride, identity & decades of history wrapped in a single game.
Forget the Classico; it’s too commercial these days. Forget the NLD; it’s not that fierce. Forget the Manchester derby; it’s not got that atmosphere. But the Tyne-Wear derby is one of the most vicious, hate-filled derbies in Europe. Their fans don’t just dislike each other, they live so that they can bring & witness their opponents’ downfall.
Origin
The two sides are separated by 12 miles in the North of England. The Newcastle supporters, often known as the Magpies and the Sunderland supporters are called Mackems. Mackems and Magpies share a few things in common. The accents are similar, and they’re both from the North East. Ask anyone up there, and that’s where it ends!
The “Mackem vs. Magpie” dynamic is rooted in a long-standing and intense local rivalry between the neighbouring cities, which goes back centuries, including differences during the English Civil War and industrial competition. This rivalry is most famously expressed through their respective football clubs. Mackem (Sunderland fans) is said to come from “Make ’em, take ’em“, in reference to shipbuilding. They make them, you take them. For more reference, you can watch Sunderland’s documentary “Sunderland Till I Die”. This derby has not just given great goals, big players, but it has caused riots, bans and some infamous incidents.
This derby is truly unique and one of the rare showdowns that began long before the clubs or even the football came into existence!. In 1892, Newcastle United, the East End, formed their own club. Sunderland at that time were struggling to find their own identity & hence the club was as developed as their rivals. In 1908, Newcastle were crowned champions. They were ready to show off, but the spirit of Sunderland can’t be underestimated as they beat the reigning champions 9-1 (derby’s largest margin), leaving the home Newcastle supporters red-faced.
Iconic Moments
1990 2nd division playoff sf 1st leg
In this leg in the 90th minute, Sunderland was awarded a penalty, but they missed, hence out of frustration, a Sunderland player kicked the goalkeeper in the follow-through, hence he was sent off. Newcastle were cocky with all the advantages & they were loud in their home ground, but Sunderland shocked them by winning 0-2 & also got promoted to the first division.
1996/97
This year saw a great shift as English authorities decided to ban away supporters, especially for this fixture. They said they wouldn’t guarantee any safety in the stands. This just reflects the fierce nature of this derby.
Despite all this, the derby showed its unpredictable nature & Newcastle, who were the away side, triumphed 1-2, leaving the stadium full of boos at full time.
1999
Newcastle’s new manager, Rudd Guilt, was sacked in this derby as the team lost 1-2. The headlines & newspapers outlined the importance of this derby. This was Sunderland’s greatest moment as they did the double on their rivals & remembered this moment throughout the ages.
2010
This was Newcastle’s time to shine as they produced one of their best results in the derby. 5-1 and a hat-trick from Kevin Nolan embarrassed the black Cats.
2015 Di Canio celebration
This year, Sunderland were in desperate need of points to survive relegation and Newcastle were flying. But the Black Cats showed great grit again & defeated them 0-3 and the fixture became iconic because of Di Canio’s knee sliding celebration.
Head-to-head
| Games | 157 |
| Newcastle Wins | 54 |
| Sunderland Wins | 53 |
| Draws | 50 |
BRAWLS
In March 2002, the Seaburn Casuals (a Sunderland A.F.C. firm) fought with hooligans from the Newcastle Gremlins in a pre-arranged clash near the North Shields Ferry terminal, in what was described as “some of the worst football-related fighting ever witnessed in the United Kingdom”.
2013 Horse incident
In 2013, Toon fan Barry Rogerson, then 45, infamously squared up to a police horse called Bud while wearing a scarf over his face. Newcastle had lost 3-0 to rivals Sunderland, and tensions between the two sets of supporters had boiled over. Almost 100 Magpies fans were charged with offences following clashes with police.
During the outbreak of violence, which shamed the city, Rogerson was captured on film throwing a right hook to the horse, which caused major headlines & ashamed the city and the football world.
