When absence does not make the heart grow fonder
Nine years, eight months and 24 days since the last Premier League derby, Newcastle United and Sunderland will meet at the Stadium of Light.
Most of us have seen social media posts ranking football derbies. Designed for engagement, they invariably get plenty of comments, likes and dislikes.
The Tyne-Wear derby is almost always put in one of the top tiers of these rage-bait graphics.
And that will not surprise anyone on either side of the divide.
The fiercely-contested fixture finally returns to the league calendar today after an absence of more than nine years.
And any fan of either club who is not even mildly nervous or apprehensive has probably not experienced a derby first-hand, as they are angst-filled and nerve-shredding occasions for everyone given what is at stake.
There is just too much at stake to be relaxed ahead of them, though the stakes are high for Newcastle, competing to progress in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, on other fronts too.
A different challenge at the Stadium of Light
The fact that the two clubs have not met in the league for so long only adds to the sense of anticipation on Tyneside and Wearside.
Newcastle beat Sunderland 3-0 in an FA Cup tie at the Stadium of Light two seasons ago.
But much has changed since then.
I watched twice at Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last month when I covered two fixtures for The Guardian, including a 2-2 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
“The gap between the Championship and Premier League was evident in that cup tie, but Sunderland, whose fans can use the new £31million Keel Crossing to cross the Wear for games, have bridged the gap this season thanks to [Regis] Le Bris’ management and a strong summer in the transfer market.”
As I wrote at the time, what struck me was just how hard Regis Le Bris’ side were to play against. They pressed high, were physical, and attacked with pace and purpose. The way they unsettled Arsenal on home turf, and got in their faces, reminded me of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle in some ways.
So the Sunderland team that will play Newcastle will be very different to the one which faced the club in the cup.
Speaking on Friday, Howe said that he and his staff would do everything they could to make any new players aware of the fixture’s importance before kick-off time, but there is only so much they can do and say.
“There’ll be some new players that maybe don’t understand it as well as others,” said United’s head coach.
“So we’ll use whatever methods we can in the next few days to make sure that everyone enters the pitch fully aware of the importance.”
All of the club’s players players, by now, should be aware of what the game means to the fans, even if broader progress at home and abroad this season is more important than any one fixture.
This game, whatever the result, will not define the club’s campaign.
The ferocity and intensity of the game may surprise some players, and Howe will have to choose his team carefully. Newcastle are a strong, physical team, but so too are their opposition, who are unbeaten in their last nine league fixtures against their great rivals.
This is a fixture during which crunching tackles will be cheered as loudly as defence-splitting passes, though cool heads will be needed amid the heat of occasion.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s knockout blow
The two teams drew 1-1 the last time they met in the Premier League in March 20, 2016.
What I remember most about that game at St James’ Park is Aleksandar Mitrovic – who had been knocked out minutes after scoring an equaliser – having to be physically restrained by Paul Catterson, the club’s doctor, when he attempted to return to the field for the last few minutes.
Despite having been out cold, he still wanted to help his team land a knockout blow.
The striker had to stay off because of concussion protocols, but he did not know this at the time as he argued on the touchline.
Howe’s players will need to play with their heads as well as their hearts, but this is not a fixture for the faint-hearted.
Sunderland, unbeaten at home and 10th in the league, have a habit of coming from behind, while 12th-placed Newcastle have repeatedly conceded late goals this season, most recently away to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night.
This derby, which comes after the sad passing of former Sunderland midfielder Gary Rowell aged 68, looks to be finely balanced, and it could be decided by the finest of margins.
Of course, the rivalry between Newcastle and Sunderland predates football. It goes back to the 17th century and the English Civil War when the cities were on either side of the conflict between Royalists and Parliamentarians.
It is an age-old rivalry.
Sunderland were out of the Premier League for eight seasons, but the rivalry has simmered away during that time. It will come to the boil at 2pm today.
And given the history, and passionate support on both sides of the divide, this fixture belongs at the top of the top tier.