......Now joint bottom of the Premiership, North East football really is in a state of decline.

I wouldn't say it's in decline it's just been stagnant for years. Both have been poor sides for a long time. Newcastle will probably end up somewhere near the middle of the League, Sunderland will surely go down this year.

People will go on about the derby as if it's important when in real terms it's just like two bald men arguing over a comb.

You think the Mags will finish mid-table?, I can see North East football going the way of Scottish Football, slowly fading into mundane-ness as the 'big stars' hover around the capital and Manchester.

Probably they've spent a bit of money and will eventually start winning a few.

I just don't know what fans of also ran Premier League clubs have to look forward to anymore. Realisically they aren't going to compete at the top end of the table ever again. It's probably why especially Sunderland fans only seem bothered about two games a season.

I Remember being in a pub near Kings Cross a few years ago when we'd played at Orient Sunderland had just been absolutely twatted about 7-0 at Chelsea and all they were singing about was the Newcastle game that had happened weeks before.

It's is a fair point. Only two or possibly three teams can win the league and perm any four from five for Champions League places. At the bottom its two of last seasons promoted teams plus one.

The rest know they have nothing to look forward to in the league and hope their season might be saved by a cup run.

I got a freebie and was at the Sunderland vs Spurs game on Sunday. Sunderland played quite well and probably deserved a point. I think another relegation battle is on the cards, I can see Newcastle pick up more points and probably finish around 15th.

Clubs like swansea n palace are making a big go of it this year, it's good too see.

That's a fair point, as have Stoke over the years and maybe Leicester in future. I think the problem is NUFC/SAFC think they are better than those clubs, and they should be, but because of their perceived greatness they continue to buy B rate foreign players who can't cut the mustard on a consistent basis. They also go down this route when it comes to managers , especially Sunderland. The clubs Yubep mentions buy the best of the rest, with the odd foreigner thrown in to give a good mix. To add to that those clubs dont have an exaggerated opinion of themselves and set about with one aim in mind, to stay up. They do this by buying physically and mentally strong players, making them even fitter, which coupled with a good team spirit, where there are no real stars, and a siege mentality lays the foundations for a mid table finish or better. The players are there, Austin, Shelvey, Vardy, Adams, Shawcross and many more, but NUFC/SAFC would rather get some unknown from the continent. If NUFC/SAFC were prepared to bite the bullet for a couple of years, playing a direct, gung ho,uncompromising style and having a couple of mid table finishes, I am sure they could kick on from there, but as it is, every season seems to have the same outcome, SAFC battling relegation and NUFC having 3 or 4 seasons in one, win 6 lose 6 etc.

Pardew is doing a great job at palace, quiet ironic given he was never accepted n virtually hounded out of newcastle i think this time next year he'll probably be england manager.

McLaren's success rate compared to his failures is pathetic - how many of his teams have scored loads?

I fancy a bet on the Smoggies swapping places with the arrogant barcodes.

Dick is too wily to let the Mackems drop....

If Newcastle went down n Gateshead went up i can see the south of the river public jumping on the Bandwaggon.

Would like to think so, but never happened in late 50s , which led to Gatesheads demise. Think they would be smaller than Morecambe/Fleetwood.

It's the typically predictable attitude towards anybody that isn't a Geordie or Kevin Keegan that made the Newcastle supporters hound Pardew out. The whole "Cockney Mafia Out" campaign was embarrassing and McLaren's turn will come for not being a Geordie or Kevin Keegan.

They still delude themselves they are a big club and the self proclaimed greatest supporters in the land, wild horses couldn't drag me along to Sid James Park for anything other than a cup tie involving Pools.


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This is great news for Pools. If they get relegated and Borer fail to get promoted, kids might start to lose interest and perhaps follow their real local team.

Lol at Aberdeen and reference to cockney mafia non geordies or Keegan. What bollocks. Malcolm McDonald Rob Lee Les Ferdinand all legends all cockneys. Non Geordie legends include David Kelly Darren Peacock Scott Sellars David Ginola Tino Asprilla etc etc. That spin is tired out inaccurate drivel.

Just Google "Cockney Mafia Newcastle" and find numerous links to Newcastle supporters protests etc etc.......but then again, it all never really happened did it.

Yes....

it never happened

Newcastle lost a very good manager in Pardew and Sunderland made a very poor choice in Dick, he done well to keep them up but to give him a one year deal and he admits he's only staying for that long is bizzare, i dont understand the reasoning behind it at all. Newcastle fans are usually twats so it doesn't surprise me with that sort of behaviour, especially the show room/pearl bar type who come out once in a blue moon wearing their replica shirts screaming at the tv.

I've never really got the "wearing a premiership replica shirt for a weekend" hype. If i was going to the pub for a few, the last thing i'd wear is some shite premiership shirt. The only times i've worn a footy shirt whilst in a pub was the World Cups/Euro's but its always been a retro shirt.