Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Who makes our starting line-up of Sunderland and Newcastle United Premier League icons?
Christmas - a time for peace, goodwill, and football. The thing is though, whenever Sunderland and Newcastle United cross paths, those first two things tend to go out of the window, and on Christmas Day, as families gather to share presents and turkey alike, the chances are that there are going to be plenty of Mackems sitting down for dinner with foes of a black and white persuasion.
So, with that in mind, allow us to stoke the coals of debate a little by pulling together a combined XI of Sunderland and Newcastle United players from the Premier League era. What have we got right? Who has been unfairly overlooked? And how would you do things differently? Check out the full line-up below...
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join ourSAFC WhatsApp channel.
Shay Given
The Irishman may be remembered as a Newcastle United legend, but he played for Sunderland before he ever turned out for the Magpies. Given isn’t only one of the best goalkeepers that Newcastle have had in recent years, he is also one of the best stoppers of the Premier League writ large, with over 450 top flight appearances to his name.
Kieran Trippier
His form might have dipped in recent times, but Trippier was an integral presence in helping Newcastle make a return to the Champions League under Eddie Howe last season. Perhaps past his best, but there are still few better deliverers of a cross than the Toon full-back.
John Mensah
The biggest shame of Mensah’s time with Sunderland is that, in retrospect, it was criminally short. The Ghanaian was an absolute rock at the back over the course of his two seasons on Wearside, and had it not been for injury, his impact would have been even greater.
Philippe Albert
A real classy operator, and a Newcastle cult hero to boot, Albert was ostensibly a centre-back, but he was also so much more. Renowned for his marauding runs and his eye for the spectacular, he was very much a worthy member of Kevin Keegan’s so-called Entertainers.
Micky Gray
A modern Sunderland legend, Gray spent 12 years in the first team picture on Wearside before leaving his hometown club in 2004. During that time, he established himself as a key presence at left-back, and even earned himself three England caps, courtesy of former Newcastle boss Keegan.
Yann M’Vila
The Frenchman injected a measure of combative class into the centre of the park at the Stadium of Light during his loan stint in 2015/16, and the clamour for him to return to the club - both at the time and more recently - is testament to just how well-regarded he was. The decision to sign Didier Ndong instead of M’Vila the next summer still feels like one of the most baffling in Sunderland's recent past.
Yohan Cabaye
Another French midfielder with quality to burn, Cabaye was the linchpin of a Newcastle side that shone under Alan Pardew. They don’t hand out 48 France caps and sanction transfers to Paris Saint-Germain for nothing, you know.
Peter Beardsley
A proper Toon icon, Beardsley was capable of producing moments of genuine magic. Over two separate spells at St. James’ Park he scored a bucket load of goals, and very, very nearly captained them to a Premier League title.
Read More
Jermain Defoe
When Sunderland were at one of their lowest ebbs in the Premier League, relying on miracle after miracle to stave off relegation season after season, it was so often Defoe who provided them with the hope and goals they needed to beat the drop. Deserves to be in this team for his stunning derby day volley in 2015 alone.
Alan Shearer
Love him (Geordies) or loathe him (Mackems), there is simply no way that we could put together this XI without including the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer up front. A legend of the English game, there are few who can claim to match Shearer’s goal-scoring exploits.
Kevin Phillips
Then again, he’s not Super Kev, is he? An adored figure on Wearside to this day, the diminutive striker was something very special. In the year 2000 he won the Golden Boot for the entirety of European football, and up until Harry Kane’s triumph this year, was the only Englishman to have ever earned the award. Alongside Niall Quinn (who, by the way, could probably have squeezed his gigantic frame into this line-up too), he formed one of the most iconic strike partnerships in Black Cats history, and even now, two decades after he left the club, he is still revered wildly.
Continue Reading