The Tyne and Wear Derby returns this weekend as Newcastle United play host to Sunderland AFC at St James' Park - a match which historically has seen its fair share of drama
Danny Simpson goes head-to-head with James McClean
Danny Simpson has opened up on the Tyne-Wear Derby(Image: Getty Images)
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Danny Simpson admitted that he once wiped out Danny Welbeck in a 50/50 during a Tyne-Wear Derby, after putting their close friendship aside. The Manchester United academy product enjoyed a loan spell with Sunderland in 2007 before crossing the divide, joining Newcastle United on a permanent move three years later.
Never one to shy away from a big match, Simpson has now revealed that during his stint at St James' Park, he was once tasked with coming up against a close friend in Welbeck.
Welbeck embarked on his own loan spell with the Black Cats for 2010/11, and was picked to lead the line by then manager Steve Bruce for the first derby of the season on Tyneside in the October. Simpson, meanwhile, was part of Newcastle's backline alongside Jose Enrique, Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini.
Newcastle ultimately ended up running riot with a 5-1 win thanks to a Kevin Nolan hat-trick and a brace from Shola Ameobi - Darren Bent's stoppage time strike coming merely as a consolation. However, it was a poignant tackle on Welbeck during the match that Simpson remembers in particular.
Speaking exclusively to Chronicle Live via 7 bet online casino, the 39-year-old said: "I just hope the ref understands the game and lets a few go. Sometimes you've got to manage the occasion.
"You don't want to ruin that game by sending people off. I remember I had an incident with Welbeck in a 50-50 and he’s my friend and I smashed him.
"And I knew I had to, do you know what I mean? Because the fans are there with you. So I just hope the ref understands that and lets a few go because it's what it means to everybody. It's a bit of passion and fight."
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That fateful day marked the last time that Newcastle were able to secure victory over their most bitter rivals, with Sunderland going on a remarkable 10-game Premier League unbeaten streak home and away from March 2012 onward. It's an alarming statistic that Simpson was taken aback by, especially as he considers the Magpies to be a bigger club.
He added: "Obviously when I heard the last time we beat them at St James, it was the game where I played 5-1, I was very, very surprised. Just because obviously generally I do think Newcastle is a bigger club, generally they've had better players.
"Yeah, I was very surprised. I've always said about Newcastle - Sunderland games, it’s who turns up on the day. Sometimes with the pressure, you know - especially foreign players, if they've never played in this game before, they're going to be in for a shock.
"You can tell them as much as you want about what to expect, but even for me, I knew about the games on the English side...Until that morning, you wake up and you drive to the stadium and you just feel the tension in the atmosphere, the warm-up, until you feel like you just don't know what to expect.
Danny Simpson celebrates with Kevin Nolan
Danny Simpson played in a number of Tyne-Wear Derbies(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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"So yeah, it's a massive game obviously for everyone involved. I've always said, you know, with friends and family, there's so much on the line and it's all anyone's thinking about. So I am surprised about that for Newcastle.
"Like I said on the day, it's who can handle the occasion and maybe who's in the best place at the time in terms of form. But no, the way I look at the moment, I'd say this is probably the best time for Newcastle to play Sunderland in terms of where the season has been for Sunderland and Newcastle."
Newcastle head into Sunday's 12pm clash hoping to atone for December's reverse at the Stadium of Light, in which, they suffered a 1-0 loss courtesy of Nick Woltemade's nightmare own-goal. Better placed in terms of form and player availability, the Magpies will be sure favourites to get one over on the Black cats this weekend.
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