As Howe and his players trudged around St James’ Park, boos and abuse cascaded down from the stands. The jeering started in front of the Leazes End, intensified along the length of the East Stand and reached its crescendo on the Gallowgate, where supporters were leaning over the railings to vent their fury. This is what losing yet another derby means.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Howe will have to bear the brunt of that. The Newcastle boss has sufficient credit in the bank with the club’s PIF powerbrokers to be able to ride out the current storm, but plenty of supporters were questioning him ahead of today’s game and given what unfolded at St James’, plenty more will now have given up on a boss who was the toast of Tyneside after lifting the Carabao Cup just over a year ago.
Howe had some big calls to make today – and got them wrong. Recalling Sven Botman to be bullied by Brian Brobbey. Sticking with Nick Woltemade in midfield when there was always a huge likelihood of the game passing the German by. Playing Anthony Elanga on the right-hand side.
Of course, Newcastle’s problems are much deeper than that, with many of Howe’s decisions effectively being forced on him as a result of last summer’s disastrous recruitment drive. The sight of Yoane Wissa being thrust on as an 89th-minute substitute underlined just how badly the Magpies got things wrong.
Even so, the extent to which things have unravelled this season is still remarkable. Newcastle spent most of the season bemoaning the fact they were trying to compete on four fronts. Two months of the campaign to go, and they are now out of everything. European qualification remains a possibility, but today’s result has even made that much less likely, with Howe’s side 12th in the table, four points adrift of the top seven. Salvaging something from the wreckage must now be Howe’s sole focus.
What of Sunderland? It can be argued that the bigger picture doesn’t really matter to the Black Cats at the minute, with the club’s supporters more than happy to simply revel in the euphoria of yet another derby win.
Six games unbeaten at St James’. Eleven league derbies in a row without suffering a defeat. Another derby double, following on from what happened in 2014 and 2015. Even in the darkest of days in League One, Sunderland’s derby record kept their fans going. Now, not only are they beating Newcastle, they’re above them in the league table.
A sensational season just keeps getting better and better. Today, as has been the case throughout recent derby history, Sunderland were everything Newcastle were not. Dogged. Well-organised. Physically superior. Regis Le Bris’ side could have collapsed when Luke O’Nien’s early error handed Anthony Gordon his opener; instead, they puffed out their chests and gradually asserted their dominance.
This was supposed to be a Sunderland side severely weakened by the absence of a raft of key players. Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Dan Ballard, Reinildo Mandava, Enzo Le Fee. All five would have been guaranteed starters had they been available. Yet the players that came in to replace them excelled. Lutsharel Geertruida and O’Nien had difficult openings, yet refused to be cowed. Trai Hume, switched across to the left, marked Elanga out of the game. Chris Rigg stepped up manfully, proving himself on the toughest of Premier League stages before revelling as he took a selfie in front of the Sunderland fans celebrating at the top of the Leazes End.
Those supporters have been celebrating all season, with Sunderland’s remarkable return to the Premier League throwing up a series of highlights. Winning at Chelsea, drawing with Arsenal, trouncing West Ham on the opening day. Great moments, but nothing compared to the two wins over Newcastle.
On Wearside, as on Tyneside, the derby means everything. Yet as Sunderland’s supporters cast their eyes over a league table showing them sitting above Newcastle, their dreams can soar. Europe? Why not. The Black Cats are within three points of what are likely to be the European places, with three of their next four matches pitting them against Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
A fantastic season could still get even better. But whatever happens in the next two months, there’ll always be derby day. Twice. Again.