Defeat in a big European game in midweek, derby at the weekend. Newcastle United (and Sunderland) have been here before – and the aftershocks of that earthquake in April 2013 were felt for a long time.
The Magpies started that week with the tantalising prospect of a Europa League semi-final if they could overturn Benfica. But with Premier League form plateauing, a game against Paolo Di Canio’s Sunderland three days later felt just as seismic.
In the event, they exited Europe on their shield, denied by a late goal at St James’ Park after Hatem Ben Arfa had missed a glorious opportunity to take the game to extra time.
Alan Pardew had split the squad in two to cope with both games, and then lost 3-0 to Sunderland in a game that began the Black Cats’ modern-day dominance of the derby.
“Hellish” is how the former Newcastle boss describes it 13 years on.
“Trying to field a fresh team to counter the magnitude of the occasion proved too much for our slim squad,” Pardew tells The i Paper.
“We were a shadow of the team we could be on the Sunday, way below our levels. Defeat started a very low period for our staff and squad. It’s hard to explain unless you understand the fixture’s consequences.”
Pardew belongs in a select group of bosses who can appreciate the dilemma Eddie Howe faces this week. Newcastle broke new ground just by getting to Barcelona. Their season, and possibly Howe’s Magpies tenure, will feel broken if they lose on Sunday.
The Tyne-Wear derby is that kind of game. The rivalry is so bitter, the emotions so entrenched, that it has proved make-or-break for many managers down the years.
A derby win in his second game launched Gus Poyet’s Sunderland tenure with the Uruguayan telling The i Paper it gave him “legitimacy” in the eyes of fans. But Michael Beale lasted just five weeks after a meek FA Cup defeat to Newcastle in 2024, the surrender a symbol of his passivity.
Chris Hughton tells The i Paper that before the 5-1 win that he oversaw in October 2010 he knew he was on borrowed time with Mike Ashley. Contract talks had stalled and “there was a lot going on behind the scenes” but his players delivered and it changed his life.
“It was a difficult period personally but the outcome couldn’t have been any greater,” he says.
“My thought at the time was ‘If we have a bad spell, I don’t know how long I’m going to be here’. So when I won that game it was a huge relief, a huge release of pressure.”
Pardew experienced both sides of it. In 2012 Newcastle began the season against a backdrop of suspicion after they had sold big players like Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton. Jose Enrique had tweeted his displeasure from a pre-season tour. It felt like things were falling apart.
And then they won at Sunderland it everything changed. “It was bigger than I imagined,” Pardew admits. “The passion from the stands made my hair – or what was left of it – stand on end. I probably didn’t realise how big it was in the North East before then.”
When he started losing the derbies – Poyet also oversaw a 3-0 win at St James’ Park – Pardew felt it sometimes had an oversized impact on fan feelings. A 90th minute defeat to the Black Cats in December 2014 was his penultimate game in charge as he left for Crystal Palace.
For Howe the situation is different. Backed by the ownership he has delivered over four years and is still overwhelmingly popular with a majority of supporters. But this year has been bruising and damaging.
Sunderland recreating the photo that Newcastle took last time the two teams met at the Stadium of Light
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2025pic.twitter.com/0hBjfecUja
The defeat at the Stadium of Light in the winter was significant: Newcastle played poorly and the respective statuses of the teams meant it was not a good look.
That explains his strong – at least by Howe’s usually measured standards – quotes about his team needing to play “as if their life depended on it” on Sunday. It might feel dramatic, but this game is vital to shape the narrative around Newcastle’s entire season.
For Sunderland, Regis Le Bris is in huge credit. But a drop off in form means there’s not quite the feel-good factor around the Black Cats there was a few weeks ago. Winning this weekend would change that conclusively.
Could lightning strike twice? “Eddie’s navigated this European season with aplomb. The squad is much bigger than mine was but still not at the level of Arsenal, so drop off after Europe is understandable,” Pardew says.
“My heart says a Newcastle win, my head says draw or defeat.”
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/KNfim6y
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