Sunderland v Newcastle United: Sunderland fans were not happy with an announcement made days before their FA Cup third-round clash.
Sunderland play Newcastle United in the FA Cup third round on Saturday (12:45 p.m. kickoff) at the Stadium of Light.
It is the first local derby between the two clubs since they met in the Premier League in 2016. Sunderland and Newcastle have had a number of memorable meetings.
The FA Cup’s official X account remarked on prior encounters, tweeting, “The Tyne-Wear sides have delivered some ICONIC looks throughout the years.”
Former Sunderland players Darren Bent, Naill Quinn, and Kevin Phillips, as well as former Newcastle stars Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, and, bucking the pattern of famous strikers, Aaron Hughes, were all featured in the tweet.
The Tyne-Wear sides have delivered some ICONIC looks throughout the years 🤩#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/UbrlyNtg6G
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 2, 2024
But several Sunderland fans took issue with the wording of the FA Cup’s X announcement, pointing out that it should be ‘Wear-Tyne’ rather than ‘Tyne-Wear’.
“This is Wear-Tyne derby, not Tyne-Wear,” one wrote. Another added: “Wear Tyne. Get it right.”
Although the announcement did not refer to the derby itself, but rather to the two teams, there is a case to be made that it should be known as the Wear-Tyne derby. Although it is more often referred to as the Tyne-Wear derby outside of the region, it can also be referred to as the Wear-Tyne derby if it is played at the Stadium of Light, as it is this weekend.
Newcastle’s last derby victory over Sunderland came in 2011 at the Stadium of Light, thanks to a Ryan Taylor free-kick. Aleksandar Mitrovic cancelled out Jermaine Defoe’s opening to break Newcastle’s run of six straight defeats against Sunderland with a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.
Both teams have been demoted from the Premier League since then, with Sunderland dropping to League One before returning to the Championship in 2022, where they presently reside in a play-off place.
Meanwhile, Newcastle promptly recovered to the Premier League, finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League last season. However, Eddie Howe’s side has had a more tough season, having exited the Champions League and Carabao Cup while also sitting ninth in the Premier League table after a record of seven defeats in eight matches.
In 2022-23, Howe’s team only lost seven games in all competitions, and they will be keen to avoid an eighth defeat in nine this weekend.
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