"Will get hounded for this" - Sunderland, Newcastle United claim made as Tyne-Wear rivals compared | OneFootball

The Tyne-Wear derby is one of the biggest in English football, but who is the bigger side?

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The Tyne-Wear derby is one of the most keenly anticipated rivalries in all of English football with North East foes going head to head as bragging rights go on the line.

There is certainly no love lost between the two, with the atmosphere within St James' Park of the Stadium of Light at fever pitch when the black and white and red and white take to the pitch, with Mackems and Geordies roaring their side on.

Ever since their first meeting on Christmas Eve of 1898, the two sides have been going hammer and tong at one another, with the record between the two proving just how close the encounters have been, with Newcastle edging it with 54 wins to Sunderland’s 53.

But when it comes to who is the bigger club, it is always going to be one that splits opinion, and we gave Football League World’s Sunderland fan pundit Jack Austwicke the thankless task of explaining who takes the prize and why.

Sunderland, Newcastle United rivalry is among the biggest in England

Such has been the differing fortunes of the two sides of late, that you have to go all the way back to March 2016 for the last time the two sides met on an even keel when the two rivals were going toe to toe in the Premier League.

Aside from a 3-0 victory in the FA Cup earlier this year, the Magpies have failed to get one over their arch-rivals in the league since 2011, with Sunderland winning six on the bounce between 2013 and 2015, with three draws either side of that run.

Whether it was Jermain Defoe, David Vaughan, or Fabio Borini finding the back of the net, the Mackems continued to put their all into overcoming their local rivals in recent history, before ultimately dropping down to the third tier within the last decade.

While recent history would favour the Tyne in terms of league position, it is the Wearsiders who were the last to claim a major trophy, with Ian Porterfield’s strike in the 1973 FA Cup final enough to secure a 1-0 victory over Leeds United.

Overall, the Mackems have won two FA Cups and six top-flight titles, while United have four league titles and six FA Cups to their name, although Austwicke isn’t going to let that cloud his judgement in terms of who is the biggest side.

When asked about their biggest rivals and who rules supreme in the North East, the Sunderland fan pundit said: “Quite obviously our biggest rival is Newcastle; every single Sunderland fan will tell you that, and every single Newcastle fan will tell you Sunderland.

“Who is bigger? I will get hounded for this, I know I will, but I would say Sunderland, but that is just me. Maybe I am biased, I probably am.

“Newcastle could get there, they have got a lot of success coming up, it is almost future success that you know is going to happen with their trajectory at the minute, but you could argue that is a bit hollow with the ownership and everything.”

“I just think that we have got six league titles, two FA Cups, they haven’t got as many, although they do have more FA Cups in fairness, but we have had as many seasons in the top flight.

“We have similar size stadiums, so there isn’t any real comparison for that, and also they haven’t won a trophy in 69 years, which is a long time without a trophy, whereas ours was in 1973, which was 20 years later.

“I don’t know there is a lot to it and I think it is probably a close one, but my bias would make me edge towards Sunderland.”

Newcastle United vs Sunderland facts and figures

As eluded to by Austwicke, St James Park and the Stadium of Light do have a similar capacity, with the Toon Army just edging it, with 52,258 supporters permitted to attend home matches, while Sunderland can only allow 48,707 through the gates, according to Football Ground Guide.

While we have already compared the head-to-head record between the two sides, as well as silverware, those on Tyneside have bragging rights when it comes to seasons in the top flight once again, although there isn’t much between them.

Only recent history has stopped Sunderland matching their local rivals, with the Black Cats playing in the highest division for 87 seasons throughout their history, while the Magpies have done so for 93, with both sides claiming spots in the top ten of all clubs in England to achieve such a feat.

This is a debate that could go on and on until everyone is red in the face, with club allegiances likely to taint any judgements made on the subject.

Neither side will be willing to give their rivals any sort of credit, and the only way anything can be sorted is in the present day on the pitch, and Sunderland will be hoping they can return to the top flight to settle some old scores before too long, and level the playing field once again.