Toon's North East Domination

An interesting article by Sky on the region.... I'm sure one or two comments will be made.....................

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11096/9344995


Toon's North East domination

Graeme Bailey looks at the impact the signing of Jack Colback has made on the North East as a whole, and he feels it highlights Newcastle's domination.

The signing of Jack Colback confirmed one thing this week, Newcastle United's place at the top of the North East footballing ladder.

Even with North East football in something of a malaise, with Middlesbrough stagnating in the Championship and Sunderland struggling to do anything but battle against relegation, Newcastle maintain a stranglehold on the region, despite their own much publicised struggles.

Newcastle's fans are still far from happy with the status quo at St James' Park, but the signing of Colback will give them a big boost, and it underlines their place in the region even if their stature nationally has dropped considerably in recent years.

Newcastle have had a distinct lack of success since their last major silverware back 1955 and they have seen rivals Sunderland and Middlesbrough both secure trophies in the intervening period.

But still the place at the top of the North East football table belongs to Newcastle. The signing of Colback does not make this so, it merely emphasises the fact.

It is very similar to when they raided another of their rivals Middlesbrough in 2007, almost seven years to the day before Colback, to land Mark Viduka. The Australia striker was a key figure and popular member of the Boro squad having finished as top scorer, but even despite their success and aims Boro could not stop Newcastle from snatching him.

Boro were far from happy as a war of words ensued with Viduka, which even led to the normally restrained Boro chairman Steve Gibson say: "I was told very early it was about money and Mark would go to the highest bidder."

Like with Colback, Viduka was not the biggest signing in their history - far from it. But the fact they could merely pick him up at will underlined their intent of putting Boro, who had just come off the most succesful period in their history and had flirted with being the North East's top dogs, in their place.

Likewise with Sunderland, as despite flirting with relegation Gus Poyet's side almost came out of last season with more to shout about than Newcastle as they had a League Cup final appearance to go with their Premier League survival.

There is also the small matter of Sunderland's excellent record at St James' Park, highlighted last season by a brilliant 3-0 win, which was mastermind by one Jack Colback.

This leads us onto the Colback saga and Sunderland's reaction to his departure has only highlighted their disappointment; as they stated the move had left 'a bitter taste'.

Sunderland were deseprate to keep Colback, a man who had come through their ranks and the news of Newcastle's interest seemingly spurred on the Black Cats to tie him down.

But it was not to be and the lure of the move across the Tyne proved too much. While it is Colback's hometown club, just like with Viduka just a few years earlier it was a clear way of Newcastle firing a shot across the North East bows as a reminder of who is top dog.

 

Could only have been written by a Mag..

 

or a loony

 

Albert, fishing agen

whit type of Glow Warms ar ye using
ye ar catching em easy

 

Bang on the money. No need for any bitterness, we are quite clearly viewed as the more attractive option to players. Players now don't look into the distant past. Like any business its what you have done in recent times. The good times and European adventures are still fresh in the memory. Hence Jack talks of moving to the next level. Regardless whether we are the next level, the perception inside the world of football is we are a step up from Sunderland. We are clearly not top brass but way ahead of the mackems in terms of perceived strength. Throw in its a much better city, financial centre for the NE, its a no brainer really.

 

If Sunderland are the black cats, we must be the Top Dogs

 

Quite simple really - Newcastle despite the crap that goes on are still a bigger media pull than Sunderland will ever be. Add to that a far nicer city with a rich history, the nightlife, the locality [it's closeness to Northumberland] and that fact it's a thriving place then you can understand why.

 

Come back when you have a fantastic seafront to brag about bonny lad..

 

Much as it is my duty to insist on the correctness of all things mackembashingesque, I have to agree that has the lowest content to word count ratio of anything I've read in a long time.

 

Fixed…

 

Up looking at recent history

I think people are just reading too much into it. He is basically saying who are considered the bigger club, the bigger draw in our area. That is clearly Newcastle, even to the most ardent Sunderland supporter (bar the delusional). If a player is offered the same wage by both clubs, 9 times out of 10 they'll choose us rightly or wrongly. Even with the current ownership, that still remains. Just the way it is, and to be perfectly honest, probably the way it will always be bar someone doing a Man City with Sunderland and buying out the perceived inferiority.

 

We can argue till we're blue in the face over who is top dog (it's us by the way), but saying that a lad signing for the team he grew up supporting proves it is just bonkers.

 

I am anyway

 

It plays a part but nowadays players wouldn't move if they thought it was a step back. Jack himself described it as the next level which basically confirms what Bailey is talking about. In footballing circles, rightly or wrongly, we are seen as a level up from Sunderland. Jack has no reason to speak ill of Sunderland or wind them up (he spoke highly of them), but in his like many others eyes in football, Newcastle is a progression in his career. Just as the moving from us to a top 8 club would be.

 

Don't think Jack has ever mentioned the next level...Are you sure you are not getting mixed up with Lee Clarke when he signed for us?

 

Unfortunately Whitey, he just sees like most sane people In the Echo no less.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sp...my_career_as_a_Magpies_hero__39__says_Colback

As I say neither him nor Bailey should be ridiculed for speaking the truth. His ginger hair is a different matter of course.

 

Pardew's words not his mate..

 

The league table is still the barometer of the best/worst teams over a season isn't it?