Its not a derby.

[BlindBoyGrunt]

The Boro game will always be insignificant in comparison to Newcastle just get over it

Yes we understand. But we also understand that the reason Sunderland fans go to so much trouble to declare that there is no rivalry, it isn't a derby, that Middlesbrough isn't in the North East or that playing Boro is no more important to them than playing Peterborough, is just their pathetic and desperate attempt to be a slightly bigger fish in a greatly reduced pool.

Being constantly overshadowed by another club is much less uncomfortable if you can convince yourself that that club is in another part of the country. The saddest part is that they think it hurts us. It hurts us as much as being insulted by Cambridge United fans hurts us.

 

[BlindBoyGrunt]

Oh do behave both Blackburn and Stoke have drawn bigger crowds this season, you got played off the park in your cup final yet still refuse to acknowledge it, I do find it amusing how much it still rankles despite how well your doing

Your lot are still struggling with the fact that that result (we didn't turn up) doesn't make Sunderland better than Boro.

 

[Boro]

Zzzz why are we still doing this?
To 99.9% of the country it’s a NE derby which it obviously is. But to those 2 who have a special sort of hate for each other they can’t compare it. Simple. Move on.
As a footnote Sland do bend over backwards about it because they are desperate to show they are ‘massive/special/important etc’ and Boro shouldn’t even dare to exist in their godly light. RTG showcases a special breed of idiots (inc some Boro unfortunately). Again move on…

 

[Mfc79]

 

[GazBoro]

Its only the new generation of fans that try to play it down. The mackems of the past always looked at it as a rivalry/derby, especially in the 70's and throughout the 1980s. Their fans, the local papers, Tyne Tees TV etc always talked about it as derby and treat it as one during that period. Obviously not the NE derby, but definitely a derby in its own right the way fans of that era looked upon it.

I can understand why the modern generation of mackem don't want it to be one anymore since for the last 40 years they've been in our shadow. In that time we've beaten them far more times than they've beaten us, we've spent more time in the top leagues than they have, we won a trophy, been to numerous cup finals, qualified for Europe twice, been to a European cup final, and seen some outstanding world class players sign for the club. Whereas in comparison the mackems have done little of note and their only claim to fame was being a turd that wouldn't flush from the premiership for a few seasons, until they eventually did and promptly dropped to the third division for half a decade (lol).

So yeah, its not surprising that their new generation of fickle thin skinned fans want to play it down under those circumstances.

Believe me, if they ever begin to beat us on a regular basis, they'll begin treating it as one again.

 

[Hoolio]

Yes we understand. But we also understand that the reason Sunderland fans go to so much trouble to declare that there is no rivalry, it isn't a derby, that Middlesbrough isn't in the North East or that playing Boro is no more important to them than playing Peterborough, is just their pathetic and desperate attempt to be a slightly bigger fish in a greatly reduced pool.

Being constantly overshadowed by another club is much less uncomfortable if you can convince yourself that that club is in another part of the country. The saddest part is that they think it hurts us. It hurts us as much as being insulted by Cambridge United fans hurts us.

Have you thought about counselling, you seem troubled

 

[Diego]

Have you thought about counselling, you seem troubled

Good evening Hoolio, hope you’ve had a better one than Saturday

 

[Hoolio]

Its only the new generation of fans that try to play it down. The mackems of the past always looked at it as a rivalry/derby, especially in the 70's and throughout the 1980s. Their fans, the local papers, Tyne Tees TV etc always talked about it as derby and treat it as one during that period. Obviously not the NE derby, but definitely a derby in its own right the way fans of that era looked upon it.

More so in the past when lots of Sunderland fans from Durham and wearside worked on Teesside in the rig yards and chemical and steel industries etc

 

[Hoolio]

Good evening Hoolio, hope you’ve had a better one than Saturday

As I am sick of telling the younguns this is probably an average season of following Sunderland in my lifetime as it will be in theirs, they don’t want to hear that but that’s the life if you choose to follow Sunderland

 

[BoroMart]

The litmus test is, do you share the same ITV regional network....Tyne-Tees Television.

That is THE regional cultural barometer since the 50s. It's a derby

 

[Diego]

As I am sick of telling the younguns this is probably an average season of following Sunderland in my lifetime as it will be in theirs, they don’t want to hear that but that’s the life if you choose to follow Sunderland

You’ve changed your tune. Thought you were catching Sheff united?

 

[BoroMart]

Your lot are still struggling with the fact that that result (we didn't turn up) doesn't make Sunderland better than Boro.

Go easy on Hoolio, he's coming to terms with how bad they are without Ross Stewart and how he'll be leaving for free in 3 months, so he needs to get used to it......funny thing is, he's coming to us haha

 

[Hoolio]

You’ve changed your tune. Thought you were catching Sheff united?

Show me where I said that, that’s something I never thought

 

[Hoolio]

Go easy on Hoolio, he's coming to terms with how bad they are without Ross Stewart and how he'll be leaving for free in 3 months, so he needs to get used to it......funny thing is, he's coming to us haha

You wish he willl be top scorer in the championship next season but not for you lot

 

[BoroMart]

You wish he willl be top scorer in the championship next season but not for you lot

We won't be in teh championship, so no he won't be championship top scorer for us....or you

 

[Block 86]

So, I've been seeing loads of Geordies and Mackems claiming that Boro are irrelevant and not a derby fixture. They're idiots in short.

Middlesbrough to Newcastle 45.3 Miles
Middlesbrough to Sunderland 33.1 miles

Let's compare to other rivalries/derbies shall we

Sheffield United/Wednesday vs Leeds. 39.9 Miles (Yorkshire Derby)
Swansea vs Cardiff 44.4 Miles (Welsh Derby)
Norwich vs Ipswich 56 Miles (East Anglian Derby)
Cardiff vs Bristol City 44.6 Miles (Severnside Derby)

I'm sure there's more but I've got a headache from doing an all nighters for the wrestling last night so can't be bothered!

I just find it hilarious how they try so hard to discourage us because they claim they're to far to be a derby, but they seem to up the anti whenever they play us and those 4 rivalries above are around the same distances as ours to them!

Embarassing

Sunderland to Newcastle = 9.8 miles....................

 

[Hoolio]

We won't be in teh championship

I admire your confidence but forgive me if I don’t have the same optimism

 

[Otto42]

It’s a derby to us, but local rivalry to them. Seems fair enough to me. As I’ve said before, similar to how the Sheffield clubs view Barnsley and Rotherham and Manchester with Bolton, Oldham etc….Leeds have a similar rivalry with Man Utd and West Ham with Tottenham. No big deal tbf!

 

[r00fie1]

The Boro game will always be insignificant in comparison to Newcastle just get over it

Trouble is:
yous two are never in the same league in any one season, so divvent worry Pet.
We wont be either next season - so you`l probably be calling Hull City a "derby".
See ya marra

 

[BoroMart]

I admire your confidence but forgive me if I don’t have the same optimism

I can understand why you would perceive Boro promotion as optimism, I mean you don't want to keep getting pasted of us 3 out of every 4 times we play