Reader TTS

The talk about the potential return of the Tyne-Wear derby is already in full swing ahead of Sunderland's huge Championship play-off clash with Sheffield United on Saturday. Regis Le

Bris' side have upset the odds to move one step away from a return to the Premier League. With a squad built largely on youth, and with very little spent, they have went toe to toe with

big-spending sides in the Championship all season. Now, just 90 minutes stands between them and a return to the top flight, from where they slipped in 2017. That same season, Newcastle were

heading in the opposite direction. having suffered their own relegation 12 months earlier, they'd bounced back at the first attempt under Rafa Benitez. One going down, one coming up.

With Sunderland's demise into League One and Newcastle's subsequent takeover by one of the richest funds in the world, the gap suddenly seemed huge. Come Saturday night, though, it

could be substantially closed. There have been no league derbies since 2016. There was, of course, the FA Cup showdown last season but the last Premier League clash between the two sides

ended in a 1-1 draw at St James' Park as the Magpies finally halted a six-game losing run thanks to an Alexander Mitrovic goal. Bragging rights had been solely Sunderland's for a

long time before then - Jermaine Defoe, Paolo Di Canio & Co the heroes for the red and whites. Now, the return of the fierce rivalry is already being discussed on forums, phone-ins and

pubs around the North East. Anticipation and anxiety prevalent in equal measure. It goes without saying that Newcastle are operating at a different level these days. Champions League

qualification, European adventures, a cup win and hundreds of millions spent on transfer fees, it's a world away from nine years ago when both sides were battling against relegation. If

Sunderland do get promoted, they'll need to invest heavily to stay up. They will certainly get a huge windfall to do so. The last two seasons have shown just how hard it is for

promoted clubs to beat the drop. And inevitably, there has been a lot of chatter about how Newcastle would welcome the chance to beat up their rivals, given the difference between the two

sides. Talksport pundit Simon Jordan commented on it this week. “When they (Sunderland) play Newcastle United, there will be a gulf in class between the two clubs, irrespective of how much

money they want to spend in the transfer window this summer," he said. “And it will have to be confined because they will be restricted by the governance of the PSR that takes them from

the Championship losses into the Premier League, so they won’t have that wide a margin to spend. “Look at the quality of Newcastle. When we get into the reality of the game itself it will

be a great spectacle for the North East, but Newcastle are up, up and away. They are a different beast than maybe the last time Sunderland ever played them. It will be a great spectacle.”

One thing Jordan forgets, however, is that derby games very rarely go as thought. The old cliche of 'the form book goes out of the window' is there for a reason. There may be some

Newcastle fans who would welcome the return of the rivalry, confident in their belief that they will easily come out on top. There are plenty of Toon Army members, however, who think

differently. One school of thought is that a double-header against Sunderland could be their sternest test of the season, with all the build-up and pressure that goes around it. A no-win

game for the Magpies, in many senses. Jordan is right, though, when he says it will be a spectacle. For all the animosity and hatred, some of which often needlessly and sadly boils over on

both sides, the derbies are what football is all about. Passion, rivalry, emotion, fear and glory. The Stadium of Light and St James' Park will both be rocking with intensity on a

similar level to anything Milan or Glasgow can produce. For the North East, a return of those incredible atmospheres is long overdue.