Sunderland and Newcastle United are poised to revive their long-standing rivalry, which has been dormant since March 2016. Alan Shearer has reportedly urged BBC bosses to prioritize broadcasting the Sunderland vs. Newcastle United match over Arsenal vs. Liverpool when the FA Cup TV schedule is revealed. Football enthusiasts throughout the region were taken aback by the draw that pitted the bitter North East rivals against each other in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Tyne-Wear derby has been absent from the football calendar since March 2016, concluding with Aleksandar Mitrovic’s late equalizer for Newcastle at St James’ Park. That result halted a streak of six consecutive defeats for the Magpies in the fixture.
Anticipation and tension are expected to grip both Tyneside and Wearside as the two teams gear up to clash at the Stadium of Light. Alan Shearer, a revered figure for Newcastle United, is well-acquainted with the derby, notably scoring his final professional goal against the Black Cats in April 2006.
Following the draw, Alan Shearer, much like everyone else, eagerly started planning for the highly anticipated Tyne-Wear derby. The BBC pundit revealed that he had already reached out to higher-ups, urging them to prioritize broadcasting the derby over other ties in the round.
“I’ve already sent a text asking for tickets!” Shearer shared on The Rest Is Football podcast. “What a draw, it was brilliant, wasn’t it? Arsenal vs Liverpool and Sunderland vs Newcastle. Wow, amazing! Something to look forward to. I’ve already been in touch with the guys at the BBC. We both know Arsenal and Liverpool are likely to play reserve sides, so we might as well cover Sunderland vs Newcastle! We know neither team can afford to be beaten and won’t field reserve sides.”
Co-host Gary Lineker playfully expressed a preference for Arsenal vs Liverpool, teasing about the North East weather. He joked, “I told them we should cover Arsenal vs Liverpool because it’s very cold up north.” This prompted a candid response from Shearer, who jokingly exclaimed, “Oh **** off. We don’t want that!” in a light-hearted banter about their preference for the much-anticipated derby matchup.
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