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 Thursday
20th October 2005 By Gaz Pearson
So when I had the opportunity to move here a few years back I jumped at the chance and this will be my first ever D-Day experience actually living in the area. I can’t say that I was blessed enough to be brought up in the North East but I am not ashamed of my Red Rose roots either… that is part of me whether I like it or not so I embrace it. What is also part of me is black and white blood, black and white passion and black and white hope. For those who were lucky enough to be born in this area then Derby Day probably means more to you than myself and other Newcastle fans like me. Of course it does, it’s your local identity, your regional pride at stake here. For me I can always say I was brought up in Lancashire. However, this match apart, Newcastle United means as much to me, and presumably others like me, as every other fan. I have followed the Toon come hail or shine since I was able to walk. Decked in a Newcastle United shirt I defended my team against those from my area who supported Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, etc… It was an oddity for someone to support a team not from the Northwest, even though I was supporting the team of my family roots. Every match against a team from the Northwest was D-Day as far as I was concerned. Every time Newcastle played a team my mates supported and other members of my family supported I would proudly don my black and white top and consequently take what ever result came my way. Whatever pride you feel when Newcastle beat Sunderland, or whatever shame you felt when Sunderland beat Newcastle I felt every time we played a team from the North West. Now I live in Newcastle, the City has embraced me and I have embraced it. I am settled in the area and will hopefully spend the rest of my days here. It’s a terrific place but hey, you all know that. My point is that no matter what I thought I knew about Derbies, what I thought a Derby Day feeling was, I was WRONG. I know now that I was wrong. This is something else. Not even the preaching from my Newcastle mad Uncle could truly allow me to grasp the true spirit of a Tyne-Wear Derby… you have to experience it yourself. This isn’t just a Derby the likes of Manchester, Liverpool or East Lancashire experience. I know because I lived there. It’s a matter of so much more, social pride and social consequences. Ruud Gullit’s infamous remarks about the Milan Derby being bigger… well obviously he thought the same as me before I moved here. From an outsider looking in, no matter if you’re a Newcastle fan or not, you cannot explain what D-Day buzz is like unless you live in the area and experience all he emotion involved. The main issue in this article is the understanding of what the Derby means to people looking in from the outside. To be a Geordie is special but to be a Newcastle United fan, no matter what or where you come from is something else of equal significance. The tie that binds is the Black and White Stripes and the knot that unites us is hope. Come Sunday we will take part in the Tyne-Wear Derby, it's game on, the biggest match in the Newcastle United calendar. I for one am proud to be a part of it, just as a fan. Let’s hope that the players, who come from all over Britain and indeed the world, understand the passion that this game means. © Gaz Pearson
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Newcastle Vs Sunderland: The View On The Outside
