Source: FOOTYMAD
Shearer Says Toon v Mackems Is THE Derby!
The Smogs regard our fixture as a derby, but north of Stockton there is only ONE North-East derby! And it does not include those from ICI City! Alan Shearer looked ahead to the weekend’s crunch battle with the Boro, and Big Al (who captained United to four victories on Teesside during his stint as skipper at St James’ Park) said the short trip down the A19 is second to the PROPER north-east derby. Shearer: “It’s always a big game – the biggest one is Newcastle v Sunderland, but the one after that is against Middlesbrough. “It’s just a game you don’t want to lose. “There’s local pride at stake once again. “Newcastle will go into the game as favourites and so they should because they’ve been magnificent this season. “They are doing great and I don’t think you can expect any more. “Chris Hughton is doing a magnificent job. “And they look like they are going to go up at the first attempt. “Then the questions start again, but as I say, nobody can ask any more of them.”
