Inside the Tyne-Wear derby: From punching horses to Di Canio’s knee slide – the story of Newcastle vs Sunderland is one of controversy and carnage
Newcastle and Sunderland are set to do battle this weekend in the first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016.
It's one of English football's greatest rivalries, and it means everything to both sets of fans, with the two cities located just 11 miles apart.
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The two clubs regularly attract nearly 100,000 people combined to their home games, and on derby day, families and friends divide, with bragging rights all that matters.
And ahead of Eddie Howe and Michael Beale coming face-to-face in the FA Cup third round, talkSPORT.com has taken a trip down memory lane to look at some of the most controversial moments from this great rivalry.
Toon fan punches a horse
The Tyne-Wear derby is known for getting heated on the field, with statistics showing it was the second-dirtiest derby in the country.
Things also get tasty off the pitch but in 2013, it all went a bit too far.
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Newcastle fell to a brutal 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland, and some of their fans reacted by smashing up the city centre. One supporter even decided it would be a good idea to punch a police horse.
Barry Rogerson thumped the animal and was sentenced to 12 months in prison, while fans of both teams turned up to subsequent games dressed as horses, acknowledging how ridiculous this behaviour was.
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Paolo Di Canio's antics
When Sunderland appointed West Ham icon Di Canio in March 2013, the club were staring at relegation with just seven games to play.
His second match as manager saw Sunderland make the short trip to Newcastle, who had just gone toe-to-toe with Benfica in the Europa League quarter-finals, and the home fans anticipated a win despite being knocked out by the Portuguese giants.
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What followed was a day that Sunderland fans still talk about and is stained in Toon supporters' memories.
The Black Cats won 3-0 thanks to incredible goals from Stephane Sessegnon, Adam Johnson and David Vaughan.
Di Canio celebrated the second goal with a knee slide onto the St James' Park pitch, and as the game went on, the Italian lost all composure.
It was the perfect example of how not to behave as a manager, but the Sunderland fans loved him for it.
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Alan Shearer dropped
It was unheard of, but in an ongoing power struggle with the Toon's then-number nine, Ruud Gullit decided to drop Shearer and Duncan Ferguson for the visit of Sunderland.
It was a move that had to pay off, but it emboldened Sunderland, with Kevin Ball later admitting it made the Black Cats feel as if they were 1-0 up.
Newcastle duly lost 2-1, with Shearer coming on in the 73rd minute, just moments before Kevin Phillips scored the winner.
The full-time whistle signalled jeers and boos from the home faithful, who were furious with their manager.
It was Gullit's final game, as he resigned three days later.
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Away fans banned
Few games in Britain permit no away fans, bar the Old Firm between Rangers and Celtic.
But in the late 1990s, the Tyne-Wear derby saw both clubs agree with police to ban visiting supporters due to fears of violence.
As a result, the Toon's trip to Roker Park in the 1996/97 season saw the Magpies take on a packed stadium of Sunderland fans and triumph 2-1.
Ahead of the game, the Black Cats changed their mind and offered 1,000 tickets, but the Toon rejected them because they'd sold tickets for a screening of the match.
The club's chief executive, Freddie Fletcher, fired a barb at Sunderland, increasing tensions between the two.
He said: “When you’ve got a ground like Roker Park, you’re bound to have problems.”
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Steven Taylor the stamp collector
Taylor was a Newcastle fan through and through and annoyed Sunderland supporters in 2009 when he dived to win a penalty at St James' Park that Shola Ameobi converted in a 1-1 draw.
He annoyed them even more three years later when he revealed he would rather be a stamp collector than ever play for the Black Cats.
He said: “I would rather go and collect stamps than stick on that shirt!
“When I am warming up, their fans have their veins popping out of their necks.
“It’s like I have done something to their family or something!"
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Taylor was on the bench for that match, and the following year, he saw Alan Pardew block a request for him to wear 'stamp collector' on his boots.
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talkSPORT will live commentary of the Tyne-Wear derby from the Stadium of Light this weekend.
