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The Newcastle manager found himself on firm footing as he rang the bell.

The Magpies manager had just set the 2023 Great North Run under way to loud cheers in the centre of the city.

But he had not accounted for those Sunderland-supporting runners who were not so thrilled to see him as they sped past.

"The worst abuse I've ever had," he said this week. "I got verbally attacked by 50% of the people there."

This is far from an ordinary rivalry. These regional neighbours have won only one major domestic trophy between them in the past 50 years, and Sunday's game marks the first time they will meet in the Premier League for almost ten years.

But few fixtures bring a region to a standstill quite like the Tyne-Wear derby as former Black Cats manager Peter Reid understands better than most.

"They're football crackers," he said. "Put it this way, there is a touch of extra needle up there."

'The two biggest games of the season'

A former Newcastle defender also knows what can happen when these forces collide.

A huge picture in the ex- Newcastle defender's home acts as a daily reminder.

It shows the Greek wild-eyed, bare chested and surrounded by his elated team-mates, after netting the winner in front of the traveling support at the Stadium of Light in 2002.

This was a fixture that certainly left its mark on him.

"The key is the passion of the fans," he said. "It's something that goes from generation to generation. This tradition makes this game so unique."

So what is at the core of the intense rivalry between two football-mad towns less than 15 miles apart?

Well, as far as a Sunderland loyal fan is concerned, it goes beyond football itself.

"You can trace it to the English Civil War with Newcastle siding with the monarchy and Sunderland siding with the parliament," he said. "It's all historical and economical tensions.

"Newcastle get the investment, Newcastle have the metropolitan status, Newcastle are the ones people always talk about when it comes to the North East. The other side are always shadowed."

But it is not at all one-sided.

A former player's father was even "swarmed" by joyous Newcastle supporters after his son scored a match-winning free-kick in a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light in 2011.

That is how much it meant to the Geordies.

"It took a little bit of time afterwards to realise the importance of it," the player said.

"It made my life a lot simpler. I was forgiven to make the odd mistake when playing, purely because of that goal.

"Even now when I visit up to St James' Park and you've got dads telling their kids, 'See this lad? He scored the winner against the Mackems'."

A derby win can even further elevate the standing of an already beloved figure.

A former Newcastle manager had recently delivered promotion back to the Premier League when he took charge of his first derby in 2010.

There may have only technically been three points at stake, but he quickly understood the "extra weight" of this game because people in the North East "live for their football".

He said: "There are some derbies where you are unsure why they are derbies. This one, you are.

"These represent two massive clubs - not far away from each other - with their own identities.

"In effect, they are the two biggest games of the season so you are aware that the last thing you want to do is to lose, particularly in your own stadium."

A region reignited

That manager had nothing to fear.

His side ended up thrashing Sunderland 5-1 at St James' Park in 2010, but Newcastle have only won a single derby in the Premier League since then.

In fact, The Wearside club have triumphed in six of the last seven contests in the top flight.

A former Sunderland manager oversaw half of those victories, having swiftly realised that the fixture was "more significant" than many those from afar thought.

"Beyond family, the club is the most vital thing to the people of this city," he said.

"It's so intense that the result of the club can change the mood of the city so consider the result of the derby? You can sense it.

"They told me on the first day. 'Please stay up, but you must beat Newcastle'. I still don't know if it was more important to stay up or to beat Newcastle."

Sunderland, like Newcastle before them, eventually slipped through the relegation trapdoor in 2017, and spent eight years away from the top flight.

So a division divided these rivals when they last met in the FA Cup nearly two years ago.

And the contrast was pronounced.

The combined cost of Sunderland's starting line-up that day was a tiny portion of the £40m Newcastle had spent on a single player.

The most experienced individual in the hosts' starting line-up was a considerable distance ahead of others, at just 30 years of age.

"It's unlikely the fans really believed, deep down, that we were going to win that game," a former midfielder said. "But now it's different."

In so many ways.

Only two players are likely to be the only survivors from that 3-0 defeat in Sunday's lineup following the astute arrivals of several new signings.

Sunderland also have a new manager, of course.

Not only has he led Sunderland to promotion - his bold side have gone toe-to-toe with some the best teams in the top flight.

In fact, the reigning champions are the only team in the current top six to have beaten Sunderland this season, while his side are also unbeaten on home soil.

Such an strong start to the campaign means Sunderland go into Sunday's game a point clear of Newcastle in the table.

So it is all set up to be a captivating afternoon when these rivals renew hostilities at the Stadium of Light.

"On Sunday, the world will know the North East is back on the map with elite fixtures again," a former player added.