WHEN Eddie Howe was invited to be the celebrity starter at the 2023 Great North Run, he anticipated getting plenty of attention and support from the thousands of Newcastle United supporters tackling the half-marathon. What he didn’t expect, however, was the way his presence would be greeted by the Sunderland fans starting the race.

“That’s the biggest stick I’ve ever had, doing the Great North Run,” said the Newcastle boss. “I got abused by 50 per cent of the people there.”

Howe can laugh about the experience now, but on derby weekend, ahead of the first Premier League meeting between Sunderland and Newcastle on Wearside for more than a decade, the memory of standing on the starter’s rostrum amid a torrent of red-and-white insults provides a telling insight into just what all of this m

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