ALS: SAFC Fanzine

13/12/2025

RLB ON MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
RLB has been talking about the derby and managing expectations for it, adding in some comments on his experience of the Derby Breton.

PRE-MATCH RITUALS BEFORE BIG GAME
“Nothing different, to be fair. I try to be connected to the game plan, to get ready for anything, open-minded. When I’m on the sideline I try to help the squad as much as possible, it’s not easy.”

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
“For us, it remains football with 11 players against 11 and four players, five players on the bench will help the squad. We try to stay grounded, for me it’s the main point. We’ll have the tactical side and we’ll have the energy of the squad. It’s always a balance to find the right level, try to be smart but try to give as much as possible on the pitch as well. It’s more about feeling sometimes, as usual I would say with the quality of the opponent.”

SCORING LATE GOALS
“We try, once again, and this is always good for the scenario. If we go all the way with good discipline, good energy, we don’t know how we’ll react to the opponent but what we can control we try to be good at and after that, the scenario is unpredictable.”

HAVE LOCAL LADS EXPLAINED THE DERBY?
“Not really, we had our usual meeting about the opponent and we kept exactly the same routine. This is Newcastle, how they build up, how they press and so on, and after that go for us and try to be the best version of Sunderland once again.”

EXPERIENCE OF DERBY BRETON
“It was a bit different, it was Lorient versus Brest. We won sometimes, we lost sometimes. It’s more around, I think, for the coaches and the manager. We have our focus for the game and then after the game, we lose, we win, we have another game to prepare for. We don’t have time to think about it.”

13/12/2025

13/12/2025

LE BRIS ON DERBY HISTORY
Our manager has made some comments on the history of the Wear-Tyne derby and said that he was aware of it before coming to Sunderland. He's also said that the fans will be important.

LOUDEST PLAYER IN TRAINING
“Not a specific player, we know that this fixture is a bit different. They are just excited to play the game. I won’t say that one specific player was a bit louder, it’s more about the energy of the squad.”

ANY MEMORIES OF THE WEAR-TYNE DERBY?
“Not really, I knew before that it was a big big derby but without a specific example.”

VIDEOS OF THE DERBY ON TRAINING GROUND
“It’s important for players to understand the history and to feel that it’s a different game. But, I repeat, for us it’s a new story, a new game, football is still unpredictable and we have to get ready for anything. If we play our game with our options, against a strong side, I repeat, we will play the game and we will see it in the output.”

WEAKNESSES IN NEWCASTLE
“They are intense, well organised, they have good players and the bench is big as well. They have a clear identity, with strength but with weaknesses like everyone in this league. We will try to exploit some of them and I hope it will work.”

THIS IS WEARSIDE DISPLAY
“I repeat that it’s really important for the players when they are on the pitch because sometimes you can’t play the best football, for the full season at home for example. Sometimes, when it’s a bit flatter, when you have an opportunity, a tackle, a counter-press, you go in behind you flip the pressure and you go to press. You feel the energy of the crowd behind you, it’s totally different. I think they are aware of the situation but when you are on the pitch and you feel this energy, I can say that, for us, and for the opponent, the effect is massive, it’s really massive.”

13/12/2025

PREDICT TOMORROW’S LINEUP 👀

Will Reinildo be fit to start?
Brobbey or Isidor up front?
Back four or five?

🤔 Some interesting decisions for RLB to make… comment below what you think!

13/12/2025

We’re at the Christmas market today but our shop opposite the SoL is also open!🔴⚪️

fans, come and say hello and check out our range of merch ahead of tomorrow’s big game…

13/12/2025

OPEN NOW UNTIL 5 FOR ALL YOUR PRE-DERBY AND XMAS NEEDS 🎄🔴⚪️

13/12/2025

2-1 V MAGS (1999)

With the derby on everyone's minds this week, we thought we'd look back at some of the famous victories Sunderland have had over Newcastle United in the club's history...

On 25th August 1999, Sunderland came back from a goal down to defeat Ruud Gullit’s men. Goals from Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips won bragging rights for the Mackems.

Gullit had dropped club captain and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer for the match, alongside Duncan Ferguson. In an attempt to assert his power over the dressing room, the Dutchman had inadvertently shot himself in the foot.

Despite Newcastle’s controversial team sheet, they got off to a great start. Kieron Dyer lifted his shot over Tommy Sorensen after 27 minutes to give the home team the lead. Peter Reid’s side went into half time 1-0 down on a bleak day in Tyneside, with the rain pouring down.

However, the lads’ fortunes changed when they won a free kick on the right-hand side. Nicky Summerbee sent the ball into the box and who else but Niall Quinn got his head to it. A trademark Quinn header, beating his man in the air and nodding it into the far corner.

Shearer was finally introduced in the 73rd minute, but it was too little too late. With the scores level, Kevin Phillips found himself one-on-one with keeper Tommy Wright. Wright saved the first point-blank shot but Phillips, with his back to goal, swivelled round and lobbed the keeper from an incredibly tight angle. Shearer had only been on the pitch for two minutes, and the Mags were now down and almost out.

In the dying minutes of the match, disaster nearly struck for Kevin Ball. The captain attempted a thunderous tackle 30 yards from goal, but it’s safe to say he was saved with a slice of luck. Presumably because of the torrid conditions, the ball went flying towards his own goal, and had beaten a helpless Sorensen. Fortunately though, it hit the crossbar and Sunderland were able to leave with all three points.

Ruud Gullit was met with a chorus of boos at full time, and the former AC Milan player resigned three days after the derby defeat.

13/12/2025

ONE MORE SLEEP

12/12/2025

LE BRIS ON PRESSURE
Regis Le Bris has said that he enjoys the pressure ahead of the derby and has noted it's totally different to manage a game than to watch it.

EASY TO FOCUS IN BIG GAMES
“Yes, usually because it’s our job so we don’t get disturbed by the atmosphere. We try to use the best part of the atmosphere to win the game. I think, for example, probably the last one with a really loud atmosphere was against Coventry and I think it was really tense, really balanced and this little spark from the crowd helped as well.”

INDIVIDUAL BATTLES
“We don’t know the starting lineup of Newcastle but they are consistent, one, two or three changes are still possible and for us we are consistent as well. We always know what will be the duels and it’s not always one v one, it’s more two v two and three v three everywhere. We try to explain their references, their habits and then to anticipate and to help, the player has to manage the opportunities and problems.”

WATCHING VERSUS MANAGING
“The atmosphere in the stadium is totally different and especially when you are the coach and you are involved in the process. It’s loud when you are a spectator and it’s totally different when you are the manager because you are part of the process, so enjoy it.”

DO YOU ENJOY THE PRESSURE?
“Yes, absolutely. We came from the Championship last year, now we are in the Premier League. We are so happy to live this experience at the Stadium of Light against one of the best rivals in the league. It’s really positive. We can lose, we can win. We will give the maximum for this fixture and we’ll see the output."

12/12/2025

🎄 Make sure your tree is fully kitted out in colours!

🛒 - https://www.a-love-supreme.com/shop

12/12/2025

MAGS 0-3 SAFC (2013)

With the derby on everyone's minds this week, we thought we'd look back at some of the famous victories Sunderland have had over Newcastle United in the club's history...

On April 14th 2013, Paolo Di Canio got his knees dirty as he celebrated Sunderland’s first win at St James’ Park in 13 years.

The lads dominated from the first whistle, ending their slump of nine games without a win and somewhat justifying the sacking of Di Canio’s predecessor, Martin O’Neill. The Mags had been warned about their behaviour pre-match, with many expected to taunt Di Canio’s political ideologies with fascist salutes.

However, they had nothing to taunt about. Stephane Sessegnon put the lads ahead after 27 minutes, prompting the Italian to leap into the air and passionately pump his fists. Despite struggling all season, the effort put in by the likes of Sessegnon, Seb Larsson and Danny Graham (who could have won a penalty after being pulled back by Steven Taylor) was refreshing to see, and gave us all hope of a new dawn under an unlikely manager.

The game was pretty end-to-end in reality, but Newcastle never looked like troubling the ever-reliable Simon Mignolet. They thought they’d finally scored when Cisse found the back of the net, only for it to be ruled out for offside. It was a dubious decision to say the least... it looked like Carlos Cuellar was playing the striker onside from a free kick. But Sunderland fans would point to the referee’s decision not to award Graham a penalty in the first half, and claim that the sides had one poor decision each.

The lads’ second goal came in the 74th minute, on the counter attack after soaking up pressure for the majority of the second half. A curled shot was enough to beat Rob Elliot, who’d replaced Tim Krul during the game, and sent PDC into delirium. He sprinted down the touchline towards the Sunderland fans, and slid on his knees - ruining his suit and creating that instantly-iconic image.

The game was well and truly killed off by David Vaughan when the substitute smashed one straight into the top corner. It sparked even more crazy celebrations, with the coaching staff and all the players burying Di Canio.

The new gaffer’s name rang around St James’ long after the final whistle- a sentence nobody could have expected to say going into the match.

12/12/2025

RLB ON DERBY
Regis Le Bris has said that Sunderland will go into the derby humbly but also with ambition and that it is necessary for us to view ourselves as the underdogs.

BIGGEST WEEK OF WORKING LIFE
“It will be another exciting challenge and I think if we look back through the season, we were, five or six months ago, a newly promoted side and now we’ve got 23 points and we are playing Newcastle at home. It’s a privilege, we are exactly where we want to be. It’s really exciting for our fans, for our players, and we’ll go into this game with humility but ambition and desire to win as well. It’s really positive.”

WATCHED ANY PREVIOUS DERBY GAMES?
“Not really, I think it will be a new story. It’s always a new story because teams have changed, the evolution of the club, the evolution of the Premier League. Newcastle are strong as well and they are well established in the Premier League, good experience, they played in the Champions League a few days ago. It will be a great team, a great opponent. We will be underdogs, we will be challengers but we will play with ambition, with desire.”

UNDERDOGS
“We have to have this mindset. If we think that the game will be easier because we had a good start to the season, I think it’s a problem. We have played, so far, really well, especially at home because we have this mindset. It’s like our first Premier League game and, if we play like that, with ambition, with energy, we will make mistakes, but we will be ready to manage different problems through the energy."