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The Newcastle manager found himself on safe ground as he sounded the bell.

The Magpies head coach 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 whizzed past.

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

This is far from an ordinary rivalry. These regional neighbours have won only one significant title 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 hardly any fixtures bring a region to a standstill quite like the Tyne-Wear derby as former Sunderland manager Peter Reid knows better than most.

"They're football crackers," he said. "Let's just say, there is a little bit more needle up there."

A fixture like no other

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

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

It captures the Greek ecstatic, bare chested and surrounded by his jubilant 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 made an impression on him.

"It's the intensity of the fans," he said. "It's something that goes from generation to generation. This heritage makes this game so special."

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

Well, as far as a Sunderland season ticket holder is concerned, it goes beyond football itself.

"You can go back to the English Civil War with Newcastle siding with the monarchy and the other side siding with the government," he said. "It's rooted in political and economical factors.

"Newcastle receive the funding, Newcastle have the big city, Newcastle are the ones people always talk about when it comes to the North East. Sunderland are always overshadowed."

But it is far from one-sided.

A former player's father was even "swarmed" by delirious 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 mattered to the home fans.

"I needed a little bit of time afterwards to grasp the significance of it," the player said.

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

"I still go 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 reputation of an already popular 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 recognised the "extra weight" of this game because people in the North East "breathe their football".

He said: "There are some derbies where you are not quite sure why they are derbies. This one, you do.

"These represent two huge clubs - close from each other - with their own identities.

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

'The world will know the North East is back on the map'

That manager had nothing to fear.

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

In fact, Sunderland have triumphed in six of the last seven meetings 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.

"After 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 imagine 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 remain unsure if it was more important to stay up or to beat Newcastle."

The club, like Newcastle before them, eventually succumbed to the relegation trapdoor in 2017, and spent eight years away from the top flight.

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

And the contrast was stark.

The combined cost of Sunderland's starting line-up that day was a mere fraction of the £40m Newcastle had invested in a single player.

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

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

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 inspired arrivals of several new signings.

Sunderland also have a different manager, of course.

Not only has he led Sunderland to promotion - his fearless side have competed evenly against 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 undefeated on their own ground.

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

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

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