Sunderland fans took to Twitter to give their Geordie counterparts a friendly reminder of their relegation from the Premier League last season.
Sunderland fans have jumped on the opportunity to have a laugh at their bitter rivals
With the optimism and positivity surrounding Newcastle United this summer following Rafael Benitez’s decision to stay at the club, you would be forgiven for forgetting that the Magpies are preparing for life in the second tier of English football.
But if there happened to be any member of the Toon Army guilty of forgetting about last season’s relegation, Wednesday’s release of the Premier League fixture list will have been an almighty reality check.
A disastrous season eventually culminated in Newcastle being relegated from the Premier League
There will be no Tyne-Wear derby next season following Newcastle’s relegation
The pain of Newcastle losing their top flight status last term was arguably made worse by the fact that it came as a result of Sunderland’s successful survival bid, with Black Cats fans revelling in the demise of their bitter rivals with a series of stunts over the last few months, including the hanging of a banner on the Tyne bridge.
Sunderland will open their campaign with a tough trip to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, before taking on Middlesbrough in the Wear-Tees derby the following week.
A trip to Southampton and a home game with Everton round off a challenging four weeks for Sam Allardyce’s men, whose fans wasted little time in using the 2016/17 fixtures to further taunt their Geordie counterparts on social media.
Sunderland players have another season in the Premier League to look forward to
In case you’re wondering, Newcastle won’t know their run of games for another week, with the Championship fixtures set to be released on June 22.
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