December was tough for Newcastle United as you definitely don’t need me to remind you. Painful exits from the Champions League and the League Cup as well as a series of poor PL performances and results, with Luton (a) and Forest at SJP on Boxing Day their nadir. It also allowed enemies of the club in the media to let loose their spite to pen wild articles with little basis in fact about the immediate future of Eddie Howe in pursuance of their anti-Newcastle United agenda.

It is one thing to have an objection to the ownership of our club, which is entirely legitimate, but another to go after a coach and attempt to undermine an obviously decent and hard-working football man in pursuance of a grudge. I won’t bother naming them as they revel in the notoriety, but it was amusing to hear of a class one hypocrite who had a big pet lip on in what passes for the media room at the Stadium of Light after the match on Saturday. Cry more.

Anyway! The year had started in the usual style at Anfield as we left Merseyside baffled by yet more generous decisions going the way of the Reds (who let’s be honest didn’t need them) with two pens given resultant from obvious dives and another denied to Longstaff which looked exactly the same.

In the real world supporters are measured and understanding of the position Howe found himself in over December and coming into 2024. We can see a committed squad tested to exhaustion by injuries and a punishing schedule of games. Added to that a questionable summer’s recruitment given the absence of Tonali and not one of the four brought in during the summer window starting on Saturday.

There are of course siren voices on social media desperate for attention and all of that malarkey but it is empty noise. There has been little dissent at matches which disappoints those who wish to inflate pressure upon Howe because they cannot bear to see our club run correctly and weaponise a pause in the relentless upward trajectory of United over the last two years as an opportunity to create mischief.

That said, no-one could easily countenance anything other than a win at Sunderland in the FAC and there was anxiety as we contemplated things going pear shaped. In the end, United travelled to Sunderland with a starting eleven of a quality the home side hasn’t faced coming up to a decade. If our lads had the right attitude they would win. Their heads were right and we were physically superior so the two essential ingredients for a giant-killing were negated. We won very comfortably and the 0-3 scoreline flattered them.

I sometimes wonder about the media – the lazy and oft-repeated drivel about how this meeting of neighbours was a stark contrast of a newly financially upholstered squad to a plucky side of youthful, honest triers ignored several uncomfortable truths. The first of course is of that starting eleven we put out – Dubravka, Schar, Longstaff, Almiron and Joelinton were at United under Steve Bruce as were substitutes Ritchie, Lascelles and Dummett.

Further of those who have joined United since the takeover Dan Burn was procured from Brighton Reserves and 33-year old Kieran Trippier came to SJP for £14m and a reduction in salary. Bringing on 17-year-old Lewis Miley, newly promoted from the academy (and impressing) hardly screams Gallowgate Galacticos and nor did a bench of free agent signing Karius, another pre-takeover player Emil Krafth and the largely unknown academy prospect Ben Parkinson.

Not that those hard facts play into the desire to paint this game as some kind of non-contest between a latter day Real Madrid on Tyne v some plucky minnows, it also failed to recognise why Sunderland is in the position it is despite all of the extravagant virtues claimed for it by Roy Keane et al.

Sunderland were relegated because of profligate spending and then again to League 1 with more incompetence, abysmal appointments and appalling mismanagement. Throw in two obvious charlatans feted uncritically by Sunderland fans (and independent supporter media who revelled in their patronage) buying the club with its own money and we witnessed a car crash of a football operation.

That Sunderland is in recovery now is due to years of overspending and an appalling record in the transfer market which saw them burn through £200m of former owner billionaire Ellis Short’s money without any return, appears to have been overlooked by those who prefer a simplistic framing of this fixture.

But for Sunderland, defined by an FTM culture that appears to be their sole cause to exist, there are some sobering facts to digest this week.

Firstly, if Sunderland were going to pull off a giant-killing act there was never  a better time than Saturday gone. United has been in a bad run, low on confidence and ravaged with injuries. This was their moment but even with that dice loaded in their favour with home advantage they were never close to claiming that desired B&W scalp. They were never a threat.

Secondly, who knows when Sunderland will get to live their best lives by playing us again. Elevation to the Premier League seems distant and Beales hasn’t been brought to the Stadium of Light because their owners intend to open a war chest to invest in a big promotion push has he?

So whether we play Sunderland within the next five years or whatever is unknown but when we do United will be further developed from where we are now and it is unlikely we’ll be selecting Ashley-era players to face them. We can expect subsequent windows to see players of the quality of Botman, Bruno, Isak, Gordon recruited and the like of Miley, Anderson, Livramento, Hall perhaps joined by Minteh and Kuol graduating to the first team picture.  We will be stronger and they will be forlornly hoping Burnley will pay more than £5m for Jack Clarke or some such.

For Sunderland contemplating the wreckage of a fixture that means so much to them and their future in relation to us is far more painful than a one off 0-3 whipping in front of the biggest crowd they have pulled in since we were last there. With due respect to Beyonce obviously!

It’s over now and it is my hope we don’t clap eyes on them again for a very long time indeed. It is now time to think about progressing in the FAC, getting our PL season back on track against the toughest of opposition this Saturday v Man City.

There is also the small matter of the January transfer window which set against the constraints of Financial Fair Play and United’s preference to do its main business in the summer is going to be interesting. There is a lot of talk about United and England international Kalvin Phillips from Man City but if that is to happen, I can’t see it until after their visit to SJP this weekend.

Wisely, United appear to be looking at the timeline for players coming back from injury (Anderson, Barnes, Willock and Wilson) towards the end of this month but we might be forgiven for thinking a goalkeeper and a striker could be priorities given Pope’s injury, Dubravka’s age and Wilson’s fitness record. How much money is available is unknown but I would hope the players we do sign can be ready to contribute from the get-go. Doubtless there will be a lot of click-hungry rumours and laughable ITK stuff doing the rounds but what will be, will be.

Its pleasing Howe was able to get his players on the training ground this last week because that is where our Head Coach does his best work. We were unrecognisable against Sunderland to those games against Luton and Forest and there were glimmers against Liverpool. There is a long way to go before we’re back to the levels we were at when beating Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, PSG and Man City but my sense is we are on the right road to a more recognisable version of these players.

That might not mean we beat City at SJP this Saturday evening because there is a chasm between Sunderland (a) and City (h). But my sense is we will give them a game and right now, in difficult circumstances that’s as much as we can expect.

Thanks to all of you who continue inexplicably to read my meanderings and a belated Happy New Year to you and yours.

Keep On, Keepin’ On …

Michael Martin, @TFMick1892