You do not have to be a diehard Newcastle United supporter to know they have been on the wrong end of many Manchester City beatings in recent years. Any Toon fan making the trip to the Etihad Stadium could be forgiven for expecting their annual hiding on Sunday.
The Magpies have lost 25 of their last 31 outings against the Premier League champions - a dismal run of form that stretches before their game-changing takeover in 2008. While Sheikh Mansour’s arrival in English football could be outlined as the principal cause for the Magpies’ woes, the problems run deeper.
Just one league win away to City since 2000 cements their status as Newcastle’s bogey side. Even at home, United have won just once in 17 years - a 2-1 victory under Rafa Benitez in January 2019.
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Despite this, the all-time history book paints a different picture. The first meeting between both clubs was in 1893, a 3-2 win for Newcastle against Ardwick FC, who became Manchester City one year later. As it stands, the Magpies boast 72 victories while City, surprisingly, only have one more.
The power balance, especially in English football, can change quickly.
Over 100 years ago, United were the dominant force in English football, winning three league titles and an FA Cup during the 1900s. Newcastle were also the first team in the 21st century to retain the FA Cup, doing so in 1952 before winning it again in 1955.
A barren spell since has seen the club become perennial underachievers, with generations of Newcastle fans failing to see their side lift a trophy. For context, when the Magpies faced Liverpool in the 1974 FA Cup final, they had won it six times and their opponents just once. Fast forward to the present day and the Reds are favourites to clinch their eighth later this month while Newcastle’s haul has not budged.
Football success comes in cycles and the £300million Saudi-backed takeover could swing the balance in United’s favour. It is a big ask for Eddie Howe and his players to level the all-time scoreline this weekend but the head-to-head picture will make interesting reading a decade from now.
The new regime on Tyneside - backed by an army of resurgent supporters - have 67 years of failure to compete with as they embark on their quest to make Newcastle a force once again.
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