Georginio Wijnaldum and John O'Shea set for biggest Tyne-Wear derby in years
Sunday 20 March 2016 13:19, UK
One has 10 major honours to his name, celebrated his 100th cap for his country with a vital goal against world champions Germany in October and has started a Champions League final.
The other captained a title winning team last season, was the Netherland's player of the year in the same campaign and is behind only Michael Owen and Alan Shearer on a list of Newcastle's record signings.
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But it seems certain that they won't both be in the Premier League next season, at least not with their current clubs.
The two North East giants are on a precipice. Both in the relegation zone after Norwich's win at West Brom; the Canaries remain in the mix themselves, Aston Villa are stranded and the rest look a long way off.
In short, at least one of them will go down. This weekend's Tyne-Wear derby could well decide which and, as a result, may be the most important of the 156 the two have contested in more than a century of rivalry.
John O'Shea, of course, is the man who won 10 trophies - including five Premier Leagues with Manchester United - has started more than 100 times for the Republic of Ireland and began the 2009 Rome final against Barcelona.
He may be fighting for his place in the Sunderland team at the moment, but it's hard to see Sam Allardyce leaving him out this weekend. O'Shea is a proven winner, the stalwart of three Sunderland escapes and, most importantly, he has the most unbelievable stranglehold over Newcastle.
They have never beaten the Irishman. Ever. In total his record against them reads: played 20, won 15, drawn 5, lost 0. The only problem for me, as I arrived at Sunderland's Academy of Light training ground this week, was he didn't want to talk about it.
He wasn't being difficult, it was more a modest, focused, professional way of not wanting to say something to motivate the enemy in derby week - but it didn't help the reporter!
"I'd rather not even mention it," he explained, smiling. "Why would I when I can go under the radar? That's how I prefer it."
I pressed him a little bit about the times, early in his career, when he was part of Manchester United teams that were so good they didn't just beat Newcastle, often they thrashed them.
He was part of 5-3, 5-1, 6-0 and 6-2 wins in those early days. It's the 6-2, in a game famous for a magnificent Paul Scholes hat-trick, that gets him talking.
You've no divine right [to beat Newcastle]. You can't go thinking, 'It's Newcastle, we'll win because we won the last six'. The attitude and commitment have got to be right.
That was O'Shea's first visit to St James' Park. He made a goal that day with a rampaging run down the left, going past two before smashing a shot against the bar that fell nicely for Ryan Giggs to score.
"Shay Given [in goal for Newcastle] always tells me he got a hand on the shot but I'm not so sure," he says, again with a smile and with his guard dropping slightly. "But look, it's obviously a very, very proud record, especially for a Sunderland player. Fingers crossed I can keep hold of it."
Beating Newcastle with Manchester United is one thing, doing it a record six times in a row with Sunderland is, in many ways, far more remarkable. The crucial question is, will the record effect the two sets of players this weekend? Will it count for anything?
"In a sense it will, but you've no divine right. You can't go thinking, 'It's Newcastle, we'll win because we won the last six'. The attitude and commitment have got to be right," the Irishman added.
This brings us on to Newcastle. A couple of days after talking to O'Shea, I sat down with Georginio Wijnaldum - PSV Eindhoven's title winning captain, player of the year and Newcastle's third biggest signing behind Owen and Shearer.
He was searingly honest about what he sees as the reasons for the team's poor form, and the need for Rafael Benitez to be parachuted in to save them after Steve McClaren's sacking.
"I feel bad and I feel responsible," says Wijnaldum, addressing McClaren's departure. "In football, it's not always fair. They fire the trainer because they can't fire us players."
Undoubtedly a squad targeting a top eight finish, after Mike Ashley loosened the purse strings in the summer, has under-performed.
"Maybe it's focus, maybe it's mental, maybe it's confidence - it's difficult to explain. Sometimes we need to be harder on each other, when times are hard you have to speak more - especially the senior players.
I feel bad and I feel responsible. In football, it's not always fair. They fire the trainer because they can't fire us players.
"You work out who you can yell at and who you have to be easy with. We can do it more."
Wijnaldum clearly liked working for McClaren but says it has lifted the squad to have a 'name' like Rafael Benitez take charge. But the focus is on stopping Sunderland from extending their record run, easing their own relegation fears in the process.
"Everywhere I go, fans talk to me about Sunderland," says Wijnaldum.
"They've won the last six, for the fans and for us, we have to stop it."
The Dutchman, who has scored nine goals, all of them at St James' Park, in his first Premier League season, is relishing the prospect of his first Tyne-Wear derby on home turf. He's looking forward to having the crowd on his side. John O'Shea is looking forward to having it against him.
"This is what you become a professional for," the Black Cats captain said. "To have the animosity and anger cranked up to 100% against you and to have to fight against that.
"It's a huge game. Ultimately it's three points but with the situation we're both in it looks like being a lot more than that. I can't wait."
Catch the full interview with Georginio Wijnaldum and John O'Shea , ahead of live coverage of the Tyne-Wear derby, on Super Sunday, 12.30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD.
