You’re a liar’ – Dan Burn makes hilarious Sunderland promotion claim – Newcastle Fans Are Going WILD Over This Hilarious Promotion Claim!
Sunderland achieved promotion back to the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final last month. It will be the Black Cats’ first season back in the English top flight since being relegated in 2017.
It will also mark the first league derby between Newcastle and Sunderland since the 1-1 draw at St James’ Park back in 2016.
Since then, Newcastle have been relegated to the Championship, promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt and have now qualified for the Champions League twice in the last three seasons while also winning the Carabao Cup – ending a 70-year domestic trophy drought.
Meanwhile, Sunderland suffered a double relegation to League One, where they spent four seasons before being promoted back to the Championship. After three seasons in the second tier, the Wearsiders earned a second promotion back to the top flight.
And with that comes the return of the Tyne-Wear derby to St James’ Park for the first time in almost a decade.
Newcastle United’s FA Cup meeting with Sunderland
In January 2024, Newcastle and Sunderland met in the FA Cup third round at the Stadium of Light for the first derby match since 2016.
The Magpies cruised to a 3-0 win thanks to a Dan Ballard own-goal and a second-half brace from Alexander Isak. But this coming season will see Newcastle and Sunderland go head-to-head as equals, in Premier League terms at least.
Dan Burn makes hilarious Sunderland admission
Boyhood Newcastle fan and current defender Dan Burn, who scored in the 2-1 Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool back in March, also featured in the win over Sunderland last January.
Given his connection to the area, there’s perhaps no better player to ask when it comes to the prospect of facing Sunderland in the Premier League once again.
When asked about whether he wanted Sunderland back in the Premier League following their promotion, the 33-year-old told BBC Look North: “I had this conversation with my dad, I rang my dad and said: ‘I wouldn’t be fussed, if Sunderland come up then great we get the derbies if not then great, keep them in the Championship!’
“My dad was like ‘yeah same,’ then a minute in Sheffield United nearly scored and I could hear him jumping up and down and I was like ‘nah, you’re a liar!’”
A tough task for Sunderland
Unlike the last time the sides met in the Premier League, this coming season will see Newcastle head into the derby matches as heavy favourites as one of the strongest teams in the Premier League over the past few seasons.
Sunderland will be favourites to be relegated after the Premier League has witnessed all three promoted sides go straight back down in each of the last two campaigns. The last play-off winners to stay up in the Premier League were Nottingham Forest, who have gone on to challenge at the top end of the Premier League table this past season.
But Forest notoriously had a transfer overhaul in preparation for Premier League football that ultimately saw them breach Premier League financial rules and handed a points deduction.
Seven of the last 11 sides promoted via the Championship play-offs have gone straight back down. Only Forest, Brentford, Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town have managed to survive the drop in their first season.
