'Not even close' - Kieran Richardson gives verdict on whether Sunderland or Man Utd have fiercer derbies
The ex-Sunderland star has been reflecting on his time on Wearside
Former Sunderland midfielder Kieran Richardson has suggested that the Black Cats and Newcastle United boast a much bigger rivalry than Manchester United and Liverpool - as well as arguing that the comparison between the two derbies is “not even close”.
The 40-year-old started his senior career with the Red Devils, before moving to the Stadium of Light in 2007 and spending half a decade in red and white. In total, he would go on to make 134 appearances on Wearside, scoring 14 goals in the process.
Undoubtedly, however, his most famous strike came during a Wear-Tyne Derby triumph in 2008, with his thunderous free-kick past a helpless Shay Given ultimately handing Sunderland a 2-1 win and their first victory over their bitter rivals in eight years.
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And while Richardson understandably has fond memories of that day, he is also convinced that the intensity of local clashes in the North East is much fiercer than it is between Manchester and Merseyside.
Speaking to Sunderland’s in-house media team recently, he said: “People say to me, ‘What’s it like in a derby?’. The other day someone asked me that question about Manchester United and Liverpool - I played in that derby and it’s not even close. This [the Wear-Tyne] is much more, in my eyes, a bigger derby. It means more. I couldn’t even talk to my players on the pitch when it was going on. You can’t hear nothing. My best moment... It was a great time for the club, and it was a great day.”
Richardson has also admitted that he is desperate to see Sunderland make a return to the Premier League in the immediate future. He added: “My time here was a great time in the Premier League, a lot of players, great characters. I want to see this club back in the Premier League. It’s a massive club. I don’t like seeing them where they’re at, even though the Championship is a good league as well, but this team deserves to be in the Premier League.
“It’s not good seeing your club down in League One, but we’re going in the right direction now. We’ve had a great start to the season, we’re looking much better, and hopefully we can crack on. The Championship is a hard league to get out of, we all know that. Hopefully come the end of the season, we’re around there still.”