Sunderland fan blog: Could the Newcastle United takeover have a positive impact on the North East?

Investing in big name players, as the world’s richest club, could help transform the region’s status.

The North West and North East share a history of being former coal-rich, industrial heavyweights. But whereas the former has managed to adapt to a post-industrial society and reinvent itself, the North East has struggled, partly through inequitable funding.

The recent success both Manchester United and Manchester City have enjoyed has also led to the feeling that the North West is an attractive place for footballers to ply their trade.

The region does not seem to experience the difficulty most clubs outside London have in attracting top-name players.

Certainly at Sunderland we have paid well over the odds for mediocre journeymen commanding big fees just to entice them to play for us.

This approach has proved disastrous both on and off the pitch and it is a relief we are moving away from such short-term thinking with its damaging long-term consequences.

In the mid-to-late 90s with the Peter Reid revolution underway and the likes of Ginola, Asprilla, Juninho and Ravanelli played for our local rivals the feel good atmosphere in the North East was palpable.

Playing attractive football with recognisable stars helps shifts the misperception that the North East is an undesirable place to live. Geography has been a long held barrier for us in signing and retaining top quality players.

Like many I would not swap our ownership for Newcastle’s and I have faith KLD has a sustainable vision to turn us back into a force to be reckoned with.

Rather than feel eclipsed by Newcastle’s new potential, we should seek to capitalise on the spotlight returning to the North East as our own renaissance gathers momentum.

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