Newcastle, Sunderland – which fans have the right to feel more optimistic about next season?

Football FanCast
columnist Jim McKendry reacts to news that Sunderland owner Niall
Quinn is going to back Keane in the summer and wonders, given that Keegan is
likely to spend big as well, which set of fans should be the more optimistic
about next season's chances.

When Newcastle United entertained Sunderland at St James
Park a fortnight ago, it was the first time that both teams had been on a level
playing field for some time. Both teams safe from relegation both slumped just
below mid table and from a neutral looking in Newcastle could have considered
themselves fortunate that they came out victors on the day.

For Sunderland this season must be considered a success as
Roy Keane fulfilled the brief of newly promoted clubs and that is to stay in
the division. He achieved it with games to spare however you sense that the
torch that use to burn inside Keane as a player has started to ignite as a
manager. It is clear that after a season of consolidation, the Irishman has set
his sights a little higher and wants to see Sunderland challenging in the upper
reaches of the Premier League. This of course is what all Mackems want to hear
and they would have been buoyed at the news this morning that Niall Quinn has
come out this morning and promised there will be a sizeable war chest at his
manager's disposal, in order to take Sunderland to the next level.

Newcastle United fans will tell you that this season has
been one calamity after another and on paper there certainly shouldn't have
been any reason for being down the wrong end of the table. Sam Allardyce didn't
quite grasp what this football club is about and how the negative tactics were
never going to endear his to the Toon army. I still shake my head at how a
manager, who had so much talent available to him, thought that the long ball
game was the answer – to think he nearly became England manager. Kevin Keegan
has done a fabulous job and in the last few weeks has brought a bit of panache
back to the football club and Newcastle United, once the country's great
entertainers, look like they could be ready to take off again next season.
There is no doubting that Keegan will have the opportunity to bring in players
in the summer and I'm sure there are a lot of Toon fans excited in anticipation
at who will come in.

So while Middlesbrough's fans are left to worry about their
Premier League status, both Newcastle and Sunderland have every reason to be
optimistic with the noises that have been coming out of their respective
football clubs in recent weeks. What is the target for next season? Who would
you like to bring in? More importantly who is going to be the top dog in the
Northeast next year?