Sunderland have not had a happy few months, and the latest disappointment came when Derek McInnes rejected the chance to become their new manager.

While fans of the Black Cats may have been left frustrated, Newcastle United supporters are revelling in their rivals' misery.

The North-East clubs are at completely different ends of the spectrum heading into the 2017-18 campaign.

Rafael Benitez's Newcastle team are preparing for a return to the Premier League after winning the Championship, while Sunderland will compete in the second tier and currently remain managerless.

The Black Cats have been hunting for a new leader since May following David Moyes's resignation.

McInnes was targeting by the club and they were given permission by his current club Aberdeen to hold talks over a possible switch to the Stadium of Light.

It appears that the discussions did not go as well as Sunderland would have hoped as Aberdeen have announced on their official website that McInnes and assistant Tony Docherty have decided to stay put.

As expected, Newcastle fans found this news rather amusing.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/football-excuses.mp4