16 Reasons Why Newcastle Have Gone From Mid-Table Mediocrity To Relegation Fodder

8. Two Avoidable Defeats To An Inept Sunderland Side

Two 1-0 losses to bitter rivals Sunderland have not only compounded the misery on Tyneside - due to the fact they have suffered five derby defeats in a row - but it has also allowed the Black Cats to be safe with a game to spare, while the Magpies are hanging on for dear life. Sunderland are almost as inept a side as Newcastle, and yet they have done the double over the Magpies. Even one draw from those two matches would see Sunderland on 36 points and Newcastle on 38, reversing the current roles and allowing the Magpies to be safe already. Without the six points they have taken from Newcastle, Sunderland would have been relegated along with Burnley and Queens Park Rangers. Woeful.