Surprisingly the only Newcastle United star to leave the club for Sunderland who appears on this list - in the majority of cases it is Black Cats fans who tend to despise ex-Magpies rather than the other way round, usually due to the players having said something derogatory about the Wearside club - Len Shackleton crossed the divide in 1948 after two years at St James' Park. With Shackleton having moved to Newcastle from Bradford Park Avenue in 1946 for £13,000, the inside forward did score an impressive 25 goals in 57 league appearances for the Magpies - including six on his debut in the club's record 13-0 defeat of Newport County - but his individualistic approach meant he clashed with the hierarchy at St James' Park. In fact, Magpies captain Joe Harvey even claimed after Shackleton left the club: "Newcastle would never win anything with him in the team." It was in February 1948 that the acrimonious relationship ended, with Shackleton departing for Sunderland for a then-record fee of £20,500. Adored by Sunderland supporters, Shackleton came to love the Black Cats. He even commented: "I'm not biased when it comes to Newcastle - I don't care who beat them!" It's easy to see why Shackleton makes this list as a villain...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
