A survey conducted in 2007 found that, at 129 decibels, Sunderland’s crowd was the noisiest in the Premiership. I had no way to measure but I doubt that was anywhere near the loudness of the roars that filled St James Park on a cold Monday evening in May, when Newcastle United beat Middlesbrough 3-1. I can’t recall a Premiership crowd, perhaps any crowd, that has thrown up such an unbroken wall of sound. The noise had a tangible, physical quality and the players responded with a display of exhilarating football. This was a chorus that almost became the principal; for me, a more visceral and engaging spectacle than any other in English football this year. So why here? Why now?
The most immediate cause of the cacophony was the desperate situation facing both clubs. With two more games to go, each side was in the relegation zone three points adrift of safety. Over the preceding weekend, Charlton, Norwich and Southampton, all recently members of the Premiership, were taking the drop to the financial abyss of League One. Losing the game would be more than a matter of pride: with both clubs in heavy debt, defeat might herald financial and sporting meltdown.
Desperation often diminishes crowds; clubs are not relegated with a bang, but a whimper. St James Park, in particular, has been a shadow of its former self for much of the season. Under the naive and incompetent administration of new owner Mike Ashley, the club has been rent by internal division, gone through four managers in two seasons and its squad virtually abandoned training and competing. Yet, even after Middlesbrough took an early lead, the Newcastle crowd did not falter.
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