The first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby in eight years is set to take place this weekend, and excitement levels are through the roof in the north east.
Over the years, several players from both sides have become legends at their respective clubs for scoring important goals in derby matches.
This has resulted in both sets of supporters creating various chants for some of their cult heroes, with direct references to their exploits in this particular fixture.
Today, we'll be focusing on the ‘Who Put The Ball In The Mackems Net' chant sung by Newcastle supporters.
Who Put The Ball In The Mackems Net chant, lyrics and tune
Newcastle have two football chants that contain the words ‘Who Put The Ball In The Mackems Net'. The most recent one created goes as follows:
Who put the ball in the Mackems' net?
Who put the ball in the Mackems' net?
Who put the ball in the Mackems' net?
Alexander Isak
The older chant, which is sung to a different tune, goes as follows:
Who put the ball in the Mackems' net?
O'Brien, O'Brien
Liam O'Brien, Andy O'Brien, any any O'Brien
Who put the ball in the Mackems' net chant background
The old iteration of the song about Andy and Liam O'Brien is in reference to two unrelated players with the same surname scoring important goals in matches against Sunderland. Liam scored the winner in a Tyne-Wear derby back in the 1992/93 season, while Andy scored a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light in 2001.
The fact that both players have the same surname is used by Newcastle fans in this chant to infer that anyone with the surname O'Brien is capable of scoring goals against Sunderland, something that gets under the skin of the Mackems.
The second chant is one that we shouldn't expect to hear this weekend. While Alexander Isak was the hero in the most recent Tyne-Wear derby, the player has since destroyed his relationship with Newcastle supporters by pushing for a move to Liverpool in the summer.
Newcastle fans singing the Who Put The Ball In The Mackems Net chant
FGG says: Who will be the next hero?
Newcastle fans won't want to give up the ‘Who put the ball in the Mackems' net?' chant, but they won't be singing Alexander Isak's name any time soon. Therefore, the Geordies will be desperate for a new derby day hero to emerge this weekend, and preferably one with six syllables in their name! Up step Anthony Elanga.