In April last year, they danced at the back of this huge stand three times. It was Sunderland's biggest win against Newcastle for more than 30 years. Then manager Paolo Di Canio slid on his knees. The win kept Sunderland up but the manner of defeat caused chaos on Tyneside. There were 111 arrests, mostly of people who had not even been to the game.
At the Stadium of Light in October, Sunderland again beat Newcastle. Ashley and Joe Kinnear, his director of football, missed the defeat and the tentative beginnings of the Sunderland revival, under Gus Poyet.
From there, Poyet has slowly taken control to the point that this week he berated Stoke City manager Mark Hughes for not contacting him over alleged interest in two of his players, Steven Fletcher and Lee Cattermole.
"For a transfer, he must call the manager," Poyet said. "He did not call me. That was huge."
For all the public rancour that surrounded Di Canio, he could not undermine Roberto De Fanti, the director of football unearthed in a restaurant in London. That was the new plan of Sunderland owner Ellis Short, a structure to encourage continuity and keep transfers away from the manager.
Di Canio bit his tongue in the summer when Tom Huddlestone was offered less money by De Fanti than he was already on at Spurs. The midfielder joined Hull. Di Canio ranted and raged. Nothing changed. Di Canio was sacked.
Earlier this month, De Fanti, who signed 14 players for around 30m in the close season in another ill-advised spending spree, was also sacked. He has yet to be replaced. Poyet returned to Brighton to sign midfielder Liam Bridcutt yesterday. He was instrumental in the acquisition of left back Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina and central defender Santiago Vergini.
To win a boardroom battle after the carnage of Di Canio is testament to Poyet's political skill. He is a manager Kinnear and Ashley are both believed to rate. Losing just once in the last 14 games has added to his rising star.
The Sunderland dressing room last night was small, hot and claustrophobic. There is little air, the ceiling is low. It used to be the base for Newcastle, but they moved to a bigger, more luxurious changing area in 2007 and in the last close season, the home dressing room was given the full treatment.
Black-and-white pictures of club legends Bobby Moncur and Jackie Milburn adorn the walls. Each player has his own personal code to a safe in his own locker.
Yohan Cabaye's is now vacant, a small man with great talent and a huge personality.
How the French players react to his departure may well determine Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's own future in a bid to avoid becoming the first Newcastle manager since 1924 to lose three successive Tyne-Wear derbies.
There was a dejected acceptance by Pardew this week that he must now build his third team as Newcastle manager. He has been in charge for just over three years. Continuity is impossible with a club philosophy that a respected Newcastle fans' website compared this week to Crewe Alexandra.
Pardew said: "I can't argue where we are in the table: eighth. That's our average position over all the years of the Premier League. How can we better it? That's what I want to do." The Independent
