"Who the bigger club is" - Middlesbrough, Sunderland rivalry claim made | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has weighed in on the size of their rivalry with Sunderland

Middlesbrough’s rivalry with Sunderland is one that has been reignited again in the last couple of years.

The Black Cats’ difficult few years in League One meant that the two sides hadn’t faced each other in a number of seasons.

But their 2022 promotion has now seen them face each other five times in the last two years, with both sides enjoying their own successes.

Boro are in competition with their Wearside rivals in the battle for promotion this year, with the two clubs eyeing a top flight return since their joint-relegation in 2017.

Sunderland took all three points when they met in the first half of this campaign, but there is still plenty of time left for Michael Carrick’s side to gain back that ground in the table.

Middlesbrough’s rivalry with Sunderland analysed

When asked who Boro's biggest rivals are, and which of the two clubs are biggest, FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit Jasper Hudson suggested it’s closer than people might think.

While he admitted the debate around attendance is obviously in Sunderland’s favour, he has indicated that the Teesside outfit’s recent history might give them the edge.

“Without a doubt, Sunderland are our biggest rivals,” Hudson told Football League World.

“At the minute, being in the same league and being competitive in that league is good for the rivalry.

“It’s good that Sunderland came up as well, it gives us a game which both sides look forward to all season, and it sells out.

“In terms of who the bigger club is, it really depends on how you measure that.

“It’s hard to debate that they have the higher attendance in games.

“However, if you want to go with recent history, they obviously spent four years in League One and we haven’t.

“While we haven’t been in the Premier League in that time they were in League One.

“I think they’ve spent one more year in the Premier League than us, we’ve spent 15, they’ve spent 16, so again it’s very close as well.

“We obviously won the EFL Cup in 2004, and obviously we’ve been to a European final post-2000 as well.

“Sunderland obviously haven’t had as much success recently, they did win the EFL Trophy in 2021, so it’s a lot closer than people think when you actually look at what makes a team bigger and who is bigger based on recent and historical success as well.”

Middlesbrough and Sunderland’s historic record

Sunderland have been through the more difficult immediate history compared to Middlesbrough, who have been a mainstay in the Championship for the last decade or so.

But the Black Cats do have a lot of silverware to their name once we go much further back, winning six First Division titles in their time.

The Wearside outfit have also won the FA Cup twice, compared to Boro’s total of zero, only ever even reaching the final once.

Middlesbrough have also never won England’s top league, with the 2004 EFL Cup being their biggest victory in their history thus far.

Middlesbrough and Sunderland both have a lot of recent pedigree

Middlesbrough and Sunderland were both once a consistent presence in the Premier League, and will have a lot of name recognition around the world because of that.

Going back much further, there is no doubt that Sunderland are the bigger club given the trophies they’ve won in their time.

The Stadium of Light is a bigger stadium, draws in a bigger crowd and, despite their four years in League One, they have the more recent top flight record to their name as well.

While they were both relegated in 2017, Sunderland ended a decade in the Premier League at the time, while Boro were going straight back down after gaining promotion in 2016.