Sunderland AFC supporters suffered dreaded Newcastle United poach that ruined player's legacy: View | OneFootball

Jack Colback made the controversial move from Sunderland to Newcastle United in 2014

It's fair to say that there is absolutely no love lost between Sunderland and Newcastle United, so when Jack Colback made the decision to cross the divide in 2014, it was a decision that understandably didn't go down well.

Midfielder Colback was born in Newcastle but had joined Sunderland's academy in 1999 as a youngster, and spent 15 years as a Black Cat, breaking into the first-team in 2008.

Over the course of six years, Colback would accumulate 135 appearances for Sunderland, becoming a popular member of the squad after coming through the academy, and despite being born in Newcastle, he certainly felt like one of Sunderland's own.

This meant it was a huge shock in the summer of 2014 when Colback left the Stadium of Light, making the move to bitter rivals Newcastle United, a decision which plenty of Sunderland supporters haven't forgiven him for.

Newcastle United switch ruined Jack Colback's Sunderland legacy

Colback moving to bitter rivals Newcastle United was bad enough for Sunderland supporters, but the manner in which he did so would have left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Sunderland were battling relegation from the Premier League during the 2013/14 season, and with Colback out of contract in the summer of 2014, he was reluctant to put pen to paper on a new deal with their Premier League status far from secured.

As was standard for Sunderland back then, they managed to escape relegation in the final weeks of the season, but it wasn't enough to keep Colback at the club.

Sunderland claimed that they had agreed to all the terms that Colback demanded from a fresh deal, only for him to leave for their bitter rivals on a free transfer, leaving a "bitter taste" as Sunderland stated when they released a statement in the aftermath.

It was clear that the Black Cats were less than impressed by what had happened, with a player that they had nurtured for 15 years joining their biggest rivals on a free transfer, meaning not only did they not receive a transfer fee, but they received no compensation either, as he was older than 24.

They released a statement saying: "Jack is a player we have nurtured and developed through our Academy system since he was eight years old. We gave him the opportunity to become a professional footballer and are therefore extremely disappointed in the events that have led to his departure from the club.

"This was not about money, the club agreed to all the terms demanded of us during the discussions, and we were always led to believe that Jack wanted to stay with us. At his and his representatives’ request, final talks were put on hold until the club secured its top flight status. To our dismay, however, we were subsequently never given the chance to negotiate with him to stay.

"For him to then leave the club that has supported him throughout his formative years in such a manner, with no chance for Sunderland to recover any of the significant investment that it has made in him as a player, has left a bitter taste."

Leaving Sunderland for Newcastle United is controversial enough, but the way it happened made things even worse, and left the Black Cats without the chance to make any money from his departure.

Colback would spend the next six years at St James' Park, although 18 months of that was spent on loan at Nottingham Forest, and when he departed the North East in 2020, he'd made 33 more appearances for Sunderland than he had for Newcastle.

His move in the summer of 2014 proved one of the most controversial transfers in recent English football history, and he's the last player to cross the divide directly, perhaps understandably so given the rivalry.

Sunderland have had the last laugh with Jack Colback's departure

Colback is currently playing for QPR in the Championship, but since leaving Sunderland a decade ago, he's yet to taste victory against the Black Cats.

He's played against Sunderland six times, drawing twice and losing four times, and he's not scored a goal or registered an assist against them either, as per Transfermarkt.

This will please Sunderland supporters, and not letting Colback get the best of him will be consolation for the way he treated the club when left.

Sunderland will face QPR in November before hosting them at the Stadium of Light on the final day of the season, and the midfielder can expect a frosty reception, as per usual, from the Black Cats faithful.

Colback perhaps didn't live up to expectations at Newcastle despite a decent start, and the fact he's still yet to beat Sunderland will please supporters, and they'll hope it remains that way this season.