Did Chris Waddle have a clause in his Newcastle contract saying he couldn't play against Sunderland?

Were the rumours about why Sunderland fan Chris Waddle never played for Newcastle in a Tyne-Wear derby true?

Author:
Michael Graham
Publish date:
Dec 14, 2022 12:45 PM EST

Since it’s Chris Waddle’s birthday today, we thought we’d indulge in a little bit of nostalgia. He is a Sunderland fan after all, as well as a former player.

Sadly, he wasn’t the latter for anywhere near long enough, or early enough in his career. It wasn’t for the want of trying on his part, though.

He instead ended up starting his professional career at Newcastle, and there were rumours for years that he had a clause in his contract that he could not play against Sunderland.

Indeed, he only ever actually played against Sunderland in a competitive game once in his career, which was for Sheffield Wednesday in a 1993 FA Cup game. He also played in a Tyne-Wear derby, but for Sunderland in a 1-1 draw at St James' Park in 1997. So, were the rumours true?

Asked in a Q&A by Four Four Two Magazine whether it was difficult to play for Newcastle despite being a life-long Sunderland fan, Waddle said: “It wasn’t a problem at all.

“I actually had a two-week trial with Sunderland before signing for Newcastle but they didn’t fancy me. That wasn’t the annoying part though. What was annoying was that I could only take two weeks’ holiday from the sausage-seasoning factory and both weeks were used up by that trial.

“So, when Newcastle offered me a trial a week later, I couldn’t take it. In the end, Newcastle said they’d wait until my contract finished at Tow Law [the amateur club he was playing for at the time] before signing me.

“As for an agreement in my contract not to play against Sunderland – what a load of rubbish. We played Sunderland twice in my five years at Newcastle and both times I was injured. That’s it.”

Quite how the Sunderland management at the time managed to let a young Chris Waddle slip through their fingers is a total mystery, although Waddle did eventually get to play for his boyhood club.

It was just for seven games, sadly, and very much at the end of his career, and they ended in relegation. Those who watched him had nothing but good memories of it, though. He also scored the penultimate league goal at Roker Park – a brilliant free kick in the 3-0 win over Everton.

One of the things for which that season was infamous was Premier Passions, which was the Sunderland 'Til I Die of its day. Waddle remembers it well.

“At the start of the season the lads were all really aware of the cameras but by 20-odd games the cameras were just part of the changing room.

“I do remember that bollocking from Peter Reid. We’d just got beat 2-0 by Liverpool and he went around the team having a go at everyone, then he got to me and said, ‘What do you think?’ I just said they were too good for us.

“He wasn’t happy. He was a very passionate manager. If we’d put a swear box in the changing room that year, he’d have had to pay about £200,000.”

Read More Sunderland Coverage