Hi.
I was just wondering why you removed my edit on the Mackem rivalry page?  What I added, I believe to be a fact.  Perhaps we could work on making it more neutral if you thought it may offend anyone?  I am originally from South Shields, which is more or less equidistant from the rival cities.  I am currently however, living in Middlesbrough.  The rivalry in South Shields is slightly more noticable since it is geographically and socially directly in the middle, and also because it has more of a mix of Necastle United and Sunderland AFC supporters.  The rivalry is especially evident in the new town of Washington as it seems (I might be wrong) to have approximately an equal amount of Geordie and Mackem residents.

I don't want to offend anyone, however, I believe my edit should be included in the article in some form, as it is true that there are a considerable amount of people in both Newcastle and Sunderland who don't have a clue about the origins of the rivalry.  They tend to attribute it entirely on football, or in extreme cases, for no reason at all.  Sometimes, whenever a Geordie or a Mackem makes a reference to the rivalry, I question them.  Most of the time, their response was just "don't know why," or "because they are scum!" and cound not give a reasonable argument.

Let me know how you feel about this.
Take care!