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Newcastle United appear “bound for promotion” and “no-one on Wearside is laughing” at the Magpies now following a dramatic turnaround in North-East football fortunes over the past few months, believes Stan Collymore.

The former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker - who is now an outspoken pundit - insists that while Sunderland have “lurched back into their default position of annual relegation scrappers” since the euphoria of staying up at United’s expense, Rafa Benitez has rebuilt Newcastle in his own image.

While the Black Cats are rooted to the foot of the Premier League table, their North-East rivals are top of the Championship and into the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.

Writing in his column for The Mirror, Collymore - reflecting on the final weeks of the 2015/16 campaign - states: “Fast-forward less than six months and the tables have turned dramatically in the North East.

“Sunderland might have thought they’d won the lottery staying up last season but depressingly they’ve lurched back into their default position of annual relegation scrappers.

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“Newcastle, meanwhile, took their medicine and look invigorated, hungry and bound for promotion.

“Little wonder no-one on Wearside is laughing at Newcastle now.”

For Collymore, the fact that Benitez has been handed complete control at St James’ Park has been the key factor in United’s transformation.

Interestingly, Collymore even describes Mike Ashley and Newcastle as the “perfect combination” for Benitez.

“In Rafa Benitez Newcastle have a manager who has taken control of their destiny in a way Sunderland can only dream about,” the 45-year-old adds.

“Then again, Rafa loves control. And in Mike Ashley and Newcastle he’s found the perfect combination – a club and owner desperate to be led out of the wilderness.

(Image: PA Wire)

“Even if it meant handing the reins over completely – something Ashley never seemed willing to do with past managers.

“The way the Spaniard played his hand in the summer was classic Benitez , negotiating his terms with the hard-ball stance of a manager who believed he could guarantee better days ahead.

“Having won the Champions League with Liverpool and just managed Real Madrid, Benitez offered a powerful argument why Ashley should break with tradition and give him the working conditions he demanded.

“Now he’s revelling in that autonomy – and with his team on top of the Championship and facing an EFL Cup quarter-final at Hull, no wonder there’s a buzz on Tyneside.”

Unlike their near-neighbours Newcastle, Collymore believe Sunderland and David Moyes look “beaten” and “shot to bits” already.

“While Benitez has the vibe of a man who knows what he wants and is on track to accomplish his goals, Sunderland boss David Moyes looks shot to bits just three months into job,” he continues.

“Moyes looks a beaten man already and listening to him he sounds like he’s not had his finger on the pulse of today’s football for a while.

“During the summer Rafa went into Newcastle and swept away the stench of failure with a cleverly executed shake-down.

(Image: 2016 Getty Images)

“But Moyes is still carrying deadwood, has-been players and right now you can’t see it turning around.

“While Newcastle finally look to have got it right, Sunderland are a million miles away.”

One word of warning from Collymore to Newcastle, however, is that the Magpies must allow Benitez to spend heavily next summer too.

Dwight Gayle’s goals are “papering over a lot of the cracks” within the United side, Collymore argues, so further investment is needed to survive in the top flight.

“A red-hot goalscorer in the Championship like Gayle can paper over a lot of cracks and Newcastle need a lot more quality than they’ve got if they want to make a splash when they get back in the Premier League,” he writes.

“But Rafa will have a plan for that and his first priority is to manage the crazy Championship schedule which he appears to be doing just nicely.”