IT IS traditional for neighbours to knock on each other's door and ask for a cup of sugar but, this week, Geremi's closest living companions have been calling round to tell the Newcastle midfielder how crucial it is he beats Sunderland.

Forget the importance of a sugared cup of tea. For each and every Newcastle supporter, three points against the Black Cats tomorrow afternoon will be more than sweet enough.

"My neighbours and the people who live around me have been coming up to me for the last two or three weeks and talking to me about this game,"

said Geremi, who made a twominute substitute appearance as Newcastle secured a 1-1 draw on Wearside in the opening Tyne-Wear derby of the season.

"They all say, That is the game you have to win'.

"They have left me in no doubt as to how important this game is, but I already knew that anyway. I lived in the north when I played for Middlesbrough, and that was enough to teach me all I needed to know about the Newcastle versus Sunderland game."

And if Geremi needs any more reminders about the importance of derby football, he need only cast his mind back to his three successful seasons with Real Madrid.

While Real's city derby pits them against Atletico, their clashes with Barcelona effectively represent a derby fixture that encompasses the whole of Spain.

The rivalry between the two clubs embraces history, geography and politics, and is feverishly intense as a result, but Geremi insists that the competition between Newcastle and Sunderland is equally ferocious.

"I have played in a lot of derbies,"

said the Cameroon international. "I have been playing in big derbies from my earliest days in football.

"In Spain, Real Madrid against Barcelona is probably as big a football game as you can get. But for Newcastle people, the game against Sunderland is every bit as important. It means a lot for the club and a lot for the city.

"You don't need to talk too much before a derby game. You know what the atmosphere on the pitch is going to be like and you look forward to it."

Newcastle can look forward to tomorrow's game with added confidence following a fivegame unbeaten run that has all but secured their Premier League status.

Their recent upsurge in form began when Kevin Keegan altered his formation to accommodate all three of his leading attackers. Geremi has formed a three-man midfield with Joey Barton and Nicky Butt as a result, and Newcastle have been transformed from the ponderous and passionless outfit that under-performed so spectacularly under Sam Allardyce.

"I think we have found the solution," said Geremi. "When Kevin Keegan came, we were finding it difficult to get a result. Now, he has found the best way for us to play.

"The manager has changed the team. He realised the type of player he has at the club and that is why he changed the way we play. He knows his players now, and he is using them in a good position.

"We try to play football. I have spoken to people on the opposite team after games and they are saying, You are difficult to break down now - the shape and the discipline is there'. That is what he has brought."