What caused their decline ? Just the improvement of other clubs or mismanagement on their part ?
Sunderland ‘Til I Die | Season 3 on Netflix on 13th February
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That doesn't change what they are, ultimately. Grabban is a 2nd division journeyman and Rodwell is a permacrock who had some hype around him 10 years ago (mainly for being massive as a 16 year old IIRC)
Prolific, dangerous striker but nothing extraordinary. Probably about Jermaine Defoe kind of level at his peak.
I think he's still the only Englishman to win the European golden boot.
I've enjoyed watching this but can't help noticing that the most interesting people are the fans and low-level staff. The players and coaches were mostly bland and cliched while the exec looked like he was a Dragon's Den wannabe. It could have been far more interesting but the makers failed to convey the decline well enough from the perspective of the players. After every loss that exec just kept spouting fortune cookie wisdom while the players didn't seem that arsed at all. You barely saw any interviews with them.
feck me they had some crap keepers though.
feck me they had some crap keepers though.
It's a version of our pride of all Europe chant, but we say "we hate the Scousers, the cockneys of course, AND LEEDS!"
It's a good watch but a lot of this is generally depressing for this reason. To some degree you admire the commitment to the club, but watching these older folks whose lives seem to consist of just passing time between matches watching their club get pummeled into the ground is really difficult.
Do I really have to pay for Netflix again to watch this...
Everytime there are close ups on the angry ogres in the stands, swearing and spitting around this comes to my mind and I cannot help but chuckle.
Oh thank you Netflix, this is golden.
Also feck me, Coleman ages like hell in this thing. By the end of it I expect a full Moyes transformation.
Oh thank you Netflix, this is golden.
Also feck me, Coleman ages like hell in this thing. By the end of it I expect a full Moyes transformation.
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Finished it yesterday, loved it, mainly to enjoy their misery.
Fair play to Coleman who stood up to that fat gammon who was giving him grief outside the entrance to the stadium.
Fair play to Coleman who stood up to that fat gammon who was giving him grief outside the entrance to the stadium.
One of our most sung chants, quite surprising a United fan doesn't know this.
It is, but probably doesn't come across terribly well on TV. I certainly didn't know it until I started going to games in 2016, and I've been watching us since I was 9 (96/97ish)
Correct.
It is nice to know that Cattermole is playing at his level now.
And yet two Welsh players have won it. Bet you can’t name both without looking it up!
'I'm a married man with six kids' what the feck 
Ian Rush obviously was one of them. Had to wikipedia the other bloke!
Taylor, apparently, wasnt given the boot when it won it. No idea why.
Lee Camp is fecking shite
Binge watched this over a couple of days, and I thought it was a brilliant documentary. As a City fan, Sunderland's predicament is very similar to City's in the mid-late 90s, a potentially big club mis-managed and spiraling into oblivion and despair. Managers and players come and go, but the documentary shows the real heart of the club, the back-office staff and fans who care and who suffer, and I found it easy to really empathise with them. It'd be great if there's a follow-up second season that follows them into League One with a bit more hope post-takeover.
I thought the treatment of Rodwell was a bit unfair to be honest. Rodwell and the club signed a contract, and whatever you think about his quality or his injury record, he was still honouring the contract. So for the club to then try to pressure him into ripping up the contract on deadline day and telling him to look bigger picture at the club and the community didn't seem right to me. Who at the club was looking bigger picture when they agreed his contract? I certainly wouldn't walk away from a paid contract at my job, so I don't know why a footballer should be expected to do so.
Much better than the Amazon Prime documentary series on City, which I thought was superficial and over-produced.
I thought the treatment of Rodwell was a bit unfair to be honest. Rodwell and the club signed a contract, and whatever you think about his quality or his injury record, he was still honouring the contract. So for the club to then try to pressure him into ripping up the contract on deadline day and telling him to look bigger picture at the club and the community didn't seem right to me. Who at the club was looking bigger picture when they agreed his contract? I certainly wouldn't walk away from a paid contract at my job, so I don't know why a footballer should be expected to do so.
Much better than the Amazon Prime documentary series on City, which I thought was superficial and over-produced.
Really enjoyed it. Proper car crash TV.
Coleman came across well.
Coleman came across well.
It does seem weird that they never spunked up any cash for a decent striker. That's kind of fundamental that you need somebody who can score goals.
Tbh, unless you were there at the stadium I can't see why it would bother you so much. It's not like we drew or lost to them and the result sealed our fate ala West Ham.
You are right we always propped them up a fair bit, yet I never liked going there, but to me a more enduring memory of Sunderland is for this one fabulous moment:
The bit with the Dutch keeper having that finger operation was grim. 
What were they supposed to do if they had no cash?
Every goalkeeper they managed to sign was absolutely hopeless.Lee Camp is fecking shite
The fans were delighted they'd signed Camp, because they'd actually heard of him
Sounds very reasonable to me. Feck em.
It's a good watch and I do enjoy watching Sunderland fans suffer after the enjoyment they took from us losing the league .
Just finished this yesterday. It was a good watch, very well made. As a United fan, obviously I'd not cared for them one bit since they celebrated City winning the league infront of us, but I did sympathise with the club, a little bit. I just don't know who individually. Maybe the local players, if anyone. I know Cattermole wasn't popular as a PL player, but he seems to really give a shit about that club.
All the fans seemed to peg this on Ellis Short, but is it all on him? The man had pumped just shy of half a billion quid into that club, and it had been squandered on utter shite on which they made minimal return. The club had been massively mismanaged by the tier of staff beneath him. I don't see what else he could have done. Owning a football a club isn't just supplying a bottomless pit of cash. Eventually it has to self-sustain. I'd have thought that Ellis Short had predicted by the half a billion quid mark, it would begin to look after itself. Why would he give more money to Martin Bain if he's just going to squander it on shite like 70k contracts for Jack fecking Rodwell?
I don't think Coleman should've been sacked. He didn't do all that badly considering his only reasonable striker walked midway through the season, and that squad was total garbage. Who could've done better?
All the fans seemed to peg this on Ellis Short, but is it all on him? The man had pumped just shy of half a billion quid into that club, and it had been squandered on utter shite on which they made minimal return. The club had been massively mismanaged by the tier of staff beneath him. I don't see what else he could have done. Owning a football a club isn't just supplying a bottomless pit of cash. Eventually it has to self-sustain. I'd have thought that Ellis Short had predicted by the half a billion quid mark, it would begin to look after itself. Why would he give more money to Martin Bain if he's just going to squander it on shite like 70k contracts for Jack fecking Rodwell?
I don't think Coleman should've been sacked. He didn't do all that badly considering his only reasonable striker walked midway through the season, and that squad was total garbage. Who could've done better?
I read somewhere that he had a clause in his contract that if he played a certain amount of games he'd get a bonus. Not sure how much but would explain why he wasnt picked for games.
The fans are the best thing about it. Love the taxi driver.
"There wasn't even a match report in the daily mail. Not one line. Tory bastards"
"There wasn't even a match report in the daily mail. Not one line. Tory bastards"
That, and he probably had appearances bonuses. Some players do, get X amount for playing or Y for even appearing on the bench.
Watched episode 3 and it seems they played Bolton on the 31st of September no wonder they’re so shit, they’re losing on days that don’t even exist.
no wonder they’re so shit, they’re losing on days that don’t even exist.Maybe its a mockumentary?Watched episode 3 and it seems they played Bolton on the 31st of September
Just finished it. Pretty great car-crash TV. To see the optimism from the likes of Cattermole about getting promoted early on and then for it all to come crashing down so quickly was great.
Really liked Coleman, came across as a good bloke. Don't think he should have ever gotten the sack, I mean he basically went into an impossible job and got fecked by transfers and injuries over and over again. Why he took it when his stock was so high is completely beyond me.
Also thought Jonny Williams came across as a really good lad, and you just had to feel for him with the injuries. His depression from trying to deal with them as well as being alone in a new city was tough to watch at times, and made me appreciate what footballers have to deal with sometimes for their career.
Rodwell? Meh, thought he was intentionally painted badly. I mean who would voluntarily terminate their contract when they're being paid that well and know they will likely struggle to get another one somewhere else. It's not his fault the club were idiots and gave him it in the first place. That "no chance, mate" seemed really plucked out of context too.
Gibson is a fecking twat. As is Grabbin. Overall though I thought the footballers came across pretty well, which surprised me.
Really liked Coleman, came across as a good bloke. Don't think he should have ever gotten the sack, I mean he basically went into an impossible job and got fecked by transfers and injuries over and over again. Why he took it when his stock was so high is completely beyond me.
Also thought Jonny Williams came across as a really good lad, and you just had to feel for him with the injuries. His depression from trying to deal with them as well as being alone in a new city was tough to watch at times, and made me appreciate what footballers have to deal with sometimes for their career.
Rodwell? Meh, thought he was intentionally painted badly. I mean who would voluntarily terminate their contract when they're being paid that well and know they will likely struggle to get another one somewhere else. It's not his fault the club were idiots and gave him it in the first place. That "no chance, mate" seemed really plucked out of context too.
Gibson is a fecking twat. As is Grabbin. Overall though I thought the footballers came across pretty well, which surprised me.
This is brilliant. Watched the first two episodes - the CEO and manager seem like absolute idiots. Possibly the manager is just uncomfortable in front of the camera, but the CEO looks ludicrously out of his depth.
Agree with that. Could have explored some more interesting characters and also focused on an owner who blanked everyone and did not even talk to the fancy new manager they managed to hire when they were absolutely hopeless.
Yeah, I always had a soft-spot for Sunderland, until that game. Sod 'em.
There was some odd editing. During their away game at Norwich they would show fan reactions that were clearly not at Carrow Road (seemed to be at the Stadium of Light). I wanted to feel bad for their supporters but they kept making it really difficult to feel sympathy for them (just losing their shit every step of the way).Maybe its a mockumentary?
I think a close look at any English team's supporters would have you running for the hills TBF.
We used to have a good rapport with the Mackems until they did that Poznan shite. Had some good times at the old Roker Park when we played up there.
God, this is good. Absolutely binged on this.
Tell you what, that Johnny Williams seems like such a nice lad. Felt genuinely happy for him when he came back from injury. Similar when Fletcher was on that barren spell.
as @Grinner said, the main thing that makes it is the fans and the lower level staff - the passion for the club up there makes it an extremely emotional watch and good. It's nice how it's not fecking sterile like majority of these documentaries are, like including the bit where Coleman and that drunk fan square up.
Tell you what, that Johnny Williams seems like such a nice lad. Felt genuinely happy for him when he came back from injury. Similar when Fletcher was on that barren spell.
as @Grinner said, the main thing that makes it is the fans and the lower level staff - the passion for the club up there makes it an extremely emotional watch and good. It's nice how it's not fecking sterile like majority of these documentaries are, like including the bit where Coleman and that drunk fan square up.