Liam Hoofe reviews Netflix’s Sunderland ‘Til I Die…
Back in August, Amazon Prime released their critically acclaimed All or Nothing: Manchester City which documented the titular team’s record-breaking Premier League season, providing an interesting insight into Pep Guardiola and all of the players.
Not to be outdone, Netflix were also busy filming their own football focused documentary last year, but instead of the glory of winning the Premier League, what they captured at newly relegated Championship club, Sunderland was a season of utter despair, one that ended in them completing a dreaded double relegation.
Comparisons between the two shows are inevitable, but in many ways, they couldn’t be more different. While Amazon’s documentary about Manchester City operated, by and large, as a piece of propaganda designed to make the club look like a well functioning international power-house, Netflix’s offering focuses on the other end of the footballing spectrum. In many ways, it’s a love letter to fans who stick by their club through thick and thin; the ones whose very happiness is determined by the fate of their team. At one point, a fan describes their relationship with their club as being one like with a partner who constantly cheats on them, as a fan of a lower league club myself, it’s a position I can completely relate to.
While All or Nothing: Manchester City certainly offered a behind the scenes look at the club, there were teams where everything felt a little bit rehearsed. That is not the case here. Several of the players come across as, well, arseholes, and the show spends a lot less time documenting the inner goings of the changing room. The documentary isn’t shy to document the crisis that has clearly engulfed the club, and the documentary is all the better for it. The fans, themselves, clearly a passionate bunch, are also given the warts and all treatment, with one particular exchange between one and Chris Coleman not exactly painting them in a good light.
It’s this increasing tension between the staff, the players, and the fans that really makes this documentary such a compelling, and oddly poignant watch. One particular montage, where we see Sunderland conceding sloppy goal after sloppy goal, with no commentary or music over the top, all but sums up the atmosphere at the club.
The last episode, though, which documents a takeover at the club, really captures what it means to be a football fan. In the face of two miserable seasons, the fans still find something to be happy about; with every devastating loss comes an unwavering sense of loyalty, and as a result, hope that it will be alright in the end.
While Manchester City: All or Nothing documented a club’s incredible success, and as a result, a club who felt as they were playing football on a different planet, Sunderland ‘Til I Die is more relatable, and ultimately, more passionate. It’s an eye-opening insight into what it takes to manage a football club both on and off the pitch, and is a must watch for football fans.
Also, Netflix, if you’re reading this, please give us a documentary following the club’s two chefs, what a wonderfully entertaining pair they are.
Liam Hoofe
