“You can throw your hope into it. It’s hope, it’s positive, it’s a shared feeling. There is something which drags you back from the brink.”
There’s an emotional beauty about the latest series of Sunderland ‘Til 3, especially in the humbling, humane contributions from fans and players. This Netflix feature started with misery and mockery, but this time it ends at Wembley. And yes, hope, glory, tears. Wow, those happy, singing, faces. "Elation, relief," as striker Ross Stewart said. All via cost cutting, job losses, Alex Neil, and some new heroes stepping forward.
It is new boss Neil who finally turns the tide of misery and inconsistency on the pitch. It could have been Roy Keane, but talks broke down. Only co-owner Juan Sartori wasn’t convinced saying: “Roy Keane would have been good for the third Netflix series but maybe we would have a third season of disasters!”
It perfectly connects the fortunes of the rollercoaster of a club, with the mood of the people it serves. That’s why this series has an enduring appeal, a fascination. It’s a tale for fans of all clubs, not just those on Wearside. “It’s a one club town,” says a fan. “So if Sunderland are doing well the town is doing well and the atmosphere is good and people are happy. If the club is doing badly the town is doing badly and people are depressed.”
And in recent years, they’ve been depressed. Sean Landless leads a group of grizzled lads into the freezing North Sea to help their mental health and says: “My family, friends and Sunderland are the only constant in my life. It’s been there from the first second I remember and ‘til the day I die.”
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“Why do we never get anything...” yells one weeping fan. That resonates. It’s been the cry of the North East towards the Government for decades.
Sunderland celebrate following their promotionThe first two series were supposed to capture new owners returning the club to the Premier League, but they ended up plunging to League One for four seasons. This third series charts the Mackems' quest for promotion out of League One, via a Wembley play off.
The stars are the Sunderland fans who feature, plus the relentlessly positive current skipper Luke O’Nein, Jack Clarke and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus who gives his first personal insight into why he bought (or didn’t buy quite all) the club. Swiss-French tycoon Kyril seems like a sensible lad, level-headed lad telling the story of growing up around Marseille football club owned by his late father. Not many kids get to stand next to Sepp Blatter and Didier Deschamps at the family business.
O’Nein’s comeback from injury is charted, capped with a goal. Clarke and Patrick Roberts go on a day trip to serve lunch to some local veterans, listening intently, and leaving enriched by knowing what they do on the pitch is the talk of the town for a week. Striker Ross Stewart reveals how his dad paid £500 of his £1,500 transfer fee to get him playing for Albion in the Scottish league.
Sunderland players and staff celebrate in the dressing room (Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)Spoiler…Sunderland went up! Alex Neil left, Tony Mowbray had a tilt at promotion from the Championship last season and now Michael Beale is in charge. That’s a lot of water under the bridge. But Clarke and Roberts and Dreyfus remain. And so do the fans who bare their feelings, and who no one can begrudge some cheer.
There’s also the stunning shots of Wearside sunrises. Panoramas of the beach and local industry. And a tearful ending remembering two big club personalities, club press officer Louise Wanless, and superfan Ian Wake, a geniune star of the series.
Perhaps it takes a real fan to produce a football documentary that works. This is beautifully done by Sunderland fan Leo Pearlman and his Fulwell 73 team.
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