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Alan Curbishley
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Featured review
Sunderland In Blunderland
I'm using the last episode of Series 2 to comment on this second fly-on-the-wall documentary series on struggling major football club, Sunderland AFC. The first series, covering the previous season, was probably meant to highlight anticipated success for the team's return to the Premiership following relegation into the lower Championship league but instead saw them unaccountably slump to relegation to the next division below, paradoxically called Division 1, obviously a massive blow to the finances and status of a proud side.
So, as the new, shortened 6-part series gets underway, it's all change for this 2018-2019 season, new men behind the scenes in executive positions, a new manager in young Scottish supreme Jack Ross and several new faces in the team too. The format is the same as before, up close, access-all-areas contact with not only the owners and his managerial staff, the manager (although to a much lesser degree than with the previous incumbents from Series 1) and players, but again the best entertainment comes from the die-hard fan-base of the team, including some of the support staff, all of whom have a fervent, almost obsessive love for their club and long for a return to happier times for the team. Even the local church minister includes the team in his prayers...
This time, Sunderland are actually challenging on two fronts, firstly they are in the main promotion group for pretty much the whole season and also win their through to a cup final for the lower division teams which nevertheless sees them make an appearance at the hallowed Wembley Stadium, which of course entails a massive day-out for the supporters. I won't give too much away but let's just say that with this team, hope and heartbreak are deeply intertwined.
Sensitively but still candidly filmed, the ups and downs of the season play out at different times as high drama and tragedy, even comedy at times. Key events include the loss of a key striker in the January transfer window, the race to find a suitable replacement (on a budget), and injury to a key player in the vital season-defying end-games, but there's fascination in the detail too as a new marketing manager exerts pressure on his sales staff to get the support out, as well as the new managing director's near-hopeless task to try to balance the books and rein in the excesses of the previous administration.
Like the first series, I found it compulsive viewing and while it may just be a happy or unhappy, depending on your point of view) coincidence that both seasons covered by the cameras were epochal for the team, there's no doubt that this side, with their state-of-the-art stadium and potentially massive home support, should be playing at a higher level.
All they need somehow is a team on the pitch good enough to deliver that for them. I just hope the cameras are back there to report it if and when it ever happens.
Ha'way the lads!
So, as the new, shortened 6-part series gets underway, it's all change for this 2018-2019 season, new men behind the scenes in executive positions, a new manager in young Scottish supreme Jack Ross and several new faces in the team too. The format is the same as before, up close, access-all-areas contact with not only the owners and his managerial staff, the manager (although to a much lesser degree than with the previous incumbents from Series 1) and players, but again the best entertainment comes from the die-hard fan-base of the team, including some of the support staff, all of whom have a fervent, almost obsessive love for their club and long for a return to happier times for the team. Even the local church minister includes the team in his prayers...
This time, Sunderland are actually challenging on two fronts, firstly they are in the main promotion group for pretty much the whole season and also win their through to a cup final for the lower division teams which nevertheless sees them make an appearance at the hallowed Wembley Stadium, which of course entails a massive day-out for the supporters. I won't give too much away but let's just say that with this team, hope and heartbreak are deeply intertwined.
Sensitively but still candidly filmed, the ups and downs of the season play out at different times as high drama and tragedy, even comedy at times. Key events include the loss of a key striker in the January transfer window, the race to find a suitable replacement (on a budget), and injury to a key player in the vital season-defying end-games, but there's fascination in the detail too as a new marketing manager exerts pressure on his sales staff to get the support out, as well as the new managing director's near-hopeless task to try to balance the books and rein in the excesses of the previous administration.
Like the first series, I found it compulsive viewing and while it may just be a happy or unhappy, depending on your point of view) coincidence that both seasons covered by the cameras were epochal for the team, there's no doubt that this side, with their state-of-the-art stadium and potentially massive home support, should be playing at a higher level.
All they need somehow is a team on the pitch good enough to deliver that for them. I just hope the cameras are back there to report it if and when it ever happens.
Ha'way the lads!
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- Lejink
- Jul 5, 2021
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