All language subtitles for Sunderland.Til.I.Die.S01E01.Blinded.By.The.Light.iNTERNAL.WEB.x264-PLUTONiUM

Morning.

Good morning. Are you all right?

Gathered as a communion of faith,

we bring our prayers before the Lord.

Let us pray for Sunderland Football Club
and for our city.

Lord, our God, help us to understand
what football means to our community.

Show us how football can help unite.

Guide us to take the best
out of every game.

Help us through our anger and our fury...

when our team is not performing
as best it can.

Help the people of Sunderland
in their frustration,

for they are good people who work hard.

Fuck off!

Guide us in our love
for our city and our club,

for it is a love borne out of passion.

Here! Get behind him! Come on!

Back him!

Dear Lord, help Sunderland,
and all our players...

in their ability in all games.

Grant them self-belief
and a spirit of confidence.

Because the success of our team...

leads to the success
and prosperity of our city.

Amen.

Look at that. His pal's looked after him.
He got two left feet.

It was a new culture for me

when I've, obviously, come
from Man United to Sunderland last season.

Yeah, we weren't doing as well
as we wanted to in the previous season,

but ultimately,
we were staying in the league.

But last season, obviously,
we just slipped under that,

and that relegation hit us.

As a team, I think,
we've got to be looking to get promoted.

We've got a really good core,
a really good group of lads

that I've been lucky enough to work with.

Lot of good, old senior pros
that I've learnt a lot off.

-Good morning.
-How are you, Georgie?

Good morning.
It's always a joy to see you.

Fucking pleasure, lads.
Fucking pleasure. Good to be alive, huh?

-Morning, Gibbo.
-Darron?

The joy to see Gibbo.

It is a big club. The fan base is big.

Training ground is unbelievable.

Stadium is brilliant.

It just gives you that belief
that we actually can get results,

and we are a decent side like.

When a challenge like this comes up,
and a challenge to go to such a big club,

it was a no-brainer really. I'm 26 now.

I think this is a great move for me,
in terms of my career,

and hopefully a great platform for me
to show what I'm about.

Keep that pressure amongst ourselves

and keep pushing each other
back into the big league.

It's a new chapter for the club,

and if we approach it
in the right manner, promotion.

Automatic. Win the league.

When a team like Sunderland come knocking,

you can't afford to turn
that opportunity down.

You never know if you're gonna get
to manage such a big football club.

Albeit with the risks it entails as well,

because it is not a stable football club
at this moment.

Hey, guys, wanna move in a bit more?

-Move into the gaps. That's it.
-That's better.

And then, same on this side as well.

It's still too good an opportunity
for me to turn down.

I didn't want to look back
in six months' time and think,

"Somebody's gone in to Sunderland
and got them going.

-That could've been me."
-Straight ahead, lads.

Three, two, one...

Sunderland was the biggest
shipbuilding town in the world.

The massive employment in Sunderland
in the '60s, '50s, '40s, '30s

would be the shipyards and the pits.

Everybody in Sunderland has got a relation
who's either worked in the shipyards,

or worked in the pits. Everybody.

Unfortunately, them jobs have gone.

Really skilled blokes,
and they just lost the lot.

Not many kids had it easy
in Sunderland. It is a hard place.

Sunderland is a massive,
massive footballing city.

This is the lifeline.
This is Sunderland, man.

We're not talking
about Watford or Cambridge.

We're talking about a working-class city,

where the main talking point
in Sunderland is Sunderland Football Club.

The 1973 cup final
was one of the greatest times

in Sunderland's history
as far as I'm concerned.

Watson is right in there, so too is Halom.
And Porterfield!

Sunderland, the underdogs,
are in the lead!

You couldn't explain what it was like.
It was like party time.

The momentum started
and just built and built and built.

Ninety percent
of the games I've watched...

we've either been going for promotion
or fighting relegation.

…gets it back.

Yes! That's the goal!

The club has moved
into modern surroundings.

Duke called the stadium magnificent.

It's one of the best stadiums
in the country.

And he misses a goal!

Phillips! Oh, yes! Oh, yes!

It just couldn't go wrong.
Everything went right.

Women would go and take the kids.
It was all age groups.

And it really took off.

Defoe!

Oh, about time!

To Borini! Oh, my word! What a goal!

My goodness! They haven't got much
to talk about in the North East:

unemployment, poverty.

But they've got a team
through to Wembley.

And that's their God, football!

The last 10, 12 years,
we've been in the Premiership.

But, unfortunately, it's just went wrong.

This is over, and it is over
as far as Sunderland are concerned.

After ten consecutive seasons
in the Premier League,

they have been relegated today.

Sunderland, never mind the football club,
Sunderland Football Club is Sunderland.

And if it doesn't get up,

we haven't got much going
for us to start with.

It's just another nail in the coffin.

Like the shipyards and the pits.

You know...

I've had enough actually.

There you are. Show that to the world.

Are there any season tickets?

Right. It's gonna be £230 to pay please.

You just want your normal seats, yeah?

That's Gail.

It is G-A-I-L.

No, I'm at a birthday party.

-Hi.
-Hi, there.

I'm just after renewing
some season tickets please.

Right. Okay.

There you go.
Cheers now. Thanks very much.

-The same seats?
-Yes.

So you're not buying season tickets?

Not for this one, no.

Thank you. Bye, bye.

Just been invited out.

It's usually about the 70-year-olds
that proposition me.

It's great.
Like the atmosphere now is fantastic.

With our new manager and everything.

Straight away, you got positive people.
Got positive people in management.

Come on, Sunderland.
Let's give them the...

I hope the turnout's good today
to get behind the new manager.

Match day.

It's ours to take. Gotta go for it.

It's done, it's dusted.
We're down. Forget about it.

New chapter. Here we go.

Look at the stadium. This has been
a Premiership club for many years.

It's nice to have these surroundings
to play in,

but it's really about
getting the place rocking.

What we've tried to do so far,
pre-season, is have a winning mentality.

The lads have got a little bit of a spring
in their step.

They know what's around the corner.

The closer you get to the first game
of the season,

the edge is there for the players.

They're getting their sharpness back,
their competitive edge.

This is a week before the season starts.

Every supporter will think
this is gonna be the year

for their football club getting promoted

to the next level
and have a successful season.

So, we've done the work. We've prepared.

We look forward to it.
Let's get off to a positive start.

A very good afternoon.
It's a warm summer Saturday afternoon.

It's pre-season friendly.
It's Sunderland's last

before the season starts proper
on Friday night.

We've got to get off
to a good start.

Get off to a good start,
and the momentum will keep us on

with the crowds and support
and everything.

Go and beat them
four or five-nothing,

and go at the start of the season
with confidence.

So I'm thinking 2-0 to Sunderland today.

I've got my fingers crossed.

I'll go through the info Intelligence.
This is category A fixture.

We have had some conversations
with the police this week.

As a result some of the concerns
they've raised,

we've agreed to increase
the policing resources in the stadium.

Here we go!

Today, 2-1. 2-1 to the lads.
I can feel it, yeah.

I think the manager really suits
the place. It's refreshing.

It's up to us, as a group,
to believe in what the manager's given us

and keep working towards that.

'Cause that's gonna be our blueprint
throughout the season.

I'm excited about these players.
In the dressing room. A lot of new faces,

and good lads, as well,
who know the league.

Goalkeeping is different
to outfield players

because the gaffer can pick ten.

Being a keeper,
there's only one spot, obviously.

We all know how hard you have to work,
day in and day out.

I make sure that I'm the best keeper
for the team.

One of our famous frequencies is CCTV.

Stand track side.

Sunderland till I die.

I'm Sunderland till I die.

I know I am, I'm sure I am

Sunderland! Sunderland! Sunderland!

Sunderland! Sunderland! Sunderland!

They're certainly lively, the Celtic fans.

I understand it's hotting up,
should we say, around the city.

Sunderland's new keeper, Jason Steele,
he starts this afternoon.

And it's Sunderland

Sunderland FC

We're by far the greatest team

The world has ever seen

Go on!

You know, a lot of people spoke
about Simon Grayson.

I've been impressed with him.

Straight away, he goes
and gets a goalkeeper.

He knows
what his opponents are looking for.

He's brought players in
who will roll their sleeves up

and give 100 percent.

Back up to Cattermole
to try and win it back.

Ndong lays it to Cattermole.

Back to Browning,
who's under a bit of pressure

but rolls it back, and played out to Koné

who makes a mistake under pressure,
and Celtic could score. And they do.

Terrible mix up in the back by Sunderland.

And Celtic score in the fourth minute.

Terrible mistake by Koné.

Ball played through
the center of the field,

can do nothing about it,
and it's smacked under him.

Celtic lead 2-0.
Look at Sunderland. They look puzzled.

Absolutely look puzzled.
They're gonna bring on Honeyman.

And the shot blocked. Honeyman!

-Penalty.
-They've given him a penalty.

It's a penalty now to Sunderland.
Chance to pull a goal back.

He's missed both of them.

Steele saved, not cleared,
fell straight to a Celtic player.

How easy is that?
How many efforts are they gonna have?

The chance for Celtic
to make it four here.

-4-0.
-That's how to take a penalty.

I think there's police
in the north tunnel.

Tell a steward to liaise with the police.
Go in with police support,

get the CCTV on. There is police there.

-Shot now...
-Oh, no.

Anything on target is going in
at the present moment.

Release the exit gates and commence
the turnstile barrier operation.

What the hell are you doing?

It's a bit late now, O'Shea!

For God's sake, get a grip!

A lot of things that could go wrong
went wrong today.

It's a wake-up call to myself.

Maybe I thought the players knew
what they're doing better than they did,

but obviously not.

This is a work in progress.

There's still a lot of work to be done,
both on and off the pitch.

A lot of heart and soul has been ripped
out of this football club the last years.

We have to make sure
we put some positivity back into it.

It's like being in a shit relationship.

They keep cheating on you, and you know
you should break up with them.

That team was absolutely terrible today.

Vaughan tried.
Absolutely pathetic. We're sick of it.

Grayson's a good manager.
It's the fucking players.

Cattermole and all of them, it's them.
It's not the fucking manager.

So, piss off!

Get back! Get back!

Welcome to the madhouse.
Oliver. How old are you, Oliver?

-Six.
-Twenty?

-No, six.
-You're only six.

Josh, you're 45, aren't you?

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

So, who're we dropping first?

-Joshy.
-No.

We drop Oliver first 'cause Joshy's nurse
is on the way to Daddy's work.

Where's your daddy's work at?

Where do you think it is?

-It's in the roundabout.
-It's on the roundabout.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

Be good, Joshy, okay?

Okay.

Joshy, you come with Dad quickly.

Bye.

We just collapsed.
We should've took our chances.

Three or four great chances,

and we got hit with a sucker punch
and we just folded.

'Cause we thought
if we can't score, we can't win the game.

But the fans let us know after the game,

and I think that really hurt
a few of the lads.

Obviously, I've got nothing
to compare it to really.

I played a few times last year,
but I was sort of in and out a lot.

So, I wasn't a main figure or anything.

It's a good job you never came
in the house there

'cause the missus will tell you
what a tosser I am.

I just... Yeah, you just...

You lose a game, you don't talk,
and stuff like that. It's not nice.

You should never do that,
and I know I shouldn't do it,

but I think it's just a part of me.

Part of who I am.
I think she accepts that now.

It's kinda like being thrown
in the deep end,

but I'm not like a total youngster.

Do you know what I mean?
I've got to take...

a lot of responsibility on my shoulders.

When you're top of the league and flying,

don't never feel tired.
Do you know what I mean?

You never feel tired and stressed.

But... it's part of the perks, innit?

It's life.

There's only us
that can sort it out to be fair.

There's only us that can sort it out.

As a chief exec, in times of adversity,

in a perverse sort of way,

you relish the fact
that you're under the cosh.

You know you're getting criticism,

and you have a lot
to contend with day to day,

emotionally, personally,
and emotionally in the job.

But for me, that's what gets me
out of bed in the morning.

To effect change, and make a difference,
and take on a challenge,

I like that.

If life's a little bit like,
just go into the nice, glossy office,

and a nice corporate structure, and fee.

That's not me.
I'm not interested in that.

So, I do really get the bit
between my teeth that says,

"Fuck this. I'm gonna make a difference."

Six days ahead of the new season,

any party atmosphere among Sunderland fans
soon evaporated,

courtesy of five Celtic goals.

As for second-half substitute
Darron Gibson,

he made back and inside back page
headlines this morning,

following a bar room conversation
with fans,

one of who videoed his verbal attack

on the commitment
of some of his teammates.

Mate, there's too many people
at the club...

that don't give a fuck.

Who's not committed to the club?

You tell me
who's not committed to the club.

First of all, Koné.
He doesn't seem in it.

Right. There's one.

-Jermain Lens.
-Next one.

Gibson appeared to suggest
that some of his teammates

aren't up for the fight.

So, wait. Darron, you?
You're off your fucking face in here.

Right. I might be off my face in here,

but, I still want to play for Sunderland.

The rest of them fucking don't, though.
The rest of them don't.

It just makes you feel sick
because it's a negative

at the start of the season
when you're building positives.

So there's enough negatives
coming out the Premier League

and issues that we had.
You think you've put that behind you,

and then Darron Gibson does something
that's totally unacceptable to me,

Sunderland Football Club,
or any Sunderland supporter.

It's been disrespectful to the players
because they're still here.

They will contribute to the season.

To be public, it doesn't look good
for the football club,

and it's not what we need
in the build up to the season.

It was a big mistake.

I don't think the club needed it,
and the fans didn't need it either...

after just being relegated, so...

it was disappointing from my point
of view. I thought I let myself down.

I understand how privileged I am
to be in the position I am,

and being able to do something
that I love doing every day,

and getting paid for it.
I've been brought up to work hard

from I first started playing football
to now.

So, I've worked for everything I've got.

When I spoke to Simon,
both of us were disappointed in him,

what he was doing at a stage in pre-season
where everybody is focused on getting fit.

Everybody on the move. Don't be standing
still. Got to receive it!

Everybody now, everybody on the move,
or else you'll be going in.

No standing still on the move, Joel!

As a punitive sanction, he got fined.
Then, in fairness to him,

he voluntarily apologized
and was remorseful.

He admitted he made a mistake.

He's probably still a fortunate boy
to be playing at the football club.

We don't want the same season
as we had last year.

There's probably a lot of players
on short term,

or whatever, wanting to move.

You can't control all that,
and that's the frustrating thing.

There're players who wanna do it right.
Gibbo is one of them.

Positive mindset,
everything that we've done.

We spoke about, in the past, again,
what's happened previously, it's gone.

What we can affect now is the future
and what we're gonna do.

So it's a positive mindset for everybody,

which transmits from us,
onto the supporters.

As a club point of view, we've had players
who've done nothing for two, three years.

They just came and left.

I wouldn't mind sat around
for three, four years, and not play,

and get paid.
You need to buy the right individual.

These fans can be demanding,

and these are the things
they expect from you.

They wanna see desire,
they wanna see you care about the club,

they wanna see the spirit where
you're all together, celebrating a goal,

because they're a working-class people
who work hard for the money.

That's the bare minimum they're expecting.
We gotta carry that forward.

You want them to push themselves
to become better,

and get in the team, stay in the team.
Believe in moving to the North East.

Enjoy playing for this club.

Whether you think it or not,
you're in a privileged position.

'Cause you're well paid for it.

You play for a fantastic club
with a lot of tradition and history,

and the supporters will back you all day.
Big things. If we get everything on side,

and get everything going
in the right direction,

there's no reason why we can't have
a real good, successful season.

So, let's work on all these things
that we've mentioned both today,

the rest of the week, that'll set us up
for the rest of the season.

We have some players that have to go.

And they need to go from a cultural aspect

in the dressing room
and what we're trying to achieve.

And equally, they need to go
from a fiscal perspective.

We had a player who arrived
at training for his first time.

And met me in the car park.

Asked him if he had a good summer.
He said, yeah.

And I said to him, "You glad to be back?"
And he said, "No, not really."

He said, "I have a contract.
I'm gonna honor it."

I had a gulp of air and thought,

"Okay, you're not what we need
at Sunderland Football Club.

And actually, I should probably
take you upstairs to my desk,

and say,
'Fine. If you don't want to be here,

let's sit down, and you can go.'''
But it's not as simple as that.

People talk all the time about

the financial muscle required
to bring players to a club.

Actually, the financial muscle is required
to, obviously, at times,

move players out of the club
that don't fit the culture,

or you don't feel they've come
for the right reasons in the end.

And fundamentally, you know,

those who shout and scream
about the owner,

and the team needs to be rebuilt,
and needs to be funded.

He has put his money where his mouth is.

In recent years, he has put a colossal
amount of money into this football club.

But he doesn't want
to continue to invest...

the type of sums he has done before.

It's not just in the Premier League
where the big money is being spent.

It is a dogfight
being in the Championship.

For Sunderland or anybody else,
getting out of it, is a difficult thing.

The Sunderland support is a special one.
They deserve better.

I would even go as far as to say,
Ellis Short,

for all the money he has invested
in the football club, deserves better.

But there's only one set of people
that can put that right.

And it's not him or the fans.
It's the players.

And until the players grasp that,

they're not gonna get out of
the predicament they're in.

When you look at the situation
with the players we've got now,

it's up to them to gel.
It's up to them to understand

that whether you're here on loan,
or as a permanent player,

you still gotta do as well as you can
for yourself and the club.

To make up the time this morning,
this is hard work that we're doing.

Quicken things for tomorrow.

Don't let the ball stop still.
Off you go.

Everybody would like to have
the finished article of a player

spending £10 million,
and it'll affect the team straight away.

As a club, we're not in that position.
It's about what we do now.

It's about having this group of players.

We've got to make sure we get
every last bit of work out of them.

Come on. We've gotta do better.
Let's start one and two.

Come on, if you’re in the middle
get back quickly.

You look at some of the teams
that are in the league

and the money they're spending
on players,

you're thinking, "Jesus!"

You need to try and create an atmosphere.
It's something we gotta do quick.

Get out of the division.

We're all in it to make sure
we have a good, successful career,

but to also make sure
we can provide for our family.

In this league, it doesn't matter
who you're playing against,

you have to be 100%.

The games are thick and fast.

You have to make sure you're ready,
mentally,

to go to battle,
and stand toe-to-toe with your opponent.

BBC Newcastle. Radio for the North East.

The wait is almost over.

Tonight, we bring you
our first live competitive action

ahead of the season on BBC Newcastle.

We are about to start for real.
Sunderland hosts Derby County.

I like to go to the game
with clarity and focus.

I like to kind of get here in the building
and set an example,

and have lots of cups of tea
on match day.

I just want everybody to approach it
with the right focus,

so I've got to set that example
in many ways.

Relegation was a massive blow
for everybody, me included.

It's a huge football club.
It's a club of stature.

Look at the place. It's a great stadium.

When you drive up to the gates,
it's got meaning and significance.

Now I have to tell you all you look lovely
when the cameras are on me.

You look lovely too, Jimmy.

-How are you?
-I'm good.

How are you? You well?

At this moment of time,
we're going through a rough patch.

What is important is that we have plans
on how to get out there.

And it really starts with getting
the players on the pitch performing.

Hello. How're you doing? All right?

Shake this man's hand.
This man's a proper legend.

-Proper Sunderland legend.
-Never heard of me? Be honest.

Many years ago, about 20 years ago,
there was a team that I played in.

They were absolutely magnificent.
You know who their captain was?

Whatever happens,
we fucking stick together out there.

Fucking get each other out of shit
if we have to.

Fucking look after each other
like we have for two fucking years.

Is it tough? Yeah, absolutely.

Are the fans demanding? Yeah, they are.
So they should be.

But when you give it back, they adore you.

So, what I'd say to any player
that comes here is,

"Give it back, and you will be adored."

I'm hoping on a win. Gotta be a win.

I think the fans need sort of...
Give them a boost.

That's what we need.

No one knows how tonight's gonna go.

No one knows how the season's gonna go,
but you still look forward to tonight.

It's what keeps you going, isn't it?

You'll never lose that excitement
for the season.

That's why you take a half-day at work.

A lot of people took the afternoon off.

A lot will be getting in from work.
Literally in, washed out.

Those that can't come
will be watching it on the telly.

The expectation for the game
becomes massive.

The crux of it all is:

''I support this club 'cause I love it.''

That's Sunderland badge, yeah.

He's not getting one.
He thinks he is, but he's not.

Unless he gets one on the sly like.

One thing... Yes, Bri, yeah.

One thing we always say,
"We have to match them."

Fuck that today.

They have to match us with everything
to get anything out of the game.

They have to match us.
They have to match our work rate.

They have to match our fucking quality.

More importantly, have the bollocks
to have some quality on the ball.

They match yours,
not the other way around today

to get anything out of this game.
Win it. Go do your bit.

Having watched the club now
over a number of months...

go through the turmoil
that it has gone through,

and while you may be perceived
to be in an ivory tower,

your job is very much
to make sure you know...

what the sentiment, what the feeling is.

And whether that's hear
or on television.

But it hasn't been
the smoothest of pre-seasons,

and the course will be full of obstacles
for Simon Grayson's Sunderland.

A new boss, a new challenge, a new season.
The ball gets rolling.

You hear it from a taxi driver
that's driving you around the city.

Captain John O'Shea's on the bench
as is the talkative Darron Gibson.

It's down to the attitudes of the players.

They've got the ability. It's just
down to if they want to put it on.

At home,
Sunderland's gotta start off well.

If they don't,
we're in big trouble straightaway.

I know that I understand
what it means to people

in and around the city of Sunderland.

I see an economically challenged area,

I see people whose church
is Sunderland Football Club,

and I see what our failure does
to their demeanor and their daily lives.

For me at Sunderland,
at this moment in time,

yeah, that is my biggest challenge
in my career.

I genuinely believe that
Sunderland Football Club has a future.

It's just going through
a rocky period of time.

But it's too good a club and big a club

for it not to bounce back and succeed.

Good evening, all.

Well, the spoils of spring
are a world away.

The agonies and the ecstasies
still lie ahead.

A new journey, a new chapter.

Anything is possible.

We are Sunderland! We are Sunderland!