10 Most Surprising Moments In Netflix’s Sunderland ‘Til I Die Documentary
5. Heavy Focus On Fans
Following on from that, the documentary focuses on those who matter most in a community: the fans. Considering they have huge access to players, they know to use it sparingly.
Local lad George Honeyman gets a bit of the spotlight as he breaks into the team and scores his first senior goal, but he’s just as much a fan as a player. It’s great to see enthusiasm from young players like Josh Maja too, even as the going gets tough.
Most of the interviews though are spent on a collection of three or four fans. They’re a lot more honest in their assessment, and you really get the feeling that their week lives or dies by how Sunderland perform. We see the fans holler obscenities only to turn up in their droves week after week.
What is interesting from the players' angle is just how terribly Lewis Grabban comes across. He engineers a move away in January, fully admitting that he simply didn’t like being subbed off recently. ‘Not for me, that,’ he chuckles. That laughter is back as he puts Sunderland to the sword with new club Villa, goading the fans to boo him louder. A villain indeed.