10 Things We Learned From Sunderland Til I Die Season 2

Part of the joy of football documentaries is the behind the scenes glimpse of clubs we know purely from what they do every Saturday at 3pm. Sunderland Til’ I Die gives viewers a detailed look at how the cogs of a football club turn and click into place, so that every weekend 11 players run onto the pitch in front of an ebullient crowd.

The main protagonists of season two are new owner Stewart Donald and director Charlie Methven, who have the unenviable task of saving the club from financial ruin. Throughout the series, viewers are privy to the pair discussing marketing, player contracts and transfers. Intermittent shots of training, defeats and fans proudly discussing their passion for the club are punctuated by Donald and Methven explaining the catastrophic state of the club’s finances and the poor business practices that facilitated the financial mess and persist at the club.

Balancing a gaping £35 million deficit alongside promotion is the key objective for the club’s new ownership, which is one they actually achieve. It is telling that Donald and Methven in the boardroom are more prominent than manager Jack Ross.

Sunderland Til’ I Die may be about football, but the owners, despite their laddish enthusiasm, won’t let you forget that this is a business.