Sunderland 'Til I Die Series 2 Review - 7 Ups & 5 Downs
Downs...
5. Taking A Punt(er)
Netflix
Series One of Sunderland 'Til I Die was at times slapdash in how it used fan sentiment, turning to those in pubs, terraces and taxis for a take whenever an episode needed a heart transplant after input from subhuman former Chief Executive Martin Bain. The same trick was used to even weaker effect second time around.
In terms of authority figures within the club, the scum on the end of the financial faucet was replaced with mildew, but the necessary cutaway soundbites with the same earnest locals failed to get to much of a point beyond the usual.
Perhaps the was the point - starry-eyed hopes followed by dashed dreams is a reasonable generalisation of what it is to be a fan of a mostly-failing football team. Yet again though, other than emphasising an unflinching divide between the haves (the playing staff and those at the top of SAFC) and the have-nots (every other person with a connection to SAFC), it didn't act in service of a suitable narrative thread.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
