Netflix have found gold with their Sunderland ‘Til I Die Documentary attracting football fans and TV fans alike, but where to next in the UK Football genre?
As ever, The Gurgler is on hand to leach off the popularity of something and suggest a few alternatives. Like our effort with alternative SBS Slow TV suggestions.
We believe one of the reasons Sunderland ‘Til I Die Documentary works is that the story doesn’t revolve around a news hogging EPL entity, but a club that allowed so much access that a multi million dollar sporting enterprise wouldn’t.
And there are so many more similarly interesting stories out there in the lower reaches of English football that need a Netflix Documentary telling.
So here are our Sunderland ‘Til I Die Documentary alternative suggestions for the next series.
GET OUT – THE WORST OWNERS IN ENGLISH FOOTBALL
The Sunderland ‘Til I Die Documentary proved that things can happen in sport no matter how professional you are or how hard you try.
So how do some clubs survive, and occasionally thrive, with people who seem to hate their own club and everyone in it..
Each club mentioned below could have its own Sunderland ‘Til I Die style Documentary, but to ram home how many awful owners there are, it could be a club an episode, with a potential vote via social media at the end.
The clubs to feature are:
Blackpool – whose owners like to sue their own fans.
Coventry City, whose owners seemed to enjoy forcing their own team out of their city.
Charlton’s owners have too big a back catalogue of hurt towards their club that could requite a second episode.
Bolton are more worried about a social media war of words than paying their players.
Blackburn’s owners probably deserve a slot due to their effort taking an EPL regular to the third division.
Then there’s the enigma that is Mike Ashley at Newcastle.
You could think of a few more of the current owners, and pick a few choice ones from back in the day if you wanted a full set of ten episodes.
SPIES LIKE US
After being caught for spying on Derby County’s training before their match a few weeks ago, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa admitted his guilt and took it on the chin.
And we’re suggesting that all the documentary needs to be is just another Powerpoint presentation featuring Marceo Bielsa.
That or a documentary on the man they call El Loco. Either way it sounds like Netflix gold.
DONS v DONS –
One of the big stories over the past few decades of English football has been the rise of AFC Wimbledon after the original Wimbledon FC was shipped off up north to Milton Keynes Dons.
The whole story of the rise of Wimbledon from Non League to FA Cup winners and Premier League regular in under a decade – featuring Vinnie Jones – `followed by the decline, relocation to Milton Keynes and the rise again of AFC Wimbledon should be as interesting a modern football story as any.
EXACTLY, ACCRINGTON STANLEY
After Sunderland Til I die showed the behind the scenes of a big, former Premier League side on the rapid decline, what about the opposite.
Accrington Stanley are one of the Football League’s smallest clubs, but that hasn’t stopped them punching above their weight.
The smallest budget, and one of the smallest average home crowds haven’t stopped them reaching the third division, and briefly in the top six this season.
A behind the scenes of this small club could prove a fascinating insight to the life of a lower division football team, where a FA Cup run windfall the size of a big EPL side’s weekly wage can make all the difference for a club.
It might finally get rid of the effects of the Who Are Accrington Stanley Milk commercial from back in the day.
HOW GREEN ARE THE ROVERS – THE FOREST GREEN ROVERS STORY
The Forest Green Rovers story – a recently promoted fourth division side in the UK Football League – was interesting, but not remarkable until Eco Businessman Dale Vince took over, and completed the job from Non League to the Football League.
Why are Forest Green Rovers more interesting than other previous promoted side? Well because they are the first football club in the world to be certified carbon neutral.
Not only that, but they are also an all Vegan football club.
Players don’t eat meat, nor is it sold at the ground.
They’ve added solar panels to the roof of their grandstand, used organic fertilizers on the ground, introduced robots GPS based mowers to become the greenest football club in the world.
Surely a football club that different is worth at least half a Sunderland ‘Til I Die Documentary.
THE BEAST
No suggestions for alternative football documentaries alongside Sunderland ‘Til I Die would be complete from us without a lengthy, informative, and mostly entertaining piece on Adebayo Akinfenwa.
The strongest man in football has spent a long career between the third and fourth division, but he is also a big man off the field. And a very entertaining guy.
Someone worth at least a three part documentary.
