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!
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!