Sunderland 'Til I Die (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Plastic Shoes - full transcript
Sunderland head into the relegation zone, and pressure mounts on the manager, can he keep his job?
A lot of money
to watch that shower of shite!
No effort, no class, no fucking idea!
Over here, man!
You're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit, you're not fit
You're not fit to wear the shirt
It's like your first day of school again,
to be honest.
It's always a little bit nerve-racking,
I think, meeting new players.
I only know a couple of them
to be fair.
It's a club that shouldn't be
in this league,
and it should have a great chance
of going back up.
So, it was a no-brainer to come play here
at a big stadium and a big club,
and I can't wait to get going.
-This must be Jonny Williams, is it?
-Yeah.
-I'm Andy. Pleased to meet you.
-Hi, Andy. Jonny.
You know where to go?
-No.
-No?
-This is Adam.
-Hi, Adam.
-Who's that?
-Jonny.
Nice to meet you.
How are you, mate?
I think when we look at Jonny,
we were looking for a player
that's got that something different,
that little bit of... creativity.
Okay. That's yours.
All he needs to do is keep fit,
and we'll see a real talented player
in our books.
And fingers crossed,
that becomes the case.
Hopefully, we'll get the supporters
on the edge of their seats.
Watch the door, mate.
Sorry.
Hello. How are you? You all right?
All right, men.
Thanks very much for coming in.
Marc, Jonny, and Callum,
we're bringing 'em in
'cause we know they're good players,
and they can improve the squad.
They'll give the other players
a kick on the backside and say,
"We came to make a better team,
and we're gonna take your places."
Which ultimately, then lifts the bar
for the players who are already
in the team at this moment of time
if they want to stay in the team
for the next game and games after that.
Outside leg kick, Jonny.
Let's get it a little bit quicker now!
As a manager, you gotta do
whatever is required to be successful.
Stay outside. Leg work.
Couple across as well.
Every manager knows we'll be the ones
who suffer the consequences
if it doesn't go your way.
Grayson's come in and spent 1.5 million
on about ten players altogether.
Some of them are looking good.
The players are good enough
to get promotion.
On paper, that team's definitely
good enough for it.
Good afternoon.
It's Sunderland versus Sheffield United...
in this glorious sunshine.
In the opening, couple of minutes here
at the Stadium of Light.
You've gotta grab the bull
by the horns today, haven't you?
People say it'll take time.
We haven't got that time now.
We've gotta start stamping our authority
on this division.
So many new players here
for Sunderland tonight.
That it's very much, still,
a getting-to-know-you exercise.
Now, Williams is down.
It's a blow for Williams.
And Sunderland have lost another game
on their home turf.
Every manager will tell you, get a result,
and you can pick the same team.
Through different circumstances
of injuries, suspensions, illness,
we’ve not been able to do that.
It's always the first game
you look to get off to a good start and...
it wasn't meant to be. It was tough.
Sunderland versus Nottingham Forest today.
Ruiter's in goal.
He's preferred to Jason Steele.
That doesn't help anybody. I mean...
I think I started the season,
we lost one game, and I was off the team.
What you meant to do with that?
I didn't really expect me to play
to be honest.
Because we were in the hotel already.
Suddenly, five minutes before,
I get a text from the goalkeeper coach.
It was quite surprising.
Normally, you get a good preparation
for the game.
To be honest, for me,
it was not an ideal way to hear it.
It is what it is. That's why managers
get paid, to make decisions.
I've just got to keep training
and get back in.
Unhappiness abounds.
It's not a pretty picture.
You look all over the place.
The defense is absolutely terrible.
There's a lot of problems here.
We'd all love to be picking
the same team every week
'cause it means the team's winning.
When you're not winning, you gotta find
a winning formula to get a result.
Steele is back in goal,
but it's gonna be a battle
against a resilient Ipswich team.
And a flick, and they score!
Headed past Steele.
And Ipswich lead after five minutes.
Coming in, I didn't know I was playing,
but I felt really confident.
I felt good.
-They've scored again!
-I can't believe that.
It's tough.
It's embarrassing. I tell you what.
They're getting a lesson tonight.
And it's gone over the line!
Sunderland are a shambles.
If there are many individuals,
there's not a team.
Is that basically what's happening here?
I can't even say that,
because we're a good group of lads.
We all get on,
we all wanna fight for each other,
but it just seems... I don't know.
It's hard to bear.
We started off fairly well
in the top six.
And where are we at now? The bottom.
Everybody's slating Simon Grayson
at the moment.
I really don't think it's Simon Grayson.
He's doing the best with what he's got.
He's been given a bad team to start with.
Fans obviously feel,
"Is the club in freefall?"
Can you reassure them that you aren't
far away from turning things around?
There's been some fans
that say this club is unmanageable.
Have you been here long enough to realize
why so many managers of great pedigrees
have come here and not been able to do it?
Look, I'm getting an understanding
of what's entailed with this job
and what comes with the territory.
Some have probably been foolish
in what they've done in this job.
Some have been unlucky.
Hopefully, I'm a lucky one and a good one
that'll be able to get a result
that turns it around again.
Thank you. Cheers.
When you're a manager, you know
that sometimes
it's not always gonna go your way.
It's a difficult stage of the season,
and for me, professionally, as well,
and for the players, and the supporters.
We're all hurting at this moment,
because we're not getting the results
that we want.
Welcome along to the Wise Men Say podcast,
where I'm just gonna point out
that the 17th of December...
last year,
was the last time Sunderland
won a game of football at home.
At the time of talking, it's October 2017.
In that time, we have played
Liverpool, Burnley, Stoke,
Spurs, Southampton, Man City, Burnley,
Manchester United, West Ham, Bournemouth,
Swansea, Celtic, Derby, Leeds,
Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest,
Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers,
and we've not won a game of football.
Clocks have changed twice.
-Good evening, everybody.
-Good evening.
Obviously, you know
all these gentlemen up here,
but briefly, Kevin Ball,
Simon Grayson, Martin Bain,
Tyias Browning, and Duncan Watmore.
We're just delighted
to be here this evening.
We come understanding where we're at.
Sunderland Football Club does not want
to be where it is currently,
either on the pitch or off the pitch.
If there's anything what we can hopefully
get across to you this evening
before we leave,
and indeed, you need to believe it,
is that we are trying. We are determined.
There's obviously an awful lot of apathy
around the club at the moment.
There's a lot of negativity.
Who's actually leading the way
to generate something positive,
something we can hold on to?
I'd like to think that those
who give a fair opinion on things
will look at the team and say, "You know
something they are trying every way.
They're not going through the motions
of not caring for the football club."
Does anybody disagree with me?
-I disagree with that.
-That the players don't try?
And a lot of teams-- You're sitting
or standing with the fans,
and the fans are saying,
"Certain players are just not trying."
-They're just not trying--
-All the players on the club now
want to be there for the sole reason--
To a lot of supporters, some of them just
don't seem like they're trying. When--
There's a difference, sometimes,
between trying and being less confident,
and having
that sort of confidence knocked.
We've had 20-minute periods of games
where we've done really well.
And all of a sudden, we make a mistake,
you all go, "Here we go again."
I'm not saying it's a criticism
of supporters, far from it.
I'm saying confidence plays a big part
in the sport, and we have to restore that.
From our point of view, what we see is,
we get to the pub, it's half empty.
The concessions are closed.
You go for a drink in The Victory Club
after the match, there's no people.
Everything seems to be getting
on top of everybody.
If that's the case, what could we do then,
apart from winning games?
What else is there that we can do
that would help,
for example, fill your bus?
If I had an answer,
I would be knocking on your door,
saying, "Try this."
No, I'm just sort of trying get across
to you what it's like as a fan.
I think, stop kidding yourselves.
If you think we're just worried
about results, and results will change.
We've probably sat here watching
the worst football tournaments
ever played.
You're in charge now.
You're the face of Sunderland AFC.
So the question for you,
what is your ambition for Sunderland AFC?
-Not anybody else's, yours.
-To change your attitude.
Is Simon Grayson
gonna be given a chance?
Can you sit there and say,
"He's gonna be my man
at the end of season"?
It is a results-driven business.
We all know that.
It's results-driven for me.
It's results-driven for Simon.
No, I'm not going to...
I thought I might get this question.
I'm not gonna sit here and put guarantees
on the table for any of us.
It's been a dark place,
especially the last few weeks
with everything that's gone on.
I think everybody's gotta turn
into a positive, if you can.
It's easier said than done at the minute.
The one thing we're trying to do
is to bring the confidence
back to the players.
All the bad habits have reappeared again
from the previous season
or the season before that.
Even the players we brought
in the transfer window
have still not hit the ground running.
We need to get them up to speed
with conditioning work.
Outside men moving up and down the line.
Don't just stand there.
Turn to the middle as well
if you need to.
Cutting out the errors that are gonna
really contribute towards winning matches
rather than drawing them
or losing them at this moment in time.
Get up! Frog jumps.
Get up! Drive!
What we've always said,
this isn't gonna happen overnight.
I haven't got this magic wand that will
suddenly turn the club around overnight.
30 seconds, that's all.
Everything full tilt now.
Move the ball quickly.
Get the heart rate going now as well.
It's like the Titanic or a big juggernaut
you're moving around in a slow manner.
And it's probably
too slow for some people,
but that's just where we are
as a football club.
We're in a bad run of form.
We need to win a football match
regardless of who it is.
It's evident where we are now.
We've got to fight for survival, and...
while everybody at the football club
can play their part,
they can't influence what happens
when those players run over the line.
That's up to Simon and his team.
Second bottom of the Championship.
You've gotta keep plugging away,
but that's not good enough.
Simon knows it. I know it.
It's just not what was envisaged at all.
Simon and I had a conversation
this morning on that subject.
I'm not the type to interfere
in Simon's domain.
But it's a really, really big game
at Brentford.
If we don't win, we feel that, likely,
we'll go to the bottom of the league.
And when... You know,
okay, we're nearly there,
but if you hit that rock bottom...
So we just gotta win.
Sunderland boys are in town
The Sunderland boys
We are the cock of the North
We hate magpies and boro of course
And Leeds!
We only drink Vauxies
We never drink brown
The Sunderland boys are in town
We've got a manager who's only here
because nobody else wanted to be.
Simple as that.
The only person who took the job
'cause nobody else fucking wanted it.
We didn't spend much in the transfer
market. Everyone knows that.
We've kept players like Ndong,
Koné, Cattermole.
These players should be bossing.
They were decent players
in the Premier League,
never mind the Championship.
The way we're playing,
that's not happening.
That brings you back to the manager.
Sunderland 'til I die
I'm Sunderland 'til I die
I know I am, I'm sure I am
I'm Sunderland till I die
The manager,
over the last couple of weeks,
I do think he has had the experience
and the guys who could, I thought,
do a job for him on the pitch,
and he's left them out.
Simon Grayson still has one or two
of his key players on the bench.
Gibson was playing well
but seems to have fallen out of favor
with the manager
after his outburst earlier in the season.
It's frustrating sitting on the bench
and thinking, "I could come on,
or I could make a difference here."
And then not really getting a chance
to do it.
Sunderland are in their away colors,
turquoise blue,
and confusingly,
Brentford in red and white.
We're at the bottom of the Championship.
We're so desperate to see just a win.
Just win a couple of games, you know.
A lot goes through your mind
when you're stood on the touch line.
Hopefully, the players will do the job
that everybody wants us to do
and desperate to do.
Come on, Sunderland!
Trouble in the middle, and the ball
comes through for Watford up the post,
and the follow up will be put away!
And Brentford lead in by a goal to nil...
after just eight minutes.
Push in!
Outside!
Ball up here now to Grabban!
Grabban's got an opportunity
in the penalty area!
And he slots it home!
Grabban equalizes in the 12th minute.
A cool finish in the bottom right corner,
and Sunderland are level.
Brentford 1, Sunderland 1.
We are Sunderland! We are Sunderland!
We are Sunderland! We are Sunderland!
They're lined up behind the penalty spot.
And the ball swept in here,
punched over the...
Punched into his own net
by the goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper punched in the air,
dropped down over and into the corner,
and Sunderland lead 2-1.
Watmore down the right,
into the penalty area.
He's gone down, and it's a penalty!
Watmore nudged down,
and it's a penalty kick to Sunderland.
They may well go 3-1 up at the interval.
Sunderland fans gearing up,
getting behind the team.
A chance for Sunderland to put this game
to bed before the interval.
It's Brentford 1, Sunderland 2.
Grabban to take this penalty.
The whistle blown,
and Grabban comes forward here.
He launched the ball in the middle.
Brentford 1, Sunderland 3.
Lewis Grabban with his second
of the game.
Half-time. The whistle has blown.
Sunderland well and truly
in the driving seat now.
Is this possibly the match
that is the turning point for Sunderland?
We are Sunderland! We are Sunderland!
We're about to get this underway.
As the whistle's blown...
And the referee's blown for a free kick
to Brentford at the edge
of the penalty area.
We were talking beforehand
about set pieces and corners...
at Preston, conceding that free kick.
And that was in a similar position.
And now the free kick from Jozefzoon.
He scores!
Brentford immediately pulled a goal back
at the start of the second half...
I told you. I told you 30 seconds in.
...lifting it over the wall,
on the right-hand side, beyond Steele.
It's Brentford 2, Sunderland 3.
And that's the start
what Brentford wanted.
And that's the start
what Sunderland didn't want.
But once you put yourself in the position
of 3-1 up, you should not lose the game.
3-2 to Sunderland.
Jozefzoon now at the edge of the D
on his left foot.
Fuck off!
Jozefzoon has brought Brentford level.
Brentford 3, Sunderland 3.
Over here, man!
Fuck off, man!
Get over here!
You're not fit
You're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit, you're not fit,
you're not fit to wear the shirt
In 45 minutes, in a crucial match,
with where we're at in the league,
we lose two goals, and you go, literally,
from half-time, the world is great,
the team are making progress,
and we'll start to climb
the Championship, to utter disbelief.
Martin is someone who's very much
gonna give managers time.
When saying, "Sunderland in the relegation
zone? Is Simon Grayson under pressure?"
Do you feel more relaxed about it
knowing you've got a guy like that
who is not gonna make a rash decision?
I have a conversation with Martin,
nearly every day, and we talk things.
The conversation we had on Wednesday was
we're both in this together,
and we're desperate to put it right.
He employed me 'cause he thought
I was the right for the job,
and his view hasn't changed.
That's the worst second half performance
I've seen from the Sunderland side
in about ten years.
Anyway, Ellis, get out.
Grayson out! Grayson out!
The club's round full of cancer,
from top to the bottom. It's a joke.
I would agree with Grayson out,
like definitely.
There is anger towards one man
at the moment.
Simon Grayson's the man
in the firing line.
Disappointing to say the least.
I don't know...
where we go from here.
Today was a day
when we needed three points.
We have a manager who would first say,
if he was here this evening,
that he's not happy with the results.
And he knows we're in a results-driven
business. Ultimately,
a manager is responsible for his team,
and if it doesn't perform...
I do see, in a sense,
an environment that has changed,
and I see lots of positives that
are masked by, obviously, the results.
Fundamentally,
we're in the results business.
And those results speak volumes.
There's a heavy weight of responsibility
on my shoulders in terms of...
where we go from here.
I keep saying, "I'll take responsibility,"
but players have to take responsibility
of what they're doing as well,
because they're not doing
what they're supposed to be doing.
When they cross that white line,
it's very difficult for a manager to have
too much influence on what happens.
For 31 years,
I haven't been doing too badly,
but I know very quickly it can change,
and you could be out of work
for a long time.
Ultimately, I want to prove to people
I'm good at what I'm doing,
and I'd just miss football.
I don't know what else
I'd do without football, to be fair.
I won't be able to sit around,
doing nothing at home. That's for sure.
If you want to manage anything in life,
there's three things
you've gotta be good at:
man management, motivational skills...
and tactically or technically right.
And unfortunately,
I don't think Mr. Grayson...
is top of the tree
when it comes to those three things.
We've been like this
for five or six seasons.
It's getting to a point
where me love's starting to wane.
It's a bit uncomfortable
when there's a lot of speculation stuff.
Can you say, categorically to the fans,
you can absolutely turn this around?
One-hundred percent.
I've been through stages in my career
as a manager, as a player,
where I've had tough times and not quit.
I stick my chest out.
I had the balls
to come to this football club,
and show what I wanted to do,
and trust my ability
that I can make a good club great again.
There's a lot of obstacles
that have gotten in the way
in the past, since I've been here,
and other obstacles that I didn't realize
were gonna be put in front of me,
which I've had to deal with.
And that's why I'll come through this
hopefully very quickly,
and we're all looking
at a different Sunderland Football Club
in the near future.
Welcome along
to the Wise Men Say podcast.
We're literally terrified to play at home.
It is the exact opposite
of what it should be.
No, but we are.
We haven't won for nearly a year, at all.
It's embarrassing,
and it transmits itself to the manager,
'cause he's going into a home game
against the team
that's bottom of the league.
-The only worse team than you.
-Yeah.
It's ridiculous.
Eleven games, and we've drawn four
and lost the rest.
So we've gone backwards
since the start of the season.
You can't just lose loads of games
of football and go,
"Well, it's relegated again."
He's lost the fans, hasn't he?
Generally, I would say.
We did a Twitter poll.
We'll have a look at the result.
The poll was 1,175 people voted in it,
and it was 16% "in," 84% "out."
That's quite a lot, isn't it?
So we'll be back, later on,
after we've smashed Bolton
by six goals to nil.
Oh, dear me!
Last time I've seen a win?
Now, you've got us.
Dear me, the last time we had a win?
You can see tonight how quiet it is.
It's been quite pleasant
being able to walk to the ground.
Not all of hustle and bustle.
We're going into another must-win game
at this stage of the season.
We can't afford to drop any more points.
Simon will say the same thing.
It's crucial we start to get points
on the board.
And Saturday could've been that point.
Get a result away.
Home game Tuesday night.
Two back-to-back wins,
and the thing turns around.
But now, we go into tonight,
and the pressure's enormous.
I think, ultimately, we have to get a win.
And as ever,
it's the same old story at Sunderland.
Half an hour, 31 minutes played,
and Bolton lead by a goal to nil.
How easy was that?
The goalkeeper's got to save that.
At the moment, they just look
so disunited, Sunderland.
It's a team of individuals
who really don't know what to do.
Can Grabban get the ball under the keeper?
And he does!
Equalizes at the stroke of half-time.
And Sunderland are level.
The half-time whistle's blown.
They go in mightily relieved with that
at the interval.
And so, parity restored,
can Sunderland get their act together,
in the second half,
and go on to win this game?
Second half is massive for Simon Grayson
if he wants to keep this job.
You heard the fans already
when we went 1-0 down.
They're not happy.
You've got to look at the man who's
sending the players out on the pitch.
At the end of the day, this is a massive
45 minutes. Absolutely huge.
Come on!
Running onto it here.
A cross ball to Grabban,
and Sunderland lead 2-1.
A lovely move. The best move
of the game from Sunderland.
Are Sunderland finally on course?
Coming up to the hour mark.
Swings it into the penalty area,
but it's just straight up and under.
-Brings it down and scores!
-What a mess!
What a mess in the back!
Within minutes to draw Bolton level.
Can't believe what I've just seen there.
-So Sunderland, again--
-Terrible defending.
Just as they put themselves
in front in the game,
they shoot themselves in the foot.
Approaching the final quarter of the game,
what's gonna give?
Hammers it into the bottom corner.
And that was from their own doing,
Sunderland. The calamity at the back.
Bolton Wanderers 3-2 up.
We want Grayson out!
What is going through
Simon Grayson's mind now?
We want Grayson out!
You're not fit, you're not fit,
you're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit to wear the shirt
The shot from the gap!
It's in the bottom corner!
It's 3-3,
and Sunderland have given themselves
a lifeline again!
The referee looks at his watch,
and indeed the game is over.
A stalemate.
Sunderland 3, Bolton Wanderers 3.
I have a short statement to read.
"Sunderland FC have parted company
with manager, Simon Grayson.
The club puts on record its sincere thanks
to Simon and his staff
for their efforts
during their time at the club."
Short comment from Martin Bain:
"Simon and his team have worked hard to
achieve the best during their time here.
We hoped Simon's experience in the league
would help us to a successful season.
Results have not been good enough
for a club of this stature.
For us to improve our current position,
a fundamental change is necessary."
No one from the club will be speaking
tonight. Hope you understand. Thank you.
Who's taking over?
All right for you? Night, cheers.
to watch that shower of shite!
No effort, no class, no fucking idea!
Over here, man!
You're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit, you're not fit
You're not fit to wear the shirt
It's like your first day of school again,
to be honest.
It's always a little bit nerve-racking,
I think, meeting new players.
I only know a couple of them
to be fair.
It's a club that shouldn't be
in this league,
and it should have a great chance
of going back up.
So, it was a no-brainer to come play here
at a big stadium and a big club,
and I can't wait to get going.
-This must be Jonny Williams, is it?
-Yeah.
-I'm Andy. Pleased to meet you.
-Hi, Andy. Jonny.
You know where to go?
-No.
-No?
-This is Adam.
-Hi, Adam.
-Who's that?
-Jonny.
Nice to meet you.
How are you, mate?
I think when we look at Jonny,
we were looking for a player
that's got that something different,
that little bit of... creativity.
Okay. That's yours.
All he needs to do is keep fit,
and we'll see a real talented player
in our books.
And fingers crossed,
that becomes the case.
Hopefully, we'll get the supporters
on the edge of their seats.
Watch the door, mate.
Sorry.
Hello. How are you? You all right?
All right, men.
Thanks very much for coming in.
Marc, Jonny, and Callum,
we're bringing 'em in
'cause we know they're good players,
and they can improve the squad.
They'll give the other players
a kick on the backside and say,
"We came to make a better team,
and we're gonna take your places."
Which ultimately, then lifts the bar
for the players who are already
in the team at this moment of time
if they want to stay in the team
for the next game and games after that.
Outside leg kick, Jonny.
Let's get it a little bit quicker now!
As a manager, you gotta do
whatever is required to be successful.
Stay outside. Leg work.
Couple across as well.
Every manager knows we'll be the ones
who suffer the consequences
if it doesn't go your way.
Grayson's come in and spent 1.5 million
on about ten players altogether.
Some of them are looking good.
The players are good enough
to get promotion.
On paper, that team's definitely
good enough for it.
Good afternoon.
It's Sunderland versus Sheffield United...
in this glorious sunshine.
In the opening, couple of minutes here
at the Stadium of Light.
You've gotta grab the bull
by the horns today, haven't you?
People say it'll take time.
We haven't got that time now.
We've gotta start stamping our authority
on this division.
So many new players here
for Sunderland tonight.
That it's very much, still,
a getting-to-know-you exercise.
Now, Williams is down.
It's a blow for Williams.
And Sunderland have lost another game
on their home turf.
Every manager will tell you, get a result,
and you can pick the same team.
Through different circumstances
of injuries, suspensions, illness,
we’ve not been able to do that.
It's always the first game
you look to get off to a good start and...
it wasn't meant to be. It was tough.
Sunderland versus Nottingham Forest today.
Ruiter's in goal.
He's preferred to Jason Steele.
That doesn't help anybody. I mean...
I think I started the season,
we lost one game, and I was off the team.
What you meant to do with that?
I didn't really expect me to play
to be honest.
Because we were in the hotel already.
Suddenly, five minutes before,
I get a text from the goalkeeper coach.
It was quite surprising.
Normally, you get a good preparation
for the game.
To be honest, for me,
it was not an ideal way to hear it.
It is what it is. That's why managers
get paid, to make decisions.
I've just got to keep training
and get back in.
Unhappiness abounds.
It's not a pretty picture.
You look all over the place.
The defense is absolutely terrible.
There's a lot of problems here.
We'd all love to be picking
the same team every week
'cause it means the team's winning.
When you're not winning, you gotta find
a winning formula to get a result.
Steele is back in goal,
but it's gonna be a battle
against a resilient Ipswich team.
And a flick, and they score!
Headed past Steele.
And Ipswich lead after five minutes.
Coming in, I didn't know I was playing,
but I felt really confident.
I felt good.
-They've scored again!
-I can't believe that.
It's tough.
It's embarrassing. I tell you what.
They're getting a lesson tonight.
And it's gone over the line!
Sunderland are a shambles.
If there are many individuals,
there's not a team.
Is that basically what's happening here?
I can't even say that,
because we're a good group of lads.
We all get on,
we all wanna fight for each other,
but it just seems... I don't know.
It's hard to bear.
We started off fairly well
in the top six.
And where are we at now? The bottom.
Everybody's slating Simon Grayson
at the moment.
I really don't think it's Simon Grayson.
He's doing the best with what he's got.
He's been given a bad team to start with.
Fans obviously feel,
"Is the club in freefall?"
Can you reassure them that you aren't
far away from turning things around?
There's been some fans
that say this club is unmanageable.
Have you been here long enough to realize
why so many managers of great pedigrees
have come here and not been able to do it?
Look, I'm getting an understanding
of what's entailed with this job
and what comes with the territory.
Some have probably been foolish
in what they've done in this job.
Some have been unlucky.
Hopefully, I'm a lucky one and a good one
that'll be able to get a result
that turns it around again.
Thank you. Cheers.
When you're a manager, you know
that sometimes
it's not always gonna go your way.
It's a difficult stage of the season,
and for me, professionally, as well,
and for the players, and the supporters.
We're all hurting at this moment,
because we're not getting the results
that we want.
Welcome along to the Wise Men Say podcast,
where I'm just gonna point out
that the 17th of December...
last year,
was the last time Sunderland
won a game of football at home.
At the time of talking, it's October 2017.
In that time, we have played
Liverpool, Burnley, Stoke,
Spurs, Southampton, Man City, Burnley,
Manchester United, West Ham, Bournemouth,
Swansea, Celtic, Derby, Leeds,
Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest,
Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers,
and we've not won a game of football.
Clocks have changed twice.
-Good evening, everybody.
-Good evening.
Obviously, you know
all these gentlemen up here,
but briefly, Kevin Ball,
Simon Grayson, Martin Bain,
Tyias Browning, and Duncan Watmore.
We're just delighted
to be here this evening.
We come understanding where we're at.
Sunderland Football Club does not want
to be where it is currently,
either on the pitch or off the pitch.
If there's anything what we can hopefully
get across to you this evening
before we leave,
and indeed, you need to believe it,
is that we are trying. We are determined.
There's obviously an awful lot of apathy
around the club at the moment.
There's a lot of negativity.
Who's actually leading the way
to generate something positive,
something we can hold on to?
I'd like to think that those
who give a fair opinion on things
will look at the team and say, "You know
something they are trying every way.
They're not going through the motions
of not caring for the football club."
Does anybody disagree with me?
-I disagree with that.
-That the players don't try?
And a lot of teams-- You're sitting
or standing with the fans,
and the fans are saying,
"Certain players are just not trying."
-They're just not trying--
-All the players on the club now
want to be there for the sole reason--
To a lot of supporters, some of them just
don't seem like they're trying. When--
There's a difference, sometimes,
between trying and being less confident,
and having
that sort of confidence knocked.
We've had 20-minute periods of games
where we've done really well.
And all of a sudden, we make a mistake,
you all go, "Here we go again."
I'm not saying it's a criticism
of supporters, far from it.
I'm saying confidence plays a big part
in the sport, and we have to restore that.
From our point of view, what we see is,
we get to the pub, it's half empty.
The concessions are closed.
You go for a drink in The Victory Club
after the match, there's no people.
Everything seems to be getting
on top of everybody.
If that's the case, what could we do then,
apart from winning games?
What else is there that we can do
that would help,
for example, fill your bus?
If I had an answer,
I would be knocking on your door,
saying, "Try this."
No, I'm just sort of trying get across
to you what it's like as a fan.
I think, stop kidding yourselves.
If you think we're just worried
about results, and results will change.
We've probably sat here watching
the worst football tournaments
ever played.
You're in charge now.
You're the face of Sunderland AFC.
So the question for you,
what is your ambition for Sunderland AFC?
-Not anybody else's, yours.
-To change your attitude.
Is Simon Grayson
gonna be given a chance?
Can you sit there and say,
"He's gonna be my man
at the end of season"?
It is a results-driven business.
We all know that.
It's results-driven for me.
It's results-driven for Simon.
No, I'm not going to...
I thought I might get this question.
I'm not gonna sit here and put guarantees
on the table for any of us.
It's been a dark place,
especially the last few weeks
with everything that's gone on.
I think everybody's gotta turn
into a positive, if you can.
It's easier said than done at the minute.
The one thing we're trying to do
is to bring the confidence
back to the players.
All the bad habits have reappeared again
from the previous season
or the season before that.
Even the players we brought
in the transfer window
have still not hit the ground running.
We need to get them up to speed
with conditioning work.
Outside men moving up and down the line.
Don't just stand there.
Turn to the middle as well
if you need to.
Cutting out the errors that are gonna
really contribute towards winning matches
rather than drawing them
or losing them at this moment in time.
Get up! Frog jumps.
Get up! Drive!
What we've always said,
this isn't gonna happen overnight.
I haven't got this magic wand that will
suddenly turn the club around overnight.
30 seconds, that's all.
Everything full tilt now.
Move the ball quickly.
Get the heart rate going now as well.
It's like the Titanic or a big juggernaut
you're moving around in a slow manner.
And it's probably
too slow for some people,
but that's just where we are
as a football club.
We're in a bad run of form.
We need to win a football match
regardless of who it is.
It's evident where we are now.
We've got to fight for survival, and...
while everybody at the football club
can play their part,
they can't influence what happens
when those players run over the line.
That's up to Simon and his team.
Second bottom of the Championship.
You've gotta keep plugging away,
but that's not good enough.
Simon knows it. I know it.
It's just not what was envisaged at all.
Simon and I had a conversation
this morning on that subject.
I'm not the type to interfere
in Simon's domain.
But it's a really, really big game
at Brentford.
If we don't win, we feel that, likely,
we'll go to the bottom of the league.
And when... You know,
okay, we're nearly there,
but if you hit that rock bottom...
So we just gotta win.
Sunderland boys are in town
The Sunderland boys
We are the cock of the North
We hate magpies and boro of course
And Leeds!
We only drink Vauxies
We never drink brown
The Sunderland boys are in town
We've got a manager who's only here
because nobody else wanted to be.
Simple as that.
The only person who took the job
'cause nobody else fucking wanted it.
We didn't spend much in the transfer
market. Everyone knows that.
We've kept players like Ndong,
Koné, Cattermole.
These players should be bossing.
They were decent players
in the Premier League,
never mind the Championship.
The way we're playing,
that's not happening.
That brings you back to the manager.
Sunderland 'til I die
I'm Sunderland 'til I die
I know I am, I'm sure I am
I'm Sunderland till I die
The manager,
over the last couple of weeks,
I do think he has had the experience
and the guys who could, I thought,
do a job for him on the pitch,
and he's left them out.
Simon Grayson still has one or two
of his key players on the bench.
Gibson was playing well
but seems to have fallen out of favor
with the manager
after his outburst earlier in the season.
It's frustrating sitting on the bench
and thinking, "I could come on,
or I could make a difference here."
And then not really getting a chance
to do it.
Sunderland are in their away colors,
turquoise blue,
and confusingly,
Brentford in red and white.
We're at the bottom of the Championship.
We're so desperate to see just a win.
Just win a couple of games, you know.
A lot goes through your mind
when you're stood on the touch line.
Hopefully, the players will do the job
that everybody wants us to do
and desperate to do.
Come on, Sunderland!
Trouble in the middle, and the ball
comes through for Watford up the post,
and the follow up will be put away!
And Brentford lead in by a goal to nil...
after just eight minutes.
Push in!
Outside!
Ball up here now to Grabban!
Grabban's got an opportunity
in the penalty area!
And he slots it home!
Grabban equalizes in the 12th minute.
A cool finish in the bottom right corner,
and Sunderland are level.
Brentford 1, Sunderland 1.
We are Sunderland! We are Sunderland!
We are Sunderland! We are Sunderland!
They're lined up behind the penalty spot.
And the ball swept in here,
punched over the...
Punched into his own net
by the goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper punched in the air,
dropped down over and into the corner,
and Sunderland lead 2-1.
Watmore down the right,
into the penalty area.
He's gone down, and it's a penalty!
Watmore nudged down,
and it's a penalty kick to Sunderland.
They may well go 3-1 up at the interval.
Sunderland fans gearing up,
getting behind the team.
A chance for Sunderland to put this game
to bed before the interval.
It's Brentford 1, Sunderland 2.
Grabban to take this penalty.
The whistle blown,
and Grabban comes forward here.
He launched the ball in the middle.
Brentford 1, Sunderland 3.
Lewis Grabban with his second
of the game.
Half-time. The whistle has blown.
Sunderland well and truly
in the driving seat now.
Is this possibly the match
that is the turning point for Sunderland?
We are Sunderland! We are Sunderland!
We're about to get this underway.
As the whistle's blown...
And the referee's blown for a free kick
to Brentford at the edge
of the penalty area.
We were talking beforehand
about set pieces and corners...
at Preston, conceding that free kick.
And that was in a similar position.
And now the free kick from Jozefzoon.
He scores!
Brentford immediately pulled a goal back
at the start of the second half...
I told you. I told you 30 seconds in.
...lifting it over the wall,
on the right-hand side, beyond Steele.
It's Brentford 2, Sunderland 3.
And that's the start
what Brentford wanted.
And that's the start
what Sunderland didn't want.
But once you put yourself in the position
of 3-1 up, you should not lose the game.
3-2 to Sunderland.
Jozefzoon now at the edge of the D
on his left foot.
Fuck off!
Jozefzoon has brought Brentford level.
Brentford 3, Sunderland 3.
Over here, man!
Fuck off, man!
Get over here!
You're not fit
You're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit, you're not fit,
you're not fit to wear the shirt
In 45 minutes, in a crucial match,
with where we're at in the league,
we lose two goals, and you go, literally,
from half-time, the world is great,
the team are making progress,
and we'll start to climb
the Championship, to utter disbelief.
Martin is someone who's very much
gonna give managers time.
When saying, "Sunderland in the relegation
zone? Is Simon Grayson under pressure?"
Do you feel more relaxed about it
knowing you've got a guy like that
who is not gonna make a rash decision?
I have a conversation with Martin,
nearly every day, and we talk things.
The conversation we had on Wednesday was
we're both in this together,
and we're desperate to put it right.
He employed me 'cause he thought
I was the right for the job,
and his view hasn't changed.
That's the worst second half performance
I've seen from the Sunderland side
in about ten years.
Anyway, Ellis, get out.
Grayson out! Grayson out!
The club's round full of cancer,
from top to the bottom. It's a joke.
I would agree with Grayson out,
like definitely.
There is anger towards one man
at the moment.
Simon Grayson's the man
in the firing line.
Disappointing to say the least.
I don't know...
where we go from here.
Today was a day
when we needed three points.
We have a manager who would first say,
if he was here this evening,
that he's not happy with the results.
And he knows we're in a results-driven
business. Ultimately,
a manager is responsible for his team,
and if it doesn't perform...
I do see, in a sense,
an environment that has changed,
and I see lots of positives that
are masked by, obviously, the results.
Fundamentally,
we're in the results business.
And those results speak volumes.
There's a heavy weight of responsibility
on my shoulders in terms of...
where we go from here.
I keep saying, "I'll take responsibility,"
but players have to take responsibility
of what they're doing as well,
because they're not doing
what they're supposed to be doing.
When they cross that white line,
it's very difficult for a manager to have
too much influence on what happens.
For 31 years,
I haven't been doing too badly,
but I know very quickly it can change,
and you could be out of work
for a long time.
Ultimately, I want to prove to people
I'm good at what I'm doing,
and I'd just miss football.
I don't know what else
I'd do without football, to be fair.
I won't be able to sit around,
doing nothing at home. That's for sure.
If you want to manage anything in life,
there's three things
you've gotta be good at:
man management, motivational skills...
and tactically or technically right.
And unfortunately,
I don't think Mr. Grayson...
is top of the tree
when it comes to those three things.
We've been like this
for five or six seasons.
It's getting to a point
where me love's starting to wane.
It's a bit uncomfortable
when there's a lot of speculation stuff.
Can you say, categorically to the fans,
you can absolutely turn this around?
One-hundred percent.
I've been through stages in my career
as a manager, as a player,
where I've had tough times and not quit.
I stick my chest out.
I had the balls
to come to this football club,
and show what I wanted to do,
and trust my ability
that I can make a good club great again.
There's a lot of obstacles
that have gotten in the way
in the past, since I've been here,
and other obstacles that I didn't realize
were gonna be put in front of me,
which I've had to deal with.
And that's why I'll come through this
hopefully very quickly,
and we're all looking
at a different Sunderland Football Club
in the near future.
Welcome along
to the Wise Men Say podcast.
We're literally terrified to play at home.
It is the exact opposite
of what it should be.
No, but we are.
We haven't won for nearly a year, at all.
It's embarrassing,
and it transmits itself to the manager,
'cause he's going into a home game
against the team
that's bottom of the league.
-The only worse team than you.
-Yeah.
It's ridiculous.
Eleven games, and we've drawn four
and lost the rest.
So we've gone backwards
since the start of the season.
You can't just lose loads of games
of football and go,
"Well, it's relegated again."
He's lost the fans, hasn't he?
Generally, I would say.
We did a Twitter poll.
We'll have a look at the result.
The poll was 1,175 people voted in it,
and it was 16% "in," 84% "out."
That's quite a lot, isn't it?
So we'll be back, later on,
after we've smashed Bolton
by six goals to nil.
Oh, dear me!
Last time I've seen a win?
Now, you've got us.
Dear me, the last time we had a win?
You can see tonight how quiet it is.
It's been quite pleasant
being able to walk to the ground.
Not all of hustle and bustle.
We're going into another must-win game
at this stage of the season.
We can't afford to drop any more points.
Simon will say the same thing.
It's crucial we start to get points
on the board.
And Saturday could've been that point.
Get a result away.
Home game Tuesday night.
Two back-to-back wins,
and the thing turns around.
But now, we go into tonight,
and the pressure's enormous.
I think, ultimately, we have to get a win.
And as ever,
it's the same old story at Sunderland.
Half an hour, 31 minutes played,
and Bolton lead by a goal to nil.
How easy was that?
The goalkeeper's got to save that.
At the moment, they just look
so disunited, Sunderland.
It's a team of individuals
who really don't know what to do.
Can Grabban get the ball under the keeper?
And he does!
Equalizes at the stroke of half-time.
And Sunderland are level.
The half-time whistle's blown.
They go in mightily relieved with that
at the interval.
And so, parity restored,
can Sunderland get their act together,
in the second half,
and go on to win this game?
Second half is massive for Simon Grayson
if he wants to keep this job.
You heard the fans already
when we went 1-0 down.
They're not happy.
You've got to look at the man who's
sending the players out on the pitch.
At the end of the day, this is a massive
45 minutes. Absolutely huge.
Come on!
Running onto it here.
A cross ball to Grabban,
and Sunderland lead 2-1.
A lovely move. The best move
of the game from Sunderland.
Are Sunderland finally on course?
Coming up to the hour mark.
Swings it into the penalty area,
but it's just straight up and under.
-Brings it down and scores!
-What a mess!
What a mess in the back!
Within minutes to draw Bolton level.
Can't believe what I've just seen there.
-So Sunderland, again--
-Terrible defending.
Just as they put themselves
in front in the game,
they shoot themselves in the foot.
Approaching the final quarter of the game,
what's gonna give?
Hammers it into the bottom corner.
And that was from their own doing,
Sunderland. The calamity at the back.
Bolton Wanderers 3-2 up.
We want Grayson out!
What is going through
Simon Grayson's mind now?
We want Grayson out!
You're not fit, you're not fit,
you're not fit to wear the shirt
You're not fit to wear the shirt
The shot from the gap!
It's in the bottom corner!
It's 3-3,
and Sunderland have given themselves
a lifeline again!
The referee looks at his watch,
and indeed the game is over.
A stalemate.
Sunderland 3, Bolton Wanderers 3.
I have a short statement to read.
"Sunderland FC have parted company
with manager, Simon Grayson.
The club puts on record its sincere thanks
to Simon and his staff
for their efforts
during their time at the club."
Short comment from Martin Bain:
"Simon and his team have worked hard to
achieve the best during their time here.
We hoped Simon's experience in the league
would help us to a successful season.
Results have not been good enough
for a club of this stature.
For us to improve our current position,
a fundamental change is necessary."
No one from the club will be speaking
tonight. Hope you understand. Thank you.
Who's taking over?
All right for you? Night, cheers.