‘You can’t make reality more beautiful than it is’: How the stars of Sunderland ‘Til I Die have reacted to season two

Sunderland ‘Til I Die has been a hot topic of discussion among football fans this week - but what do the players at the heart of the series make of the end product?
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Two of those who were at the club during season two - Robbin Ruiter and Duncan Watmore - have offered their take on how they dealt with the omnipresent cameras at the Academy of Light, and how they have reacted to the second season of the popular Netflix docu-series.

Manager Jack Ross also gave his take on the series this week - although admitted he has not yet watched all of it.

Here’s what they had to say:

How the stars of the show have reacted to season two of Sunderland 'Til I DieHow the stars of the show have reacted to season two of Sunderland 'Til I Die
How the stars of the show have reacted to season two of Sunderland 'Til I Die

ROBBIN RUITER

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Speaking to Dutch YouTube channel ‘AFKICKEN’, Ruiter was quizzed on his involvement in the show.

While he was a member of the Sunderland squad during season two, he scarcely featured - but was a key player in the first instalment of the series.

And he revealed how while the cameras were a near ever-present at the Academy of Light, they always omitted the most private moments.

“Generally, I didn't even notice that a camera was there,” he admitted.

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“But yes, it may have been annoying for some that they were coming and going in most of the space.

“Well, when we entered the private moments, the cameras were quickly removed because you just needed privacy.

“Not everyone wanted to be filmed, but I had no problem with it at all. And if those guys were a little earlier, I would just cooperate.”

The Dutch stopper, now plying his trade for PSV, also defended how producers Fulwell 73 depicted the club in the series - claiming ‘you can’t make reality more beautiful than it is.’

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Ruiter did, however, feel that they tried to paint people as positively as possible, even if there was no glossing over certain issues.

“We watched the first episode [of season two] and we can say what we want about it,” he explained.

“But you can't make reality more beautiful than it is.

“Jack Rodwell makes so much money and was not playing at all. You also had another player involved in a collision. You can't take that out either, but I think they did pretty well and try to harm fewer people.”

So how did the stopper feel he was depicted, particularly in season one?

“I made my mistakes too,” he added.

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“I made the most famous against Millwall, it is also included. You can see it through various angles and that isn’t always nice to see.

“But everyone is very positive about my contribution to the series and the series itself.

“I get it as a documentary maker, it [negativity] sells, but you can also show some beautiful things.”

DUNCAN WATMORE

During an interview with the Ornstein & Chapman Podcast, Watmore was asked about his involvement with the series.

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Despite being involved with the club during both seasons where the cameras were present, Watmore was a bit-part player in Sunderland ‘Til I Die.

Part of that, he admits, was down to choice - with the rest down to editorial decisions.

“My personal perspective was that where possible, I didn't want to be in it and advertise myself.

“If they asked for an interview then of course I'd do it, and they asked for a couple of those - but they get so much footage for such a short amount of time.

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“In the first season for example, the amount of footage I must have filmed with them about my rehab and injury - and then I end up not being in it.

“It's because they film hours and hours and hours and then cut it down. You do get used to it, and you accept what you're saying may not be in it.”

Season two has been received as a comedy in some parts of the footballing world, but Watmore believes that the producers did not want to make light of Sunderland’s demise.

“The makers of the documentary are big Sunderland fans and they had Sunderland's interests at heart,” he added.

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“It's not necessarily a light-hearted issue because it means so much to the people of Sunderland and we've had a couple of really bad seasons. It's not nice to relive those memories when you think of how much it means to me, the players and the fans in the area.

“It's such a big club and the club means so much to them and are now in a league we shouldn't be in. We need to put that right on the pitch and that needs to be a priority.”

JACK ROSS

While some players were eager to watch the documentary upon its release, that was not an approach taken by Ross.

The Scot, now in charge of Hibernian, is yet to watch the whole series.

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But from the snippets he has viewed, Ross believes there are some elements that are ‘a little bit different’ from what really happened.

"I've watched a little bit of it but I haven't watched it all,” he said, speaking to Sky Sports News.

"It's no surprise to say I lived through that period, so I don't need to necessarily watch it to know what it was like and to remember it.

"Of course, it is a television programme so some of it is a little bit different from reality.”