Sunderland 'Til I Die: Where are they now?

What has happened to the shows various heroes and villains?

Author:
Dylan Jones
Publish date:
Nov 11, 2022 10:12 AM EST

Netflix hit series Sunderland 'Til I Die is set to return with a shortened third season following The Black Cats' promotion to the Championship.

A lot has changed, thankfully, since the series first dropped, with almost everyone moving on and continuing their story elsewhere.

So, let's look back at some of the names from the first two seasons and where they are now.

Simon Grayson

Simon Grayson was the first manager to appear in the series, taking charge of Sunderland from the start of the 2017/18 season until October where he was replaced by Chris Coleman.

Although Grayson struggled for results, he highlighted what a manager's duties entail day-to-day at the football club while on Sunderland 'TiI I Die. The cameras captured the drama and stress for manager's during transfer windows and deadline day.

Grayson taking charge of Fleetwood Town in 2021.

Grayson left Sunderland with a win rate of just 16.67%, going on to manage Bradford City, Blackpool and Fleetwood Town. Grayson now manages Indian Super league team Bengaluru.

Josh Maja

Josh Maja was a key talking point during season two of Sunderland 'Til I Die. In the first half of the season, Maja looked like he could be the player to make the difference between The Black Cats gaining promotion, or staying in League One.

But after a lengthy contract saga, Sunderland decided to cash in for the Nigerian striker in the January transfer window of 2019, where he joined Bordeaux.

Since joining the French team he has made 58 appearances for them, scoring 16 goals.

In the 2021/22 season he was shipped out to both Fulham and Stoke on loan.

Maja in action for Stoke City last season.

Maja has struggled to find the goal-scoring form he once had since leaving Sunderland.

But his appearances on Sunderland 'Til I Die gave an insight into the influence of agents when it comes to contract negotiations in the modern game.

After Josh Maja left the club, Sunderland were in search for a replacement striker.

Will Grigg

Will Grigg was signed on deadline day after Stewart Donald's strong belief he could fire Sunderland back into the Championship.

Despite manager Jack Ross' advice to not overspend, Will Grigg arrived for £3 million.

Will Grigg made 47 appearances for Sunderland, scoring just 5 goals

Grigg struggled to find the back of the net during his time for The Black Cats and was eventually loaned out in the 2020/21 season where he joined MK Dons.

In 20 appearances he bagged 8 goals, which is a steady return from the striker.

However, in the 2021/22 season, Grigg scored just twice in 19 games for Rotherham on loan.

Grigg left Sunderland this summer for MK Dons, where he has scored five goals so far this season in League One.

Luke O'Nien

One of the biggest successes coming out of Sunderland 'Til I Die was Luke O'Nien.

O'Nien was signed from Wycombe in 2018 and has quickly become a fan favourite both on and off the pitch.

In his first season for Sunderland, O'Nien picked up the Young Player of The Season Award and was seen as one of the most hard-working players for the club.

After yet another impressive season in 2020/21, O'Nien was named in the League One team of the season.

He signed a three-year contract extension in July 2021, and is still one of the most valuable players at the club today.

Juan Sartori

Juan Sartori was a character who you would see in the background of season two.

He is a current shareholder, owning around 20% of the club.

Current director at the club: Juan Sartori

Outside of his role at Sunderland, Sartori is heavily into his politics in his home country of Uruguay.

He was recently elected as a senator in Uruguay, showing he is quite a diverse and unconventional investor for a football club.

Stewart Donald

Stewart Donald purchased the club in the summer of 2018 from Ellis Short.

Donald was a catalyst in trying to improve the club's public image by engaging with the Sunderland fans.

Minority shareholder at the club: Stewart Donald

Season two ended with the cliff hanger of whether Donald would sell the club.

Since then the French businessman, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, has become the Chairman and majority shareholder of the club.

Donald still remains a minority shareholder at the club following the takeover in February 2021.

George Honeyman

Honeyman was a star in the first season of Sunderland 'Til I Die, and was named club captain in the second series.

He came across in the series as a local lad battling for his club during a difficult period, and was popular amongst fans.

George Honeyman in action against Gillingham

But after the second season when it was confirmed Sunderland were to remain in League One, the skipper was sold to Hull City in order to raise funds for the club.

This ended Honeyman's 15-year association with Sunderland, from youth level to first-team.

Honeyman was named in the 2020/21 team of the season for League One, which earned him an extension to his contract with Hull City as they won promotion to the Championship.

George Honeyman made 119 apearnces for the Tigers

This summer, he was signed by Gary Rowett's Millwall for an undisclosed fee.

Jack Rodwell

Jack Rodwell was seen as a villain in season one of the Netflix series.

Despite knowing that he would not play for the club, Rodwell refused to leave the club in January.

Rodwell in action for The Black Cats against Sheffield United

He continued to collect his Premier League standard wage while Sunderland were staring down the barrel of a financial crisis.

Due to this, he was not popular amongst fans and did not come across well in the series.

Rodwell was released in the summer of 2018, later joining Blackburn for the season.

He left Blackburn upon the expiration of his contract and joined Sheffield United in January 2020.

After playing just one game in the 2020/21 season for the Blades, Rodwell left the club to join Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers where he still plays today.

Jack Rodwell warming up for A-league side Western Sydney Wanderers.

His time on Sunderland 'Til I Die highlighted how player contracts can cause friction within the club, and how players in today's game obtain a great deal of power and leverage over their clubs.

Lee Cattermole

After two consecutive relegations, Lee Cattermole remained loyal to Sunderland and was a fan favourite.

Cattermole did not appear much in the Netflix series himself, but was mentioned by Stewart Donald as a player the club would struggle to move on.

Cattermole battling for the ball against Fleetwood Town

Cattermole missed the decisive penalty in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley against Portsmouth.

Soon after, he left Sunderland for the Netherlands joining VVV-Venlo in August 2019.

Cattermole made 11 apearances for the Dutch side

After being released in May 2020, Cattermole called an end to his footballing career making a total of 346 appearances, 233 of which were for Sunderland. He is now part of the coaching staff at Championship club Middlesbrough FC.

Martin Bain

Former Sunderland CEO Martin Bain was yet another character who did not do himself any favours on Sunderland 'Til I Die.

Bain was criticised for his vanity and using the cameras for his own personal coverage during season one of the Netflix documentary.

Additionally, the club experienced significant financial mismanagement during his time at the club as CEO, which coincided with poor performances on the pitch.

In the second season, he was not as prominent but was still mentioned by other senior Board members in interviews.

Following back-to-back relegations, his contract was terminated by the club in the summer of 2019 after the change of ownership.

Bain is still involved in football, taking up the position of CEO for Football Sport Development Limited, who organise the Indian Super League.

Jack Ross

Jack Ross was not always too keen to be seen on camera during the Sunderland 'Til I Die series.

Ross took over from Chris Coleman in the summer of 2018.

During his tenure, Sunderland narrowly missed out on promotion and the EFL Trophy.

In October 2019, Ross' contract with the club was terminated after a poor run of results consisting of far too many draws for a side that was chasing promotion.

He then switched back to the Scottish Premiership managing Hibernian.

At Hibs, Ross was criticised for his dull style of football, and after a run of seven losses in nine games, he was sacked in December 2021.

He then went on to take charge of Dundee United, joining in June this year.

Ross struggled at Dundee United, lasting just seven games after being bottom of the Scottish Premiership and losing to Celtic 9-0.

Jack Ross' Dundee United against Celtic this season.

He was sacked in August and is currently without a club.

Charlie Methven

In season two of Sunderland 'Til I Die, Charlie Methven became a popular figure in the series - although not among Sunderland fans.

Methven was an Executive Director and part-owner of the club, who became known for his David Brent moments throughout the series.

Perhaps his most viral Brent moment of the series was the music meeting incident.

His methods were unorthodox, and his relationship with Sunderland fans deteriorated badly in 2018 after describing fans who watched Sunderland games on illegal streams as 'parasites'.

After a scheduled meeting with fan groups in November of 2019 turned sour, Methven left the club having already handed in his resignation before the meeting.

The poor relationship with the fans had escalated further over comments he made about the club's northern supporters not having an understanding of business.

Despite resigning from his official position at the club, the fact he remained as a minority owner caused further anger among the club's fans. When photos emerged of him with Juan Sartori on club business, it caused suspicion that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' takeover was not all it seemed.

Methven eventually left Sunderland for good in 2022 when Louis-Dreyfus bought his stake in the club.

Tom Flanagan

Tom Flanagan joined the club in the summer of 2018 from Burton Albion.

Flanagan made 91 appearances for Sunderland before joining Shrewsbury in January 2022.

The Northern Ireland international defender left the club with just six-months left on his deal with The Black Cats.

Since joining Shrewsbury the 30-year-old remains a dependable centre back in League One, with Shrewsbury sitting in 10th.

The new season of Sunderland 'Til I Die is bound to bring new heroes and villains to the forefront as it follows tremendous highs of the 2021/22 season.