Sunderland AFC: A season of pain, passion and torment relived in Netflix show

It could prove a hard sell for Sunderland fans.

But while 'Sunderland Til I Die' is sure to be tough viewing for their fans, nine months of warts-and-all behind-the-scenes pain is bound to make a fascinating watch.

The much-acclaimed Manchester City Amazon Prime documentary 'All or Nothing' followed Pep Guardiola's all-conquering side as they stormed to Premier League glory in the same season.

After a trailer was released on Monday, here is a flavour of what you can expect from Sunderland's eight-part series from the other end of the scale when it first hits screens on Friday.

Fan fury

Seeing Sunderland's painful slide into the third tier for the first time in 30 years provoked an inevitable mix of passion, pain and sometimes almost uncontrollable anger.

Supporters witnessed just seven league wins in 46 matches, from a season many had hoped would see them get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

"Absolutely pathetic. We are sick of it," one soundbite reaction to another defeat sums up the feeling of many a long-suffering fan.

The humiliation and heartache is there for all to see.

The slide towards oblivion

Chance of salvation arrived in the form of another new manager in November.

But Sunderland were already bottom of the table with just one win to their name by the time Chris Coleman was appointed as Simon Grayson's successor.

Even a manager who had guided underdogs Wales to the Euro 2016 semi-finals would have his work cut out trying to stop the rot and placating an increasingly unsettled and unhappy set of supporters.

He lasted until the the end of April, but it was a bumpy ride as the documentary shows, through one-to-one interviews, his interaction with fans and the unintrusive filming.

One city, one team, no walking away

It's the hope that kills. Despite the heartache, there were still some moments of cheer during a desperate spell.

It's only football, after all. And while winning feels like everything, it's your club, come what may.

It helps to win, though. One of the Black Cats' rare victories came over high-flying Fulham in December. Two weeks later an away win over Nottingham Forest saw 2017 end on a high.

The highs were few and far between. But when you name your first-born son Niall after much-revered former striker Niall Quinn, as one fan does in the documentary, your commitment cannot be questioned.

And it's pretty tricky to walk away... even if your club is relegated for the second season in succession, you have had seven bosses in five years and you witness 23 league defeats in a season.

He's one of our own

One of the few bright spots was the emergence of current captain George Honeyman.

He is just one of the players who features prominently and, as a home-grown talent, his development brings a big positive. More seasoned campaigners, including John O'Shea, also face the cameras.

Divine intervention

If all else fails, just pray. It's often said football is a religion in the north east.

The documentary shows that to be true, as almost everyone - including the church - get involved to try to lift spirits and performances.

It's about keeping the faith, even when nothing seems to work.

Getting it out of your system

Supporters of a certain club just down the road, who play in black and white, are probably frantically checking out the quickest way to get Netflix subscription and ordering in the popcorn.

But, maybe, it might just turn out to be therapeutic for those in red and white.

"Let's get it out of out system and move on."

The healing process could be completed after eight weeks.