02x05 - First Losers

[bunniefuu]

RYAN: In 1882, Otto Isler
and Ivan Levinstein,

two German immigrants to the UK

who were unimpressed by the
selection of local ales,

set out to replicate the lagers

they loved from back home.

The result was Wrexham Lager,

which they sold
under the slogan,

"Absolutely pure
and wholesome."

Over the next few decades,
their endeavor grew.

Wrexham gained in popularity,
not just at home but abroad.

It traveled the British army.

Yes, it was enjoyed
by local Welsh laborers,

but it also was beginning
to find customers as far away

as Peru, the Sudan,
and Australia.

In 1911, at a make-or-break
moment for the lager,

its place as a household name
alongside Guinness, Molson,

and Carlsberg
finally seemed assured

when the White Star Line
chose Wrexham

to be the beer of choice
on its biggest,

boldest bet yet.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

SINGER: ♪ Don't forget
where you came from ♪

♪ Don't forget why you made up
the ones who were there ♪

♪ When no one else would care ♪

♪ And don't be afraid
to cry now ♪

♪ Even when the world
comes crashing in ♪

[soft music]

♪ Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪

ANNOUNCER: Had an even game
over the 90 minutes,

but the ball didn't stick for
Wrexham in the final third,

and a disappointing result.

But it sends Notts County
top of the National League.

MARK: I've always been
a massive cynic

because of Wrexham's
past history.

ROB CLARKE: We've had
a lot of false dawns.

I don't wanna curse it

because I've seen
what happens before.

MARK: It'll be a setback not
to go up straight away now.

PERSON: I mean, if you don't
going through the playoffs,

it could be quite crushing.

PERSON 2: Think you've been
in the playoff semifinals

against Luton.

PERSON 3:
Yeah. We always played Luton.

It was always bloody Luton.

MARK: Well, this is
typical of Wrexham.

This is what Wrexham do...

Another heroic,
frustrating failure.

CLARKE: I'm trying
to keep it grounded,

but we've not...
We've not won anything yet.

We could do a Wrexham.

The records for the most
points ever won by a team

that didn't get promoted in the
history of the top five levels

of English football is Wrexham,
ten years ago.

That 2012 season
we had 98 points,

and we ended up in the playoffs.

[crowd cheering]

MARK: We hate playoffs
at Wrexham.

We can't stand the thought
of postseason.

HUMPHREY:
There are so many instances

of those near-misses.

You know, I think
all of that is just...

It's in keeping with
what I think is a very...

It's a very British mentality
at times of, you know,

everything's bad, um, don't
expect better for yourself,

just get on with your life
until you're dead.

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Go, birds!
- Go, birds.

ROB:
The last 365 days,

the teams that I have supported

have come in second place

in the National League...
Wrexham...

ANNOUNCER:
Grimsby look to have won it!

In the FA trophy,
Wrexham Men's...

ANNOUNCER: It's worthy of a
Hollywood script, all right,

but it's Bromley
that are the stars.

The Women's League,
Wrexham, second place...

The Philadelphia Union...

ANNOUNCER:
Cal's clipping it up! Boom!

ROB: They lost in the
championship, second place.

Oh, and I was there, by the way.

The Philadelphia Phillies,

who lost in the World Series,
second place...

I was there too.

In fact,
I caught the first pitch.

And the Philadelphia Eagles,
who lost in the Super Bowl.

ANNOUNCER:
And the Kansas City Chiefs

have won Super Bowl LVII!

ROB: And yes,
I was there, as well,

but I couldn't bear to have
a camera in my face.

I'll tell you what,
losing hurts worse

than winning feels good.

Coming in second means
that you lost first.

The Bills wanna know why
you were labeled a good team

if you make
three Super Bowl trips

but a bad one
if you lose all three.

They're gonna become the
synonym for all teams forever

who don't win the big game.
PERSON: But that's ridiculous.

If you ain't first, you're last.

That's what coming in second is.

And it doesn't...
It doesn't feel great.

It feels almost more devastating

than coming in tenth, where
the expectation wasn't there.

Because the first thing
anyone wants to know is,

- is who was first.
- Yes.

It ain't you.

I've had a lot of movies
that came in second.

[Rob laughs]

That also sucks.

ROB: Like, on a... like, an
opening weekend or something?

RYAN: Yeah, your, like,
opening weekend,

and it's, like, a great opening,

but you're second,
so no one cares.

They're just gonna talk
about the one that's first.

Tonight marks the 12th time
this talented actress

has been honored by her peers

with an Emmy nomination...


Who could I possibly
be talking about?

[laughter]

My name is Susan Lucci.
I'm an actress.

Hey, let's talk about disrespect

and what your tramp
of a daughter

did to my daughter Bianca,
after all Bianca did

for that piece of trash.

NARRATOR: Starting in 1978,
Lucci was nominated

for a Daytime Emmy as
Outstanding Dramatic Actress

six out of the next eight
years and lost each time.

The situation was
becoming so perverse,

Lucci was winning
standing ovations for losing.

Oh, thank you!

By the ninth year of being
nominated and not winning,

I will say that I would hear
the other person's name called,

and I really...
I just would go numb.

I always tried not to let myself

get swept up in the frenzy,
but, of course, I did.

But every time that I wouldn't
win, I would take it to heart.

And I would go back and try
and do better, you know.

Uh... not usually, not...
In fact, only once.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-mm.
[laughs]

PRODUCER:
[laughs] Moving on.

SUSAN: I was determined
to make it happen in reality.

It's what I always wanted to do.

It's what I love to do most.

I remember being a really...
I mean, really little...

I was the first one up
in the morning.

I would turn the TV on
right away,

and, uh, then my mother would
take me to Broadway shows

when I was... summer vacation.

But in terms of TV and wanting...

As an early,
early motivating factor,

I would think,
"I wanna be in that box.

"I don't wanna be
out here watching.

I wanna be doing that."

COACH:
Yes, here we go. Touch.

Good. Yeah!

Touch. Good. Finish! Better.

SUSAN: I often thought
that what we do as actors

is very akin to athletes.

We are our own instrument.

What we do with ourselves
is what is shown.

And it's very disciplined.

COACH:
Don't let the speed go!

Go on, Mac.

SUSAN:
You're part of a team.

At the same time,
you have an opportunity

to do something individual.

COACH:
k*ll 'em!

[soft dramatic music]

Let other people
perceive you as you want.

I perceive you as the most
resilient, tough-minded bunch

of SOBs that ever
participated in sports.

ROB: In sports,
there's just so much

that's out of anyone's control.

I mean,
you can do everything right

and still never manage
to achieve

what you're trying to achieve,

and I think that can
kind of get to your head.

[upbeat rock music]

PHIL: When the going
gets tough in the game,

you wanna be on the touchline
as a manager,

and you wanna see
those players that are gonna

go that extra yard
to turn a draw into a win

or a defeat into a draw.

And that's
the kind of mentality,

the strength of character,
the winning mentality,

who on the pitch is not gonna
accept defeat?

♪ ♪

Of course, you know,
you've gotta make sure

players who you bring in

have got the capability
to do that.

ANNOUNCER: That's tough,
but Mendy's there.

ANNOUNCER 2:
Mendy from range.

Oh, my goodness!

Now Jacob Mendy
will have a bump, and hits!

PHIL: Well, we watched Jacob
a lot, and in the summer,

we were trying hard to get him,

and we got knocked back
several times by Boreham Wood.

We looked at other players.

And I always went back to him

because I liked the hunger
he played with.

♪ ♪

JACOB: My whole life
has been a challenge.

I've got a strong mentality
because of, um,

what I've grew up seeing.

The example of my father,
you know,

taking us from Gambia to...

To Spain,
and then from Spain to the UK.

[soft music]

I used to look at my father
and see how hard he worked.

You just have to have the
same energy and same mentality

that he has because, you know,
you know he's doing it for us.

PLAYER 1: Hooray!
PLAYER 2: Ah! Season ticket!

Season ticket!

Obviously, moving
from country to country

is always hard.

When I actually moved
to London, six years ago,

I saw how hard it is
to move to a different country

as an adult and, you know,

having to work to pay the rent.

[speaking language]

I used to, obviously, play
and work at the same time.

So I had two jobs as well.

I was doing a cleaning job then.

I used to work about


so it was harder for me
to find a club,

and it wasn't great, you know.

PHIL: I liked the story
of him coming over to England

playing in non-league in
Wealdstone, first of all,

working on a building site,

and then moving to Boreham Wood.

And I just felt his hunger
and kind of rawness

would fit in well...
Would be a good addition

to the crew we had.

CHILD:
You're my favorite player.

JACOB: Oh, my god.
Thank you very much.

What's your name?
STEFAN: Stefan.

Stefan, nice to meet you.

When I first came
to the changing room,

I saw Paul Mullin.

He told me about
how good was the club and, uh,

how good was the people

around the club and everything.

[cheery music]

But I couldn't understand
one thing of what he said.

[laughs]

So that was the first
impression I had of, you know,

the club and the team.

So I was like, oof,
I'm going to struggle

just to understand them.

ANNOUNCER: Mendy delivered one
good ball from there already.

This time, he cuts inside
low to Palmer.

Palmer on his right foot.
He's gonna hit it.

Great block by Gallagher,
doesn't fall for Davis,

does for Mendy.
Mendy hits it. It's in!

The first Wrexham goal
for Jacob Mendy!

JACOB: You know,
we share the same mentality

and the same passion.

Yeah.

Which means, um,
I don't know if I...

My pronunciation was right,
but it means, uh,

"My name is Jacob."

- In?
- In Welsh.

Obviously, I wasn't part

of what happened
the season before.

ANNOUNCER: And that is it!
Wrexham's season is over!

JACOB: Second place, it feels
like basically you're losing.

It's last.
That's the worst feeling.

You know, you work hard
and you just had it there.

It's a horrible feeling
that you don't recover

in days and days and days.

You know, you can see
the disappointment

in everyone's faces.

But at the same time, I thought
it was something positive

because I knew they wouldn't
like to feel the same way.

ANNOUNCER:
Looking for Mendy. Mendy.

JACOB:
I knew from the first day

that I wanted
to come to Wrexham.

I wanted to play for a team
with a winning mentality.

[crowd roaring]

[soft dramatic music]

I'm only here to win.

So with all this talk about,
you know, coming in second

and quote, "losing,"
there's a team

towards the bottom of our table
who are actually winners.

[dramatic music]

COACH: Bring it up,
bring it up, bring it up.

Hit second! Second!
Right, right, right, right!

[crowd cheering]

One of the great things
about the National League is,

it is this melting pot
of different teams.

You've got former league teams

that have fallen on hard times,

which you would count us as one.

And... you know, and you've got
teams like Dorking Wanderers,

who have undergone this
incredible transformation

over the last 20 years, um,

of going from being
a Sunday league

amateur group
of friends to now a,

you know, professional team
on the cusp of league football.

I think it's a great story.
It's a community club.

Um, they've come up
from so low down.

[inquisitive music]

NARRATOR:
Dorking is a small town

located 21 miles
outside of London,

which is about four hours away
from Wrexham.

Apart from their
beautiful countryside,

Dorking is home to, arguably,
the most ambitious

football team in all of England.

Aspirations very much in line
with the town

and team's symbol,
the Dorking cockerel.

[chickens clucking]

COACH: Right, let's go.
Jump into the shape.

Get it right.

[players shouting]

COACH: sh*t!
No good, no good, no good.

It's no good, come back,
come back, stop.

Well, we're gonna go
one more time.

It's a bit f*cking frosty
for me, right?

Get the width, lads.
Get the standards.

Okay? Come on, men! Let's go.

Yeah, I think, with Phil,
they've got a manager

with a drive and determination...

He's a part owner, as well, um...

To keep progressing.

Let's go!
Put your foot into it!

Perfect!
Double that arch. Good.

We got the stones! Let's go!
Let's go!

I'm Mark White, the, uh,
owner, chairman, and manager

of Dorking Wanderers
Football Club.

Keep going! Let's keep going!

I started the club
from scratch 23 years ago.

We started 12 divisions
below the National League,

where we are now, so it
would be the equivalent

of any sport that is
the lowest possible level

and just done for fun.

We're like a real, you know,
fairy tale in terms of,

like, we had no stadium,
no ground, no nothing.

We didn't know what to expect.

We just thought
we'd have fun with it.

And then we got the bug.

We kind of kept winning.

We've actually got... it's


So we've been promoted pretty
much once every two seasons,

which is a British record.

And, uh, we're proud of that.

And that's really how
it's all taken off.

RYAN:
Dorking Wanderers,

they've developed
this winning mentality.

ROB:
They've proven, uh,

that against all odds
and adversity,

that they are gonna go out there

and give everything
of themselves,

which is inspiring to us

because Wrexham has had
a historically

tough time
in the last few decades.

That's passion, and passion,
I think, is super important.

Passion gets sh*t done
all the time.

MARC:
Oy, f*ck off!

Isaac, get closer, man!

f*cking get closer!

Passion also scares
the sh*t out of people.

COACH:
Terrorize 'em, seriously!

Um, passion inspires people.

COACH: [shouting]
What are we doing?

You know, he gets fired up.

MARC: They wanna drop
into a block, f*ck that!

Put it on 'em!

Like, if something
goes wrong on the pitch,

something goes
wrong with the club,

that guy still believes
he's gonna win.

Looking to fight.

MARC: Hey, don't f*cking
sh*t yourselves!

Don't f*cking sh*t yourselves!

Marc's an extraordinary
character in many respects

because he's so,
in many respects,

divorced from, like,
the conventional way

of doing things in, football,

and it's yielding
incredible results.

I've managed every single
game for like, 23 years.

Even when I've been suspended,
I just...

I just hide in the stadium.

Even when I'm not
allowed in the ground,

I just put
a f*cking disguise on.

I've gotta be there.
That's how it works.

FAN: Do you know
who you remind me of?

Go on.

- FAN: Del Boy Trotter.
- Mate, f*cking...

[laughter]

But what about Alf Garnett then?

FAN: You havin'
a f*cking laugh, eh, mate?

Fair deal, Frank.

Well, it depends.
It's seasonal.

Do you know what I mean?
It's seasonal.

In the winter,
it's f*cking easy, right?

It's hat, coat,
the whole shebang.

In the summer,
it's not... it's not ideal.

[laughs] It's a lot tougher.

I wouldn't show
the owners this stuff

because they'll be thinking
Parky ain't as good as me.

And that's when
it becomes an issue.

Marc and his team have
been a breath of fresh air.

They've got a great story.

And I'm sure,
in the coming years,

they'll be looking to make
themselves a league club.

This year, we've probably got

a lot lower resources
than other clubs.

When we first get promoted
to a new division,

we try to consolidate
where we are.

If we stay in the division,
that was our goal.

And the next year, we'll piss
people off by winning more,

and that's what we always do.

RYAN: Dorking,
they probably don't...

Well, obviously, they don't
have the financial resources

that, uh, certain clubs do.

Uh, but the resources
they do have in spades is,

kind of, they have
this culture of success.

You know, they... their first
year at this level,

they're the only team to b*at
Notts County so far.

We haven't even done that.

And then, you know,
come the end of the season,

they may have done us
a huge favor there.

What everyone here in town
is fighting to change

is that pessimism that creeps up

when things go wrong.
MARK: And the referee...

ANNOUNCER: He's glowing.
MARK: Has he had enough?

ANNOUNCER: Yep.
MARK: Yes, he has.

Well, a 0-0 draw
for Wrexham, disappointing.

ANNOUNCER:
Very disappointing, Mark.

MARK:
Yeah, it's a shame.

You know, we should have
stayed on top of the league.

But we're one point
behind them now, or was it...

Yeah, one point
behind Notts County now.

We're jumping over each other.

One of our guys,
our producers, sent like,

the sweetest, like, hey,
we'd love to interview Notts.

You guys are having an amazing
season, blah, blah, blah.

- I loved it.
- And they were like, ugh.

- Their response is so good.
- It's so great.

f*ck you... [laughs]

f*ck you and your sh...

You can shove your shite
documentary up your arse.

Yeah, yeah.

MARK:
We need to seize the moment.

[crowd cheering]

There comes a point
where the story of a team

that always tries to achieve
something and never does

becomes a non-story.

[soft upbeat music]

And the outstanding diva is...

the streak is over!
Susan Lucci!

[crowd cheering]

I have always been "never
take no for an answer" type.

It's true. Mm-hmm.

I'm not somebody who will ever
throw up my hands

and say, "That's it."

[cheers and applause]

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

[child giggles, seagull cries]