Original subtitles

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.

♪ Don't forget where you came from ♪

♪ Don't forget what you're made of ♪

♪ 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 ♪

♪ Don't forget to sing when you win ♪

♪ Don't forget to sing when you win ♪

Fairly 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.

I've always been a massive cynic

because of Wrexham's past history.

We've had a lot of false dawns.

Like, I don't wanna curse it

because I--I've seen what happens before.

It'll be a setback not to go up straightaway now.

I mean, if you don't go through the playoffs,

it could be quite crushing. Think you've been

in the playoff semifinals against Luton.

Yeah. We always played Luton.

It was always bloody Luton. Yeah.

Well, this is typical Wrexham.

This is what Wrexham do--

another heroic, frustrating failure.

I'm trying to keep it grounded,

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

You know, we-- 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.

We hate playoffs at Wrexham.

We can't stand the thought of postseason.

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.

- Go, birds! - Go, birds.

The last 365 days,

the teams that I have supported

have come in second place.

In the National League, Wrexham.

Grimsby look to have won it!

In the FA trophy, Wrexham Men's.

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...

Cal's clipping it up! Boom!

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.

And the Kansas City Chiefs

have won Super Bowl LVII!

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. 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 who was first. - Yes.

It ain't you.

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

That also sucks.

Like, on a--like, an opening weekend or something?

Yeah, you're, like, in 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-- 12 times.

Who could I possibly be talking about?

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.

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'd 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.

All right, moving on.

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."

Yes, here we go. Touch.

Good. Yeah!

Touch. Good. Finish! Better.

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.

Don't let the speed go!

Go on, Mac.

You're part of a team.

At the same time, you have an opportunity

to do something individual.

Kill 'em!

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.

In sports, there's just so much

that's out of anyone's control.

I mean, you could do-- you could do everything right

and still never manage to achieve

what you're trying to achieve, and I think--

I think that can kind of get to your head.

When the going gets tough in the game,

you wanna be on the touchline as a manager,

and you wanna see those players who are gonna

go that extra yard to-- to turn a draw into a win

or a defeat in--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 got to make sure

players who you bring in

have got the capability to do that.

That's tough, but Mendy's there.

Mendy from range.

Oh, my goodness!

Now Jacob Mendy will have a pop, and hits!

But 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.

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.

I used to--to look at my father and see how hard

he--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.

Hooray! Ah! Season ticket!

Season ticket!

Obviously, moving from country to country

is--is always hard.

When I actually moved to London six years ago,

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

as an adult and, you know,

having to--to work to pay the rent.

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

So I had two jobs as well.

I was doing a cleaning job,

and I used to work about 12 hours a day,

so it was harder for me to find a club,

and it wasn't great, you know.

I liked the story of him coming over to England,

playing in--in non-league in-- 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 group we had.

You're my favorite player.

Oh, my. Oh, thank you very much.

What's your name? 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.

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

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

the--the--the--the club and the team.

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

just to understand them.

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!

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.

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

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, um, 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.

Looking for Mendy. Mendy.

I knew from the first day

that I wanted to come to Wrexham.

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

I'm only here to win.

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

and "losing," there's a team

towards the bottom of our table...

Who are actually winners.

Bring it up, bring it up, bring it up.

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

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--of league football.

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

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

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.

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

Get it right.

Shit! 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 fucking 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--a drive and determination--

he's a part owner, as well, um--

to keep--keep progressing.

Let's go! Put your foot into it!

Perfect! Double that arch. Good.

Winger, let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

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

of Dorking Wanderers Football Club.

Keep going! 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 12 promotions in--in 23 years.

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.

Dorking Wanderers,

they've developed this winning mentality.

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 shit done all the time.

Oi, fuck off!

Isaac, get closer, man!

Fucking get closer!

Passion also scares the shit out of people.

Terrorize 'em, seriously!

Um, passion inspires people.

What are we doing?

You know, he--he gets fired up.

They wanna drop into a block, fuck that!

Put it on 'em!

Like, if something goes wrong on the pitch,

something goes wrong with the club,

that--that guy still believes he's gonna win.

Looking to fight.

Hey, don't fucking shit yourselves!

Don't fucking shit 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--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 fucking disguise on.

I've got to be there. That's how it works.

Do you know who you remind me of?

Go on.

Del Boy Trotter. - Mate, fucking--

Right?

But what about Alf Garnett, then?

Eh? You havin' a fucking 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 fucking easy, right?

It's--it's hat, coat, the whole shebang.

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

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--that--that's when it becomes an issue.

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

There's--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--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.

Dorking, they probably don't--

well, obviously, they don't have the--

the financial resources that, uh, certain clubs do.

Uh, but the resource 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 beat 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. And the referee...

He's glowing. Has he had enough?

Yep. Yes, he has.

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

Very disappointing, Mark.

Yeah, it's a shame.

You know, we--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.

The--the--the response is so good.

It's so great.

Fuck you--

Fuck you and your sh--

you can shove your shite documentary up your arse.

Yeah, yeah.

We need to seize the moment.

There--there comes a point where the story of a team

that always tries to achieve something and never does

becomes a nonstory.

And the outstanding diva is...

the streak is over! Susan Lucci!

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."