From the Kop to the City Ground: The Reds Stories That Are Begging for the Netflix Treatment
Photo: S. R. J. Lawrence, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We live in a golden age of football documentaries. Sunderland 'Til I Die gave us chaos behind the scenes, the All or Nothing series peeled back the curtain on Premier League dressing rooms, and every man and his dog has watched at least one boxset about a club they don't even support. So we got thinking at Reds TV HQ: which moments from our two great red clubs deserve the full feature-length treatment?
Here's our shortlist — ten stories with drama, characters, and a proper third act.
1. Istanbul, 2005 — Six Minutes That Shook Europe
The obvious one, but for good reason. A documentary about the Champions League final in Turkey wouldn't just retell the 3-3 comeback against Milan — it would trace the whole season, the squad's doubts, Rafa Benítez's half-time team talk, and the surreal scenes back on the Kop.
Who we'd interview: Steven Gerrard, obviously, but the real gold would be Milan Baroš (an unused sub that night), the Liverpool bus drivers who ferried fans around the city, and the Turkish bar owners who watched their venues get taken over by Scouse voices.
The unseen footage we want: Phone camera clips from inside the Atatürk Stadium's away end during the six-minute collapse. Somewhere, those exist.
2. Brian Clough's 44 Days at Leeds — The Prequel to Glory
Everyone knows Cloughie's Leeds disaster thanks to The Damned United. But a proper documentary could bridge the gap between that humiliation and his arrival at the City Ground, where he built the greatest underdog story English football has ever seen.
Who we'd interview: Former Forest players from the era, Leeds squad members willing to finally open up, and the journalists who chronicled both tenures.
3. Forest's Back-to-Back European Cups — The Story That Still Doesn't Get Told Enough
Two European Cups. Consecutive. A provincial club from the East Midlands. It sounds like a pub quiz trick question, and that's exactly why it needs a documentary.
The story arc: A modest club, a maverick manager, a chainsmoking assistant in Peter Taylor, and a run that humbled Europe's elite. The falling-out between Clough and Taylor adds the bittersweet final act.
Key interviewees: John Robertson, Larry Lloyd, and the Munich locals who still remember Forest's 1979 and 1980 finals.
4. The 1989 Hillsborough Disaster and the 30-Year Fight for Justice
Handled with the care it demands, this would be a documentary about grief, institutional failure, and the extraordinary campaign by the families of the 96. From The Sun's lies to the 2016 inquest verdict and the 2022 acquittal of the match commander, it's a story about never letting go.
Who we'd interview: The Hillsborough Independent Panel members, Margaret Aspinall, and the journalists who refused to drop the story.
5. Cardiff, 2003 — Forest's Play-Off Heartbreak
A smaller canvas, but every fan knows the pain of a play-off final. Forest losing to Sheffield United in Cardiff might not be European royalty, but a documentary about that season — the promise, the belief, the 90 minutes that unravelled — would resonate with anyone who's ever watched their season die on a sunny bank holiday afternoon.
6. The 1986–87 Season: Liverpool's Double and the Changing of a Guard
Kenny Dalglish's first full season as player-manager ended with a league and FA Cup double. A film could explore the audacity of handing a still-active player the top job — and it working.
Key interviewees: Dalglish himself, Ian Rush (and his mid-season transfer saga with Juventus), and the Anfield boot room veterans.
7. Nottingham Forest's 2022 Promotion Under Steve Cooper
From bottom of the Championship to the Premier League in the space of a year, with a squad rebuilt around loanees and a manager who somehow made it click. The promotion win over Huddersfield at Wembley capped one of the great modern revival stories.
The unseen footage we want: The scenes on the Trent as thousands flooded the streets for the trophy parade.
8. The 2001 UEFA Cup Final in Dortmund
Liverpool beating Alavés 5-4 — with a golden goal own goal in stoppage time — is one of the maddest finals ever played. A documentary could unpack the chaos of that season, Gerard Houllier's illness and recovery, and a final where the winning goal was scored by the losing team.
9. Clough vs. Revie — The Feud That Defined an Era
Two managers, two philosophies, and a genuine mutual loathing that played out across Yorkshire and the East Midlands. A documentary structured as a dual biography could be superb — think Fever Pitch meets a proper old-school grudge match.
Key interviewees: Players who served both men, and the football writers of the 1960s and 70s who kept the fire stoked.
10. The 2019 Anfield Comeback Against Barcelona
4-0. No Salah, no Firmino. Georginio Wijnaldum scoring twice. Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner of the century for Divock Origi. It's a 90-minute documentary that would basically write itself — the tension, the disbelief, the noise.
The unseen footage we want: Every single mobile phone video from inside Anfield that night. The sound alone would be worth the licence fee.
Got a moment we've missed? Drop us a line on the usual channels — and if any documentary producers are reading, we're available for consulting. And probably cameos.
