Regis Le Bris has sent a strong message to Black Cats supporters after an incredible first season in charge
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Sunderland Regis Le Bris has taken the Black Cats back to the Premier League
Sunderland Regis Le Bris has taken the Black Cats back to the Premier League
Head coach Regis Le Bris cannot wait to lead Sunderland out in the Premier League after being blown away by the level of support for the club on Wearside.
The inspirational Frenchman had a remarkable first season on Wearside, guiding the club to promotion, and he has reflected on the emotions he felt after promotion as well as discussing his excitement ahead of next season.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport and Cronache di Spogliatoio in Italy, Le Bris answered questions on a range of topics, including what it would be like to manage against some of the top-flight’s best managers.
On how the club is awakening from a period when they languished in League One for four seasons he said: “Sunderland is a giant of English football that has fallen and is now resurrecting.
"The thing that impressed me most about the series is the attachment to the team by the fans. These are people who live for Sunderland. They have an incredible passion for this club.
“The first time I met the supporters was in front of the official club shop, when the new shirt came out. There was a 100-metre queue, with people waiting there since the morning to buy the shirt. They didn’t know me, I was almost a stranger.
“The fans welcomed me super well, from day one. During the pre-season camp in Spain, 2,500 of them came to watch a friendly. Incredible. For the play-off final at Wembley, 35,000 of our tickets were snapped up while Sheffield’s didn’t manage to sell them all.”
Le Bris pointed to the data, which painted Sunderland as long shots at the start of the 2023/24 campaign and they certainly beat the odds as well as many ‘experts’ opinions.
“Opta gave us less than a five per cent chance of finishing in the top six and a 25 per cent chance of being relegated back to League One,” added Le Bris.
“We managed to overturn the predictions with the work on the pitch and with the strength of an extraordinary group, which used the common energy to obtain great results.”
As for piecing together a team capable of flourishing in the Premier League he reckoned: “We are talking about the NBA of football, but it is an exciting challenge and we like challenges.
"I am not scared, I remain convinced that it must be a collective effort. We want to build a strong team, a strong staff, and a strong structure. Maintaining our values, I think, is what will allow us to be successful.”
Asked about facing the likes of Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola in competition, Le Bris said: “The way I am, I don’t worry too much about the future or the consequences.
"I always take it one day at a time, trying to understand how I can improve the team at this precise moment. I think about one minute at a time, and it will be the same when we have to face Liverpool.
“What were the chances of Sunderland being promoted to the Premier League? It is clear that we will have to overturn some predictions, but we will try with our identity and our community.”
Le Bris recalls the first meeting he had with Sunderland’s players and explained: “I asked the lads what, in their opinion, had brought them to be there, at that moment, at the pre-season camp. Everyone responded by talking about the common desire to go to the Premier League.
"These are words that you hear often, but in this case the words were combined with facts, sacrifice, the desire to really get there, all together.
“There was an incredible alchemy right from the start. There were important players from whom I asked for a sacrifice, to whom I sometimes said that they would not start. No one ever complained, everyone put themselves at the service of the team.”
Just how many of those players will line-up for the team’s first game at the top level we will find out in August.