Phil Smith reflects on Régis Le Bris’s first year as head coach of Sunderland
One year ago, Sunderland brought their search for a new head coach to a conclusion. To say it had been a long and winding road would be an understatement.
Well over 100 days passed between the departure of Michael Beale and the appointment of Régis Le Bris, in which time Sunderland's once relatively promising campaign had drifted to a 16th-place finish. Sunderland's progress had slowed and then they had started to regress, the mood on Wearside as low as had it been at any time since the arrival of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman.
The challenging process to find Beale's successor did lift to raise spirits, particularly as it dragged in deep into the post-season. A long list of candidates entered the Sunderland consciousness and drifted away again, some of them genuine contenders and others rogue links. There was (and this list is by no means exhaustive) Will Still, genuine contender and at one stage frontrunner who in the end opted to join RC Lens. Pascal Jansen, genuine contender hugely admired by the hierarchy but in the end not the right man at the right time. Danny Rohl and Marti Cifuentes, contenders but not for long once hefty compensation clauses were established. Rapheal Wicky, at one stage reported overseas to have agreed a deal to take over despite never having been in the race. Frank Lampard, never truly a contender but at one stage the favourite with the bookmakers. Liam Rosenior, briefly a contender after a shock sacking by Hull City but quickly eyeing other vacancies.
And then there was Le Bris. He had gone under the radar throughout the recruitment process, but was confirmed on June 22nd as the man to spearhead Sunderland's revival. There were reservations amongst the fanbase but there was also relief, the feeling that an acrimonious chapter might just be drawing to a close.
One year on, we can say with certainty that it was a decision that has fundamentally changed the course of Sunderland history. He has not done it alone, but Le Bris's understated, smart management has returned the Black Cats to the Premier League. In 2025, that means a surge in revenue and profile that secure a solid footing for a decade to come.
On Sunderland's part, Le Bris was a calculated gamble. He had impressed in his spectacular first few months as Lorient's permanent boss, and at the end of his first campaign there had been strong interest from Nice and talk of a potential move to Leeds United. The following campaign was a disaster for the club but Sunderland sensed an opportunity, reasoning that many of the problems Le Bris had faced were predominantly due to a raft of player sales. Sunderland's model had come under increasing scrutiny during their own annus horribilis, but behind the scenes there was a conviction that he was a good fit. Sunderland consistently track coaches who have worked in elite academies, believing that such a unique skillset can translate well to the project on Wearside. This, combined with Le Bris's promising early start in senior management, suggested a union that could yield development and results. It of course was also a factor that the Sunderland hierarchy closely follow the French game, and have a network of contacts within it. It was an inspired decision, bold but calculated like so much of the excellent early recruitment under the new regime. It was, it should also be said, a vindication of the decision to wait for higher-calibre candidates once the season was finished and it now feels as if the lesson of Tony Mowbray's dismally-timed departure have now been fully learned behind the scenes.
Le Bris moved quickly to dispel any early reservations. His English was from the off excellent, a reflection of his capacity to learn quickly but also his understated ambition. It transpired he had been learning the language for two years in the hope of an opportunity like this, and when it came he was ready. Fears that the back three he had been playing at Lorient would be a clunky fit for a team looking to get back on the front foot were allayed when in his opening press conference he made clear 4-3-3 was his preferred system. De Zerbi and Guardiola were references but don't expect my team to play like theirs, he wryly added.
He was measured but ruthless behind the scenes, quickly establishing a smaller core of players who could hit the ground running when the campaign began.
It has not always been plain sailing but Le Bris stayed calm and focused through the inevitable difficult patches of a Championship season. It's also true that he picked up this group of players at a good time, better and stronger in the end for that difficult season. There was a resilience and a determination now inbuilt that Le Bris could harness and they grew together, putting right the mistakes they made along the way. At one stage Sunderland fans would never have believed you if you said they would win promotion mainly because of their ability to finish the games stronger both physically and tactically, such was the frequency with which they conceded late goals. That was Le Bris and Sunderland, always learning and always responding.
Though everyone is aware that the Black Cats are now facing up to an even greater challenge as they return to the Premier League, the success of this debut campaign ensures Le Bris will leave a legacy.
For his part, he has shown that it's possible to hire a decisive and ruthless head coach also perfectly capable of working within a collaborative structure. He has bought into the recruitment model and leaned on academy prospects, but also pushed hard for certain targets where he could utilise his own expertise and connections. His willingness to learn about the club and the city, using that to build a team in its image, has been exemplary.
For their part, Sunderland have over the last 18 months learned some valuable lessons about the realities of managing Sunderland and why external factors can be just as important as internal factors. Le Bris has challenged the perception that a successful Sunderland manager has to be a huge personality, but has absolutely reinforced the belief that they have to be able to completely block out the external noise. Le Bris has demonstrated that while modern methods and coaching excellence are an absolute must for the role as it is now, so too are the more traditional skills of handling the pressure of being the main public face at such a huge club.
In the weeks and months building up to Le Bris's arrival, there was a long and fair debate about whether Sunderland's structure and financial prudence prevented them from landing the calibre of coach necessary to win promotion. Le Bris has turned that debate on its head by managing clearly but with humility flexibility. The faith of the Sunderland hierarchy one year ago has proven to be very well placed, and now the once unknown Frenchman in these parts has the chance to go on and make more history.
One year on, there is now a strong feel about how to make this structure work and what the head coach within it should look like. It gives Sunderland a real chance of sustaining this period of exhilarating success.
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