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Robin Roefs feared boos before realising fans were chanting his name – and says Sunderland’s intensity shocked him on arrival
Robin Roefs has opened up on his first months at Sunderland, admitting he was taken aback by the intensity of the club’s supporters and the ambition shown behind the scenes before his arrival on Wearside.
“I was told before I arrived that this club’s fans were amazing,” said Roefs, when asked what his first impressions had been. “But I was a little bit surprised, at the beginning, just how intense they are.”
The Dutch goalkeeper said it didn’t take long for him to sense the quality within Régis Le Bris’ new-look squad. “From the moment I came here, I thought we had a really good group, with lots of quality. The start we have had has not been a huge surprise because I could see the quality.”
Roefs also revealed that Sunderland’s ambition was obvious long before he stepped through the doors at the Academy of Light, pointing to the club’s huge summer investment and the clarity of the project set out to him. “The first thing that attracted me was the chance to play in the Premier League. And Sunderland, well, the project looked exciting.
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“They didn’t have to say too much. I knew… they had already spent €200m when they were talking to me, so I could see from the outside, this wasn’t a club that was just going to play and try to stay up. The ambition was there, and they spoke so well, they knew all about me and were convinced of my qualities, so it was an easy decision to make.”
Despite predictions elsewhere that Sunderland would struggle in their first season back in the top flight, Roefs insists those conversations never entered the squad’s thinking. “I don’t know if we were worried about what people were saying about us [struggling this season]. I don’t remember anyone talking about this, it didn’t get around the dressing room.
“We were not talking about fighting to stay up, we were just hungry and wanted to achieve as much as we could. We knew we were a newly promoted team, so the first goal was to make sure we stayed up, but that isn’t really how we talk in the dressing room.”
Roefs has quickly become a fan favourite at the Stadium of Light, with supporters chanting “Rooooooooefs” whenever he makes a save or claims a cross – something he admits caught him off guard at first. “The first time they shouted my name, I [thought]: ‘Nah they cannot be booing me,’” Roefs laughed. “I realised really quickly. They do something similar in the Netherlands, but never before with my name. It feels really good; the supporters are massive for us. They drive us on.”
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