Tommy Watson’s 95th-minute winner secured Sunderland’s return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence
As even Chris Wilder admitted, it was the stuff of fairytale. But it was also the stuff of clever management, perhaps the most perfect encapsulation of Régis Le Bris's ability to block out the noise and make the right decision for the long term.
Many questioned Sunderland's decision to announce Watson's departure for Brighton at the end of the season, and understandably so. Why not just wait until the summer? Sunderland's view was that by confirming the news in April, they could avoid the inevitable speculation casting a cloud over the club in the closing weeks of the season. This way, the back pages would have long moved on by May and the focus of everyone could be fully on the task at hand.
It's easy to forget now that in the weeks following the confirmation of the deal, it looked as if this call would backfire. Watson struggled to make an impact on his return from the first serious injury of his career and many felt that the Sunderland head coach should exclude him from the squad moving forward. Watson was the subject of particularly vehement criticism after the defeat to Bristol City, when the Black Cats had battled admirably with ten men but the winger himself looked off the pace.
Le Bris held his nerve. He had made his discomfort with the turn of events clear in the immediate aftermath of Watson's departure, but quickly focused on reintegrating the winger no matter how loud the outside noise grew. At one stage, he even made the point in a press conference that there was every chance Sunderland might need Watson when their season on their line. Even getting him to a point where he could make a key contribution for ten or fifteen minutes might be vital. Le Bris knew that there were no guarantees that Romaine Mundle would be fit for the play-offs, and that him being able to complete full games was unlikely in the extreme.
He knew he might well need Watson, and was prepared to let the youngster prove in training that he was serious about finishing his spell at the club on a high. In the closing weeks of the season he rested and rotated, carefully rebuilding Watson's match sharpness just in case he was required. And how he was.
Watson admitted afterwards that he had dreamed of this moment in recent weeks, still firmly believing that he could yet make the difference from the bench. It's credit to the 19-year-old that he was able to prove both to his team mates and his head coach in recent weeks that he was ready to play his part. He has for almost two years been knocking the door down behind the scenes, over and over again in academy games cutting inside and finding the far corner with impressive poise just as he did here. His goal was a reminder of why Brighton had fought so hard for over a year to sign him.
Even accounting for all that talent, many head coaches would have succumbed to the pressure to move on without him once he made clear his long-term intention to leave. Le Bris has time and time again shown his pragmatic streak, and here it paid off when it really mattered.
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