Patrick Roberts reflects on Sunderland’s shift from struggle under Michael Beale to promotion with Régis Le Bris.
Patrick Roberts had a front-row seat for one of the most dramatic managerial swings in Sunderland’s modern history - from the turbulence of Michael Beale’s brief tenure to Régis Le Bris masterminding a Premier League return just 12 months later.
Beale’s appointment lasted only a matter of months, with Sunderland enduring a difficult Championship campaign that ultimately ended in a 16th-place finish. It was a season marked by inconsistency, injury and uncertainty. Looking back, Roberts is careful not to isolate the struggles to one single spell.
“I don't think you can say it was a period,” Roberts reflected. “I think maybe that season was just up and down. I was injured for a lot of it as well, which didn't help my personal situation. You're down the bottom end fighting. In the end, we were safe before the last day, but it does get a bit hairy and you do get a bit nervous.
“I've been in that situation before. It's never nice, even surviving towards the end of the season. It's more relief than anything. It's not a nice feeling. It's relief and then you can go next year and start a fresh, clean slate. I think it was just a topsy-turvy year. It was up and down. There were changes. It was difficult, but these things do happen in clubs. You see it all the time. You have a blip, but it's how you react and how you go again.”
Sunderland did react. Just a year later, under Le Bris, they completed a remarkable turnaround, securing promotion via the play-offs and returning to the Premier League. Roberts believes that resilience was forged in that difficult campaign. “I think we responded fantastically. To go from 16th to then getting promoted is incredible.
Roberts added on Sunderland’s squad at the time: “We had such a young team. A lot of young players that are going to go on to do big things. I think it wasn't just one thing. Over the season, it built up and it just happened that way. We stayed in the league, which is the main thing, went next year and got promoted. Like I said, a whole 12 months can change lives.”
So what changed when Le Bris arrived? “It’s hard to explain,” Roberts admits. “I think he was very tactical. He always had a solution. It’s hard to explain sometimes. He was easy to talk to, but at the same time, he'd always have a question for you. He'd always make you think. I think in that way, he would improve a lot of players. He was just very tactically sound. Every game, he had a game plan, he had a certain way. He stuck to how he wanted to play. Those principles are set for a good manager.”
Roberts also pointed to the wider structure around the Frenchman. “He had good staff around him that were helping and learning as well. I think everything just came together. A new manager coming to the Championship - you just never know. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. He was very calm-headed. He was very tactically sound. He could really motivate a team. I think every player bought into that. We were fighting for each other.”
For Roberts, the clarity and communication were just as important as the tactical framework. “He was good to me. I said I wanted clarity and honesty. He was always honest with me. He'd have chats with me. He'd see how I was, how I felt, how I played. He'd always ask you rather than just give his opinion - give that personal outlook. He's done really well. He was a great coach.”
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