Ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, Football Manager 2024 has predicted a terrible first season for new manager Regis Le Bris.
Anticipation for the upcoming season hit a new height on Monday. Good news has flowed through the Stadium of Light’s gates over the past few weeks and it has showed no signs of slowing down.
Sunderland finally appointed a manager at the end of June, with Le Bris taking over. This was soon followed by a fantastic new kit and the news that Chris Rigg will sign a new contract.
Therefore, for many of the Stadium of Light faithful, the start of the new campaign could not come soon enough.
As a result, Sunderland AFC News has delved into Football Manager 2024 to see how they predict the Black Cats’ upcoming season will play out.
By downloading the latest squad update, the computer simulation can give us a potential scenario of how the Black Cats’ 2024/25 campaign could pan out. However, the results are not promising.
Regis Le Bris predicted a terrible first season at Sunderland
Starting off in the summer, Le Bris wasn’t able to get much done. Alongside goalkeeper Simon Moore, the Sunderland manager only captured one more player, with Peterborough’s Hector Kyprianou joining the club.
Going in the opposite direction, rising star Dan Neil left to go to Premier League outfit West Ham for £15.75 million. However, this money was never reinvested.
At the start of the campaign, Le Bris enjoyed a good spell, winning four of his first six in all competitions. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse.
A defeat to Port Vale in the Carabao Cup second round was followed by a run of six games without a goal.
After a winless run of nine games, Le Bris was sacked at the end of November, only winning five of his 20 games in charge.
Sam Allardyce then made a surprise return to the Stadium of Light and guided the Black Cats to a 19th-place finish to end a miserable campaign.
Read more: Key fixture dates for Sunderland’s 2024/25 campaign.
Regis Le Bris will no doubt have a better season at the Stadium of Light
Despite the results of the simulation, there are plenty of reasons why fans should be optimistic about Le Bris.
The Frenchman has already convinced Rigg to commit to the club in just under two weeks at the club.
If Sunderland can hit the ball rolling at the start of the season, it could easily be a memorable campaign.
The Black Cats’ issues up top no doubt need sorting over the summer and there are plenty of rumours linking forwards to Sunderland.
Over the coming month, fans should get a wider and hopefully, a more positive view of how the club will perform in the coming season.