Regis Le Bris has earned praise from a Premier League-winner following his strong start to the season with Sunderland.
The Black Cats have made a better-than-expected start to the 2024/25 season under Regis Le Bris, following an arduous summer search for a new boss.
Sunderland appointed Le Bris in June following their previous sacking of Michael Beale in February earlier this year.
The jury was out on the unproven Le Bris. But after nine games of the Championship season, the Frenchman has Sunderland in 1st place of the table.
Fans immediately warmed to Le Bris and his calm and knowledgeable demeanour, with the players clearly enjoying their football this season.
Last time out, Sunderland drew 2-2 with Leeds United. There’s a few questions starting to be raised about Sunderland’s promotion chances this season, but on the whole, the mood remains very positive.
Jeremie Aliadiere shares his experiences of Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris
Speaking in a recent interview with Football League World, former Arsenal striker and 2003/04 Premier League-winner Jeremie Aliadiere spoke about Le Bris.
Aliadiere was playing for Lorient between 2011 and 2014, when Le Bris was working within the youth ranks at the club.
The Frenchman said of Le Bris: “We did cross paths [at Lorient]. We had a lot of chats and discussions about coaching as he was director of the academy when I was there.
“We spoke about young players and coaching as this was something I was keen to learn about.
“I was at the end of my career and coaching was the next logical step, so we spoke a lot, and he has a great vision about the game.
“He was so easy to talk with. He was composed, calm and excellent ideas as to how the game should be played.
“He knew what he wanted and you can see he gets his message across well. This is a good move for him and I am sure he will go from strength to strength.”
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How does Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland record compare to his Lorient record
Le Bris is certainly earning plaudits at Sunderland, going from strength to strength like Aliadiere has predicted for his former Lorient ally.
And it comes after Le Bris was relegated from Ligue with Lorient last season, in what was his second season in charge.
Lorient finished 10th in Ligue 1 during Le Bris’ first season. Come the time of his exit this summer, he’d overseen 76 games and boasted a win rate of 30%.
In 10 games with Sunderland, Le Bris has a 60% win rate. But it’s still very early doors for Le Bris at Sunderland, with a long way to go this season and with a lot of obstacles lying ahead.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | GD |
| 76 | 23 | 20 | 33 | 104 | 123 | -19 |
| 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 10 | 8 |