After Sunderland’s long unbeaten run in the Championship came to an end at Sheffield United, this feels like a good time to sit back and take stock of the job Regis Le Bris has done thus far.
And while a run of six winless games – and a first defeat in 11 at Bramall Lane – has put the Frenchman under a degree of fan pressure for the first time since taking over at the Stadium of Light, the overall picture still makes for pretty positive viewing.
Sunderland may be five points adrift of top spot rather than five points clear, as they were just over a month ago.
But for a team who limped to a 16th place finish in May to be within touching distance of automatic promotion only a few months later, any criticism aimed at Regis Le Bris should be countered with a hearty dose of context.
Sunderland still have the fourth-best defensive record in the Championship. The gap between themselves and pre-season title favourites Leeds United stands at just two points.
And, until heading to the Steel City last week, Sunderland had managed to keep their unbeaten run going despite losing the likes of Jude Bellingham, Romain Mundle, Jobe Bellingham and Dennis Cirkin to injury and suspension.
Dave Jones raves about Regis Le Bris’ impact at Sunderland
Dave Jones, the Sky Sports presenter and a non-executive director at Sunderland, remains firmly behind Le Bris with Stoke City’s visit to Wearside on Saturday representing an excellent chance to get back to winning ways.
“I think [Le Bris] has delivered what we expected him to,” Jones tells Not the Top 20 podcast. “We saw a guy that was, first and foremost, a really good coach and thats what we were looking for.
“We’re slightly different in the way we run, our structures and our processes. We have a great deal of confidence in the way we are organised but we felt we were lacking the missing piece in terms of the coach who could deliver on the promise and the potential.”
Jones, who joined the Sunderland board back in 2019, feels that Le Bris has created the most tactically astute Black Cats team in recent memory.
Black Cats’ defensive record remains impressive
“What he has done is made us a lot more compact as a team,” Jones adds. “We are much better than we ever have been in terms of transition. We have the confidence, when we lose the ball, that we are not going to be exposed and have shots reigning down on our goal.
“I think you have seen that throughout our performances. There is a more cohesive defensive structure. I think we just would like to add a little more in terms of going forward, creating chances, having a few more shots, so we can sustain the position we find ourselves in right now.
“I don’t think anyone at the club is running around and patting themselves on the back, because we always felt the potential was there and we haven’t done anything yet.
“There is still a chance of automatic promotion. There is the possibility of the play-offs, and we would certainly hope to be in the mix for both of those things at this stage.”
Jones explains why Sunderland chose Le Bris
Jones hails Sunderland newbies Chris Mepham and Wilson Isidor, too, with the centre-half and the centre-forward making a massive impact at both ends of the pitch.
Isidor’s arrival, in particular, owes much to former FC Lorient coach Le Bris’ deep knowledge of French football.
Sunderland certainly took their time, meanwhile, before deciding that Le Bris was the right man to take Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham and co to the next level.
Four months passed between Mick Beale’s sacking and Le Bris’ arrival; Sunderland considered the likes of Jimmy Thelin, now pulling up trees at Aberdeen, during those 16 weeks without a permanent head coach.
“We had to be patient and we were prepared to be patient,” Jones adds. “Regis was obviously somebody we knew of previously because of his track record in France, albeit over a short period.
“We were aware of the quality of his work and Kyril [Louis-Dreyfus, owner] was aware of the quality of his work with Lorient.
“We were having a lot of conversations with a lot of different people in that phase. [With Le Bris, we felt] he was a guy we had to follow up with. It became apparent what we were dealing with here was a really serious football guy.
A guy with very genuine and clear coaching qualities, and almost professorial in the way he went about it.
“I think what has surprised me a little bit is how well he has adapted to the Championship and the English football culture, and the way he been able to find a way to communicate with our fans as well.
“He has this real natural authenticity as a human being. He’s got a real warmth to him. He doesn’t try to pretend to be anything that he’s not.”