Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris has revealed that his players stated their promotion ambitions from the moment he walked through the door last summer.
The Frenchman inherited a squad that had endured a number of managerial changes in a short space of time. Tony Mowbray began the 2023/24 season in charge but was replaced by Michael Beale in December 2023. He lasted just 12 games, leaving Mike Dodds to finish the campaign on an interim basis.
The team suffered with inconsistency as a result. A run of just four wins from their last 20 games saw them finish 16th, despite sitting sixth on New Year’s Day.
Le Bris One Step Away From History
Le Bris was brought in to kickstart a recovery. Although there was a feeling that an improvement was the minimum requirement, few would have predicted the immediate impact he would have had.
Nine wins from their opening 12 games saw them become the early pacesetters, although the fell away slightly when they suffered a winless November. This saw them slip to fourth, a position they never looked like relinquishing.
With a place in the play-offs virtually assured for months, their form inevitably dropped. They lost their last five games of the regular season, sparking concerns that they may have killed their momentum ahead of their semi final clash with Coventry City. However, they prevailed in dramatic circumstances with a 3-2 aggregate win to earn a spot in the final against Sheffield United.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Wembley, Le Bris revealed that his players stated their promotion ambitions from day one:
“We are exactly where we wanted to be at the start of the season.
“When we first met with the players, I asked them ‘what is the purpose of the season?’ They told me they wanted to get promoted. Here we are and we have this opportunity.
“For me it was not a surprise but for a team that finished 16th, maybe the step could have been a bit high.
“When I analysed different games, it was really obvious that this team was able to play really good football but had a lack of consistency.
“For me, it was possible to improve the consistency through the methodology, through the work we can have during the season.
“The weakness was identified and then it was a question of work and different improvements during the season.”
Writer’s View
Sunderland are viewed as the underdogs in tomorrow’s Championship play-off final, although it is a tag that won’t weigh heavily on them. They have assembled an excellent young squad and there is a fear that defeat will see it disassembled over the summer, with a several clubs across Europe keeping tabs on a number of their players. Still, whatever the result, this season has been a resounding success.
