Regis Le Bris discusses Sunderland’s form and the Championship promotion chase

FIVE consecutive draws have caused some dissatisfaction in the Sunderland dressing room, but Regis Le Bris is emphasizing the importance of perspective and reminding his players how far they have come in a short period of time. Sunderland haven’t won a Championship game since beating Oxford at the end of October, and their run of draws continues with Tuesday night’s draw against West Brom, but the Black Cats are also unbeaten since losing to Watford at the end of September, a streak that now stands at ten games.

And they are just two points behind Championship leaders Sheffield United, with a chance to leapfrog them when they travel to Bramall Lane on Friday night. Le Bris understands his players’ displeasure about recent dropped points, with Sunderland being held back by both Coventry and Millwall and unable to capitalise on their superiority against West Brom.

But he’s keen to highlight the good. “We have many different scenarios,” the head coach stated, reflecting on the previous run. “At Millwall it was different, at Preston we didn’t deserve to win, at Millwall maybe, today [West Brom] we deserved to win.”At the very least, it demonstrates that we are getting more consistent, capable of dealing with a variety of play styles and scenarios, and difficult to beat.With injuries and bans, the squad’s depth has improved. At the end of the game, we need to be emotionally stable. It is not easy, but as a coach, it is my responsibility.I want to stay positive.

I reiterate, West Brom are a great team in the top six, and we dominated the game from start to finish, so it’s a good sign.” When asked if he had pushed that point to his upset teammates, he replied, “I tried, but they didn’t understand.” Despite the recent winless streak, Le Bris is pleased with his team’s performance and the current state of the Championship table. He explained, “It’s a close league and long, so this is part of the experience. We began this season with high expectations in the dressing room, but the fact is that the squad finished 16th last year and is now at the top of the table with a 10-game unbeaten streak.

“It’s a long league, so resilience is essential. The difference between a victory and a defeat is subtle, but 10 games shows we’re consistent, which bodes well for the future.”