6 Months In: A reflection on where the 'REGolution' stands

01/27/2025 01:00 AM

Halfway through the season, Milo takes a look at the ongoing effect Le Bris is having on this Sunderland side.

There is a subdued hiss in the East and South stands as Hjelde's man beats him, the sound of hearts in mouths. The cross is left by Patterson, and the sea of red and white shirts around him miss the ball too. It falls neatly into the path of Nathanael Ogbeta, who rifles it into the roof of the net.

A subdued hiss turns into an audible outroar as the travelling Argyle players celebrate in front of those of us in the East Stand. Nearly all of the Sunderland contingent who were defending the box have collapsed, sprawled like beetles on their backs at the sight of Plymouth's 90th-minute equaliser. Le Bris has gambled with seeing out the game with a back five, and the gamble has not paid off.

For much of the second half of that Plymouth game, we saw a Sunderland side who were not themselves — somehow very typical of the side Regis has built this season, yet oddly atypical of it at the same time.

Faced with the difficult task of once again coming from a goal down, we ground out an equaliser and then flashed in with what looked to be a winning goal. This is a glimpse of the Sunderland we've grown used to this season—resilient and hopeful, always looking to fight back when necessary.

Yet we also saw a side that was atypically full of mistakes. A side that was frustrated and uncharacteristically disjointed. The lads, at many times, looked like they were forcing the play, using tired moves and playing too slowly to break down a Plymouth side so obviously set up to defend with little else in mind.

This should not have been the case. We lined up with a strong side, even if some of the positioning looked a little odd. New signing Le Fée made his home debut, while the bench was stacked with an impressive array of strong backups like Ballard and Rigg.

But, as previously stated, we looked tired, and nothing seemed to come off. Ultimately, we failed to see out the result.

It feels unfair to imply that this is entirely Le Bris' fault. After all, it is the players who must fashion a winning result on the pitch. And many of those players have struggled to do that.

Mepham hasn't looked quite himself recently, and his decision-making and passing ability have been under scrutiny based on some of his recent performances. Cirkin hasn't made the same runs that we've come to expect as second nature to him, while Roberts and Le Fée struggled to make much impact on their respective wings.

Yes, Le Bris cannot be blamed for these individual failings, yet it is also his responsibility as the coach to manage these issues.

Saturday's draw to the league's bottom side exposed some of the frailties that Le Bris seems to carry with him. Substitutions can be seen to have come too slowly, and when they did, they were odd and arguably poorly handled.

Mayenda came on surprisingly early (61st minute) to replace a struggling Samed, yet the other subs only came on after the 70th minute. Hjelde came on in the 87th minute, at which point Le Bris decided to completely change the game plan and revert to five at the back.

It is these 'quirky' tactical decisions that sometimes make understanding Le Bris a difficult task. I wrote back in October that Le Bris was innovative and attack-minded. I still hold this to be true.

But it is also for this reason that his habit of misusing the bench and making mid-game tactical tweaks, such as a reversion to a very conservative backline (thereby inviting defensive pressure), is somewhat baffling.

At the start of the season, Sunderland showed a promising ability to win games the 'ugly' way — hashing out a win in tough conditions when they needed to. This has stalled a little, and we have missed that killer instinct recently.

On a number of occasions, we have failed to see out games. Whether from a lack of clinical finishing in front of goal or a lack of composure at the back, we have struggled to win 'ugly'.

A worrying 36% of the goals we have conceded this season have come between the 81st and 90th minutes. One would argue that this goes hand in hand with Le Bris' mismanagement of substitutions (though an overall lack of composure among our players also can't be dismissed). Players are being left on the pitch despite being tired, with their efficiency fading.

This is problematic. A lack of trust in his bench is leaving Le Bris' first-choice team at risk of fatigue and switching off on the field, as our atrocious history of conceding in the final minutes of games proves.

However, my qualms with Le Bris aside, it is impossible to even consider his tenure so far as a failure. By and large, he has renewed an ailing side, bringing in new confidence.

Sunderland are just two points from surpassing their total from the entirety of last season and still remain within striking distance of automatic promotion.

This is down to Le Bris. He has Sunderland playing again — a club renewed. The outlook is positive.

Yet some things do need to change. The team need to shake themselves out of this lull in form and quickly.

Top sides in this league will not relent, and we have to capitalise on the fact that we remain in touching distance of the top two.

That means trusting the bench, trusting the game plan, and not reverting to tactics alien to a naturally attacking outfit.

If we revert to the way we played at the start of the season, if we can tap into that confidence and rediscover that form, we stand a fighting chance of automatic promotion.

Long may the REGolution continue!