"Enchanté de vous rencontrer, Mr Le Bris!" — First impressions of Sunderland's new gaffer

07/04/2024 01:00 AM

Régis Le Bris met with the media for the first time on Wednesday since taking over as Sunderland Head Coach. What were your first impressions of him and what he had to say?

Jonny Hawley says...

I was impressed by him, in short. He seemed assured, confident, but with enough humility to appreciate what a massive opportunity he's been afforded. His English wasn't half bad, either.

He dealt with some tricky questions around staffing and recruitment well, in my view. He made it clear that he is involved with the recruitment without giving the impression that we'll see some sort of Le Bris army coming in the door this summer. He also spoke with emphasis on the importance of experience in a squad, seeming to dovetail with the signing of Simon Moore and the emphasis placed on his experience by Kristjaan Speakman.

He seemed particularly careful not to over-promise, as well. He would not be drawn on any specific targets for the season, or timescales on trying to reach the Premier League - something the club hierarchy has fallen spectacularly foul of, in recent seasons. I thought this managing of expectations was clever. He spoke a lot about the importance of the process, and how that will lead to results, rather than over-emphasising the end goal over everything else. I like it.

Finally, his description of how a Le Bris side might look tactically sounded promising. He spoke of pressing high, of being direct and quick in attack, while also acknowledging the need for flexibility at times and being able to adapt to the opposition. If he practises what he preaches, we should be in for a season of enjoying watching Sunderland again, at the very least!

His 'we will not play like that, because this is Sunderland, and I am Régis Le Bris' quote was an instant classic, too.

Derek Carter says...

I've just watched the interview and thought that the fella came across very well. He seemed very relaxed and totally at ease with facing the media, even managing to crack the odd joke.

Regis certainly seems to be under no illusions about the size of the task ahead of him, but appears very confident in his ability to meet the challenge head-on. He's obviously a deep thinker and will want to get the team playing in his preferred style, while recognizing it's not going to happen overnight. I particularly liked that he appreciates the effect the fans can have in helping the team raise their game, and it speaks volumes about him as a person that he's done so much research into the history of the club and its importance within the community.

Obviously, it's easy to talk a good game, and being a nice guy counts for nothing if the results aren't up to scratch, but I can definitely see our young squad responding positively to him. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but my first impression is one of positivity. Let's just hope he's given the backing he needs to produce the goods.

Joseph Tulip says...

Even just listening to his voice is a welcome, refreshing change.

It's the first time we've had an overseas head coach in almost a decade and this guy's approach seems different to the usual introduction offered by English coaches who, Tony Mowbray aside, appear to be a bit cautious and say predictable things to the media.

Regis has spoken about the potential of our club and also about how the fans can not only support, but bring energy and it just feels like the beginning of an exciting new chapter.

Of course, there's no guarantees and we're all looking for good results to come from this appointment, but I think we need to just get behind Regis and trust in what he clearly believes he can bring to the role.