Regis Le Bris' 100 games for Sunderland - 5 magical moments during head coach's incredible run
Regis Le Bris marked 100 games in charge of Sunderland away at Manchester City, Tom Greaves reflects.
Sunday’s narrow defeat to Manchester City marked Regis Le Bris 100th game as Sunderland manager, becoming the 16th manager to do so for the Black Cats and the first since Roy Keane over 20 years ago.
In his first 100 games, Le Bris has accumulated a points per game of 1.53 with 42 wins and 27 draws in this time. Before the announcement of Le Bris, Sunderland went a record breaking four months without a permanent manager after Michael Beale was sacked in February, they finished 16th that season.
Prior to Sunderland, Le Bris had managed Lorient, coming up from youth coaching to then being Lorient’s manager in June 2022 and managed them to an impressive 10th place. Below are five of Regis Le Bris's best moments as a Sunderland manager.
Championship play-off win
It had appeared like Sunderland had lost all of their momentum going into the play-offs after losing their last five games going into it. Many believed they had no chance of getting promotion, especially as they played Coventry City who the Black Cats had never beaten at the CBS Arena. However Regis Le Bris had other ideas, tactically outsmarting Frank Lampard and earning a crucial 2-1 victory in the opening leg with a late Eliezer Mayenda strike sealing the victory.
Going into the second leg at the Stadium of Light many fans dreamed of another trip to Wembley and they got it. A last-gasp Dan Ballard header with a second left of the game saw the Wearsiders’ off to the capital for the “richest game in football.” However Sunderland started the game poorly and found themselves a goal down at half-time.
Le Bris changed his approach, bringing Tom Watson and Patrick Roberts on to the pitch and it completely changed the game. Mayenda equalised with 15 minutes still to play after a brilliant through ball Roberts found him while Watson scored a 95th minute winner to earn Sunderland a place back in the Premier League.
West Ham victory- Sunderland’s incredible return to the top flight
Before a ball was kicked, Sunderland were seen as relegation favourites, with no-one giving them any hope of surviving the drop. However on the opening day, Le Bris showed that they meant business, earning a remarkable 3-0 win to kick start their campaign. After a lot of talk about Sunderland’s incomings over the summer, it was actually the old guard who got the goals with Ballard, Mayenda and Isidor getting the goals for the Black Cats.
Double over Newcastle United
It had been two years since Sunderland had played Newcastle in the FA Cup, being beaten 3-0 and over 10 in the League. However despite the clear anger between the sides, Le Bris kept a cool head beating their local rivals home and away. For the game, the Stadium of Light became a cauldron of noise, pushing the players over the line with Le Bris remaining level headed until the final whistle where he finally showed his true emotions.
While in the away game, Le Bris showed off his tactical fluidity to execute a brilliant comeback win despite Sunderland’s injury crisis at the time. With Brian Brobbey scoring the winner in additional time.
End of last season
Going into the final game of the season vs Chelsea, Sunderland still had a chance to earn European football if they won and results went their way. Le Bris' side came out swinging and were unplayable for large parts of the game with a sold out Stadium of Light roaring every tackle and pass they made.
The game ended 2-1 and after a nail biting wait after the game, Sunderland had secured Europa League football for the upcoming season. Le Bris in his first season in the Premier League, earned the Black Cats a seventh place finish, a joint club best and went unbeaten at home for 12 games, earning draws against Manchester City and champions Arsenal.
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European victory at the Stadium of Light
After a successful first season back in the Premier League, Le Bris side had to balance fighting on four flanks with European football being achieved for the first time in over half a century. In the opening game of the Europa League against AZ Alkmaar at the Stadium of Light, Le Bris became the first Sunderland manager since Bob Stokoe to do so.
In the game, Sunderland were electric, feeding off of the party atmosphere created in the stadium. The home side eventually found the back of the net after several chances in the 66th minute where Enzo Le Fee earned his side a penalty and scored it to give the Black Cats the lead. Despite 10 minutes of nervousness with Sunderland trying to hold on, Le Bris’s side had done it earning their first win in 53 years in Europe with Le Bris once again being at the centre of it.
Across his tenure, Regis Le Bris has produced magic and given Sunderland fans moments they would never have dreamt of before his arrival. He has built an incredible legacy with some incredible moments on the pitch that will be cherished for a lifetime.
The 50-year-old’s current deal runs until August 2028, after he signed a new deal before the start of last season, so with that in mind there could be even more remarkable moments on Wearside with him in charge.
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