Sunderland fans in ‘dreamworld’ led by ‘nice guy’ Le Bris

“We want to reach 40 points as soon as possible”.

Sunderland are fourth in the Premier League after nine games, defying expectations this year.

Regis le Bris, however, insists that achieving 40 points and ensuring Premier League safety are still the goals rather than entertaining talk of European football.

The newly promoted side were among the favourites for relegation from the Premier League at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, with Opta’s Supercomputer tipping them to finish bottom.

The Black Cats now have 17 points, which is their best season-to-date return since Hull City, who had 20 in 2008-2009, nine games in.

Following the Black Cats’ most recent victory, a 2-1 comeback win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Le Bris commented, “The emotions in the club are excellent, it’s impressive.”

“We’ve found this togetherness not only across the squad but also across the club with the fans as well. This is what they are entitled to. You can create many advantages when the energy is high. For us the target remains the same”.

Michael Beale’s permanent replacement had been impossible to find, and the club had chosen a player who had just been relegated from Ligue 1 to Lorient.

But with the Black Cats ending an eight-year exile from the top flight by beating Coventry in the play-off final, that has turned to immense pride among the club’s support.

Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes of BBC Radio Newcastle said, “The fans love him.

He has succeeded in achieving that saying that “the results are the first things that win them over.”

” But they also see that he is a genuinely nice guy with a nice demeanour about him. He smiles, can crack a joke, and is very patient, and I believe people have responded to that in public and at press conferences.

Le Bris is not your typical manager, with a doctorate in biomechanics and sport physiology to his name. His popularity on Wearside meant that a trip to the seafront at Roker early on in his tenure caught him by surprise when he was mobbed by fans.

This composed and sincere person has since slipped into Newcastle to occasionally enjoy an evening out with his friends and learned his lesson.

This football student is in his element at the Academy of Light, though.

” Regis is a bit shy, but he’s very personable and he has a wry sense of humour and he’s become a bit more comfortable in his own skin, “said Barnes.

He has a lot of focus, he says. He appears to devote his entire life to the position. He jokingly refers to being at his happiest in front of his laptop, watching matches.

Le Bris started out in Ligue 1 for Rennes, but this proud son of Brittany found his true calling when he joined Wasquehal at the age of 27. He had a modest playing career.

He quickly obtained his badges and was soon returning to his old club to take on a youth coaching role.

Before taking a similar job at Lorient, he had success there, winning the French equivalent of the Youth Cup and the U18 Championship.

He once again played a significant role in the youth program, winning the under-17s and then leading the reserve team.

But behind his involvement in youth football was a burning desire to improve himself and take on a top job.

Regis has always had ambitious goals, according to Mathieu Pelicart, regional newspaper Le Telegramme’s correspondent.

He had already made a few trips abroad to clubs in Germany and Spain and had never denied his desire to learn more about other leagues as he prepared to become the number one.

His wish was granted as he took over Lorient in 2022, and after eight wins in his first 10 games the club reached second in the table.

They eventually finished 10th, but they still won at Paris St.Germain, where Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe were both a part, and still did well there.

Owner of the French team, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, was one of the men who had been monitoring Lorient’s events.

Sunderland had put together a talented but youthful squad and they needed a guiding hand.

Le Bris was almost the ideal candidate for this project, despite having only two years of English football experience and no previous success.

French football expert Julien Laurens called Regis Le Bris a “pure coach.”

“All he cares about is the training pitch, doing his sessions, transmitting his ideas across and the game itself. What surrounds him in a way that isn’t really his thing.

Le Bris was once one of France’s top youth-level coaches and academy directors. What he loves the most is coaching young players. He excels at guiding them in how to improve.

Le Bris was proud of his ancestry and the strong Breton cultural identity of the area when he was a child.

Moving to the north-east of England may seem miles away when the 49-year-old has decided to leave, but Wearside has a strong attachment to her.

“He used to be in a club in Lorient that had so much identity”, said Laurens.

“Sunderland was perfect for him,” he said. Because of his previous experiences, he could only have attended a club like Sunderland, which he now associates with.

” He’s a very proud Breton and he knows how much this means to people in Sunderland and in the region overall. “

Le Bris is the first French manager to leave Crystal Palace in March 2023.

Only four newly promoted Premier League managers, Kenny Dalglish, Bryan Robson, Phil Brown, and Frank Clark, have collected more points than Le Bris after nine games.

” I’m hugely impressed, “Michael Carrick said of the Frenchman on Match of the Day.

Given the number of new players Sunderland have signed, their start this season is all the more impressive.

Nine of their starting XI against Chelsea were summer signings, and they spent £161 million on 15 new players, which is a record high for a promoted side.

” We have bought quality signings that have fitted in really quickly and that is down to Le Bris, “former England captain and Black Cats fan Steph Houghton told BBC Radio 5 Live.

A big thank you to the manager for making it so difficult for the players to defeat, and to the players for believing in themselves and living out their Premier League dreams.

You’re in dreamworld right now, Sunderland fans, and we’re hoping to keep going.

Sunderland’s 17 points equals their best start in the Premier League, matching their tally from the 1999-00 season, and former defender Nedum Onuoha has backed the club to stay in the top flight – as they did 25 years ago.

Onuoha told 5 Live, “Many people were saying they were one of the favorites for relegation at the start of the season, and who knows, that might still happen.”