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Few had Sunderland down as one of the teams likely to mount a promotion challenge, but they have not been lower than fourth all season.
And Le Bris said that watching some of their matches from last season showed that, with a bit of tinkering, the raw materials of success were in place.
“For me it was not a surprise but for a team that finished 16th, maybe the step
With the club still searching for a new head coach in June, few would have expected a season challenging for promotion.
Regis Le Bris arrived with little fanfare, having suffered relegation from Ligue 1 with Lorient in his previous job.
But four straight wins in August had them top of the Championship in their best start to a season for 99 years and they carried that form on.
They were
Coventry had almost 60% of the ball on the night as Lampard’s side had 20 shots to Sunderland’s 16.
And Le Bris, who has now led Sunderland to a play-off final against Sheffield United in his first season at the club, conceded the visitors were the better team in normal time.
“It’s really fantastic because this scenario was absolutely incredible,” Le Bris told Sky Sports.
“We were probably too nervous
Leeds United are mourning the death of Gerry Francis, the first black player to feature for the club.
The South African winger made 52 appearances for Leeds, scoring nine goals between 1957 and 1961.
Francis worked in a shoe factory before moving to England and played in Don Revie’s first game in charge of Leeds against Portsmouth on 18 March 1961.
He also played 16 games for York City and
Sunderland, who made seven changes after Friday’s loss at Bristol City, created plenty of opportunities but failed to make them pay.
Wilson Isidor went close early on, firing goalwards after being fed in the area by Harrison Jones. His shot was straight at Balazs Toth, but the Blackburn goalkeeper struggled to hold it.
Their dominance continued, even if clear chances did not follow. Isidor again went close, this time with
Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes believes Regis Le Bris is the best Sunderland boss since he began covering the club 22 years ago.
Amongst the likes of Roy Keane, Sam Allardyce and Tony Mowbray, it was the Black Cats’ current head coach who took the top spot, external in Barnesy’s round of Winner Stays On: Sunderland Manager Edition.
“It was a big gamble to take someone who nobody had heard
Preston made a lively start and carved out their first chance inside five minutes. Brad Potts burst through and forced a save from Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson, before Sam Greenwood fired the rebound over.
The visitors found joy with their counter press, but Sunderland almost took the lead when Tommy Watson headed wide after quick interplay between Trai Hume and Eliezer Mayenda.
The tempo of the half stayed high, and
Former Sunderland midfielder Kieron Brady believes the Black Cats are not making enough investment into the squad to reach promotion.
The Wearside club did make a high profile addition in January with the loan addition of Roma midfielder Enzo Le Fee, but Brady is critical of the move only being a temporary one.
In comparison, promotion-challengers Sheffield United spent a reported £10m on striker Tom Cannon from Leicester City.
“If
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle:
“We started well and finished well, but I’m a bit disappointed.
“It wasn’t a surprise the challenge we faced, as this team (Watford) has many powerful players. It suited perfectly with our own weaknesses and we were dominated one-v-one.
“After their second goal, we played to our strengths and it was more positive as it’s not easy to change the
Opportunity knocks for Black Cats and Blades
This article was originally posted on https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c75z9n9rvdzo
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