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Josh Edwards

Thu 6 March 2025 15:10, UK Updated Thu 6 March 2025 21:38, UK

Regis Le Bris has had an excellent first season in English management, though it appears a minority of Sunderland fans would disagree with that sentiment.

Heading into a home clash against Cardiff City, the Black Cats sit comfortably in fourth position, having been in the title conversation for the majority of the season.

However, a slight fall-off in recent weeks has seen Sunderland’s automatic promotion hopes begin to fade away, leaving them with the prospect of facing the playoffs.

Despite that, it has been a fruitful campaign for the Wearsiders in some challenging circumstances, though some feel as though there may be some decisions to be made in the summer if promotion isn’t achieved.

Sunderland fan poses Le Bris sack question

While Le Bris has certainly given a good account of himself in the Championship, he has still made the occasional mistake for Sunderland, which has at times proven costly.

However, the positives from his tenure massively outweigh the negatives, and it seems ludicrous for his position to come under question regardless of the outcome at the end of the campaign.

Those sentiments were echoed by Kieron Brady, who believes the frustration if Sunderland fail to get promoted should be directed elsewhere.

Speaking on BBC Newcastle (5 March), Brady said: “I think it was just one Sunderland fan posing the question that if the club wasn’t promoted, would they potentially dismiss Regis Le Bris? And I was thinking, if there’s any anger or ire that would be directed in the aftermath of not reaching the Premier League, then Regis Le Bris is the last person who should be in the firing line.

“For me, he’s done well not because of the club and the people above him, he’s done well in spite of them. Because it’s them that’s withheld the funds to generally compete.

“If they’d been willing to spend a little bit more money, I believe that we wouldn’t be having the conversation now, which is almost speaking about an assured place in the playoffs.

“You know, if the club don’t go up this particular season, I would be aghast if there isn’t an outcry towards the powers that be.”

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While you physically can’t write off Sunderland‘s chances of achieving promotion one way or the other, it would represent a significant level of disappointment and certainly be a missed opportunity.

For a large part of the season, the Black Cats sat at the summit of the division and remained in the conversation right up until a defeat to Leeds United, where Sunderland were forced to rue their lack of squad depth.

While the signing of Enzo Le Fee was an excellent one in January, many will feel as though they could have done a whole lot more to secure their status in the Premier League next season.

However, with 11 games to go, only time will tell if that debate will come to fruition, with promotion still on the cards for the Wearsiders.