New Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris replaces Michael Beale, four months after the latter’s departure.
Sunderland sacked Michael Beale in February this year, then taking little over four months to find his replacement.
Regis Le Bris arrives on a three-year deal after leaving Lorient, following heir relegation from Ligue 1 during the 2023/24 campaign.
In two seasons with Lorient, his first job as a manger, Le Bris won 30.26% of his games, now arriving on Wearside for his first role in English football.
Sunderland had three managers in place last season, starting with Tony Mowbray, then Beale, and finishing the campaign under Mike Dodds as interim boss.
Beale last just 12 games after replacing Mowbray in the December, winning four games in what was the second-shortest stint of any Sunderland manager ever.
Fans had several criticisms of Beale. But arguably his biggest flaw was his lack of communication skills.
Regis Le Bris can avoid Michael Beale repeat at Sunderland
Speaking on The Roar, journalist Phil Smith said that he’s ‘really interested’ to see how Le Bris communicates with fans.
Smith highlights Mowbray’s strong communication skills and Beale’s poor communication skills, adding that Le Bris’ apparently good English was a factor in his arrival at the Stadium of Light.
Smith said: “Really interested to see what kind of communicator Le Bris is, because that was one of Beale’s biggest issues, and it was one of Mowbray’s biggest strengths.
“Le Bris by all accounts speaks good English, which was a big tick in his box, from what I understand.
“I’ll be interested to see if he handles that pressure better. If he communicates better. If he can build that rapport with the fans.”
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris has one thing Michael Beale didn’t
Le Bris has worked in football for a while now, albeit as a youth coach with Stade Rennais for eight years.
Le Bris was also academy manager with Lorient for 10 years before landing the first-team job, so he’s been in football and in coaching for almost 20 years.
Beale hadn’t been at a high level in football for as long. So Le Bris brings with him experience that Beale didn’t have, and it’s that inexperience that arguably underpinned his downfall at Sunderland.
Certain comments made by Beale in the media only served to open the divide between himself and the fans, whereas Le Bris may be expected to boast better communication skills given his experience in the game.
With good English-speaking skills too, Le Bris should be equipped to greet the Sunderland fans and keep them on board, in what is going to prove to be a very tough job for the Frenchman.