December 2023 saw Sunderland’s form falter and popular manager Tony Mowbray depart the club. The search for a new head coach took a couple of weeks, and the hierarchy appointed a man who apparently no one on Wearside wanted- Michael Beale. His tenure will go down as one of the worst, most depressing in recent times, with defeats to Coventry, Birmingham, and the feeble FA Cup loss to that lot. The Beale era was over before it barely started, and when he went, it felt as though the club was a little
bit directionless, especially when we were then told it would be Mike Dodds until the end of the season. The 16th-place finish had many wondering where the hell we would go the following season. No one could have predicted the upward trajectory we’d set off on, or that we’d still be on it 18 months later.
They say everything happens for a reason, and Will Still turned us down for a reason. Other than going to Southampton and being completely out of his depth, it also allowed us to bring in Regis Le Bris. Still has been unemployed for months, whilst RLB has Sunderland fans dreaming of our highest Premier League finish in 20 years.
Will Still was a near miss, Michael Beale was a mistake, Regis Le Bris was the head coach that we quickly realised was perfect for us. We didn’t need someone who loved the sound of his own voice, or someone who would talk and talk without ever really saying anything.
We needed a quiet and astute tactician and someone who is a total football nerd. Our brilliant form in 18 months of Le Bris is no fluke, it is the result of several cogs fitting together and moving in unison.
Sunderland moved into 2024 as a fractured club that risked losing some of the identity it built during the Tony Mowbray era. We end 2025 as a club moving in one direction, with a great team, a positive thinking hierarchy, and the fans all on the same page.
Sliding door moments are common in football, and the next one after the appointment of RLB was that Wembley goal from Tommy Watson. Had he not scored and us not be promoted, we wouldn’t be a team that knows it will be in the top half of the Premier League heading into Christmas.
I didn’t want to bring up the likes of Beale and Still and the winter of 2023-24 to depress anyone, my intentions were the opposite. When I saw it had been two years since the Beale appointment, it made me realise the ridiculously good journey we’ve been on almost since, and how at a point we as fans (rightly) questioned if the club was in good hands, but that a bit of patience can pay off now and again.
Now, just over two years since the start of the Beale debacle and our slump into the bottom half of the Championship, things keep on getting better for SAFC.
You might need to go through tough times to appreciate the good times, and there’s no denying we as a fan base have earned a shot at the good times once again.
