Regis Le Bris might come across as an amiable man but he obviously has the steel needed to be a top manager. The Sunderland head coach will need to use that harder edge when selecting his team for Sunday’s clash against Hull City.
There are some burning issues he will need to address and it might help him that the Black Cats have three games in eight days. Because there is bound to be some squad rotation of sorts in that short spell given the next game, at Luton Town, comes around quickly, next Wednesday, followed by a home clash with Oxford United.
Three key decisions would appear to be at the top of his list.
The first will be whether to bring back Dan Ballard over Chris Mepham, who has stood in and done a superb job alongside Luke O’Nien.
Next, will Alan Browne be given the nod over Dan Neil, as some fans think he should? Neil has not enjoyed the best of seasons so far, having been sent off and given away a penalty in big games but he appears to be a favourite of Le Bris.
Another nice problem to have is that of Aaron Connelly, who is sure to be named in the squad after banging in three goals in two games for the U21s.
The fans have already seen Eliezer Mayenda score goals this term, and Wilson Isidor too. The prospect of Connolly making his first team debut is an enticing one for Black Cats fans, who were starved of goals last season but are now seeing their team produce some fast and exciting football.
The key to that is keeping Romaine Mundle, Patrick Roberts, Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg fit, as they are the stars of the show so far and getting the supporters up off their seats.
Including Connolly against his most recent club, Hull, would also add to an extra level of motivation for the forward, who is desperate to reignite a career that has gone a bit stale.
