Five successive draws have led to some frustration in the Sunderland dressing room, but Regis Le Bris is pressing the need for perspective and stressing to his players how far they have come in a short time.
Sunderland haven’t won in the Championship since they beat Oxford at the end of October, with their stretch of draws continuing with Tuesday night’s stalemate against West Brom, but the Black Cats are also unbeaten since their defeat to Watford at the end of September, a sequence that now stands at 10 games.
And they remain just two points off the top of the championship, with a chance to jump above current leaders Sheffield United when they head to Bramall Lane on Friday night.
Le Bris shares the frustration of his players after recent dropped points, with Sunderland being pegged back by both Coventry and Millwall and failing to make their dominance count against West Brom.
But he’s determined to point to the positives.
“We have many different scenarios,” said the head coach, reflecting on the recent run.
“At Millwall it was different; at Preston we didn’t deserve to win; at Millwall maybe today [West Brom] we deserved to win.
“At least it shows we are becoming consistent and we can face different styles of play and scenarios, and we are difficult to beat.
“With injuries and suspensions, it shows as well the depth of the squad is better. At the end of the game, emotionally, we have to be stable. It’s not easy, but as a coach, it’s my job.
“I want to remain positive. I repeat, West Brom are a strong team in the top six, and we dominated the game from beginning to end so it’s a good sign.”
Asked whether he has stressed that point to his frustrated players, he said, “I tried, but they didn’t understand.”
Despite the recent winless run, Le Bris is thrilled his side are so hard to beat and with how the championship table looks.
He said, “It’s a tight league and long, so this is part of the experience. We started this season with expectations in the dressing room, but the reality is the team were 16th last year, and now we are at the top of the table and 10 games unbeaten.
“It’s a long league, and resilience is very important. The difference between a win and a loss is very subtle, but 10 games means we are consistent, which is a good sign for the future.”
