Thanks for sharing that mate. Dan is really maturing off the pitch and he spoke really well there. Really smart words on Rigg and Mundle. Mind you, doesnt half add to the excitement we all feel about Rigg. When Neil emerged he blew me away with his game. Rigg has done it on a different level. I suspect having another local lad in Neil, who understands some of the pressures of being the young lad with big expectations, will be perfect for Rigg. Some may feel others would be a better fit for captain, but when I listen to him and think about the influence he can have on the youngsters like Rigg, it is a brilliant move appointing him. And great to hear there are others like ONien still acting as leaders. The leadership group was another excellent move this summer by the club.
It’ll be a huge pressure on Dan Neil being a local lad, supporter and now captain. Let’s be honest it’s what every one of us dreamed of as a kid. Dan made it a reality.
I dreamed of just one game for the lads. Just one. I think I sometimes live vicariously through Dan as he plays my old position and is the type of player I aspired to be. How proud must his family be.
Kristjaan Speakman says Sunderland will resume the search for new additions to Regis Le Bris’ backroom staff, and says the club may yet make multiple additions. “The main thing is that we’re looking for the right calibre of person to fit the profile,” Speakman told The Echo. “That’s the most important thing, and Regis is really clear on what he feels is the right profile, which we’re 100 per cent aligned on. So it’s about finding the right person. We got really close to getting somebody several weeks ago, but that wasn’t able to conclude the way we would have liked it to have done. At that point, we were entering the last two or three weeks of the window, so it didn’t make sense to over-complicate an already really busy period with the window coming to a head and the season starting. So, we sort of hit the pause button on it really because we were really comfortable with where we’re at. That doesn’t mean that we’re not ambitious to keep improving, and we will pick that process back up and hopefully find one or maybe more people to come and join the team. There are other first-team members of staff that we are adding to that pool that’s not in the assistant bracket, but that we also think, from a psychological perspective, are going to help us with what we’re doing. It’s a constant process for us to keep trying to improve.” https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...uusUqS-gbFqkQpWnBA_aem_KojIiZhk7pFVUVnMKjsFOg
Wonder who it was they were close to getting, they are very good at keeping things under wraps these days. Sounds like they are looking for a sports psychologist as well.
Excellent news. I do think we are short purely on numbers of coaches. A couple more in would be really helpful to Regis I think.
Good that they pulled out when it didn't fit 100% ... ... we've had far too many Darryls in the past. I'd guess Speakman wants to bring people in who'll remain if RLB goes elsewhere.
Things you like to wake up to in the morning ! https://x.com/SunderlandAFC/status/1834458882044821979
Hearing that the squad have been coached to solve problems on the pitch, and almost did the half-time talk between themselves (Portsmouth?), was special. Quality gaffer and worth the wait.
Not meaning to come across as negative, more just a word of caution, this is a flavour of the type of thing Lorient fans are saying about him: RLB's debut with us was fantastic too. Let's see it in the longer term. I have the impression that RLB's approach speech must be refreshing at the beginning and please the players who are discovering more freedom of movement (I remember his motto which was that he wanted the team to adapt to the opponent and that it was up to his players to find the key) and that must motivate them. But perhaps in the long run, it can also make them lose their bearings and that they no longer know what their role is on the field. With a coach who has a well-established framework for the game and players who know what their role is, at least there is no ambiguity.
