Régis Le Bris: Sunderland's Premier League return ‘impossible to predict'
Régis Le Bris admitted it was 'impossible to predict' Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League when he took over last summer after they beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
A stoppage-time winner from 19-year-old substitute Tommy Watson put the gloss on a remarkable campaign as they earned a return to the top flight after eight years away.
Sunderland's play-off campaign included winning goals in the 89th, 122nd and 95th minute capping off a dramatic change of fortunes for a side who finished 16th last season.
'It was impossible to predict,' Le Bris said. 'They played fantastic football sometimes (last season). Against Southampton they won 5-0, so it was clear that it was possible to play very good football and to be efficient and very dominant.
'But at the same time, they were so inconstant, so my job was to give the methodology to bring this consistency.'
It had looked unlikely for much of the play-off final during which the Blades had had the better of Le Bris' side, taking the lead midway through the first half through Tyrese Campbell's clipped finish.
VAR denied Chris Wilder's team a second first half goal that would have put them two ahead and cruising back to the Premier League. Harrison Burrows' strike was ruled out with his team-mate Vinicius Sousa judged to have interfered with the view of goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
It gave Sunderland a lifeline that they duly clung on to haul themselves out of the Championship. First Eliezer Mayenda rifled the ball into the roof of the goal to level with 14 minutes to play, before Watson wrote himself into Wearside folklore with his final touch of the ball for the club before departing for Brighton.
'We need talented players, we need strong connections between them," Le Bris added. "I think they deserve this.
'They worked so well together. This game is a good example of the season.'
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