'From what I hear...' - Kevin Phillips heaps praise on Sunderland 'revelation'

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has hailed the Black Cats’ new head coach Regis Le Bris, claiming that the Frenchman has been a “revelation” since arriving on Wearside.

Friday evening saw Sunderland maintain their place at the summit of the Championship table following a dramatic 2-2 draw with Leeds United. The Black Cats had looked destined to record their first home defeat of the season, but a late error from Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier gifted Alan Browne a bizarre goal, and ultimately handed the hosts a point.

Sunderland have now taken 19 points from their opening nine matches this term, and speaking before the contest as part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the action on Wearside, Phillips was quick to identify Le Bris’ impact as a key factor in his old club’s electric start.

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He said: “I’ve spent quite a bit of time up there this season. As you can imagine, they're very passionate about their football up there. With what Newcastle have achieved in the last few years, Sunderland needed something, certainly this season.

“With the new manager being appointed, I think everyone's eyebrows were raised because no one really knew anything about him, but I have to say he's been a revelation since he's come to the football club. The performances back it up. He's very different to what they've had before. He's very analytical in his work. He's very methodical. He's not a ranter and raver from what I hear. He sits back in training, he doesn't get involved too much in the training, in the day-to-day sessions. But he brings clarity to the football club. The messages are very, very simple to the players, and you can see that in their play.

“They've had a fantastic start. Did I ever see them having the start they had? No, because they're a very, very young side, the youngest side in the league. But that comes with young players who don't feel the pressure. They're playing in front of a packed crowd every other week at the Stadium of Light and they've raised their level, so credit to them. It's going to be a long season, but let everyone get carried away.”