Régis Le Bris issues Sunderland coaching team update and drops hint on next steps

Régis Le Bris says that Sunderland will make a decision on a new coaching structure over the course of the next week but has hinted that he might opt not to replace Mike Dodds in the short term.

Dodds departed for Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday to take up the role of head coach there, having been part of the Sunderland coaching staff for the final time in the 3-2 win over Middlesbrough at The Riverside. Dodds was headhunted by the League One club who currently sit second in the table, and opted to take up his first role as a permanent boss.

With assistant head coach Pedro Ribeiro now settled on Wearside having been appointed in October, Le Bris feels he may has what he needs for the time being even if Dodds will clearly be missed.

“It was probably a tough decision for him, because we really enjoyed the connection with Doddsy during the last few months," Le Bris said.

"With his pathway, it was clear that he wanted to be a head coach, and when this opportunity came, he had to make a decision. We respect that. I think our staff is in a good place at the minute. Pedro started with us a little bit later, but he is now well connected with the rest of the staff. We will find a solution. We are still having conversations about the new set-up. Is it useful to bring in a new assistant, or not? To be honest, I am not sure at the minute, we will see. We will probably decide what the final set-up will be in the next seven to ten days.

“It is not ideal to lose someone like that, but at the same time, that is the way our professional life goes. When you have opportunities, sometimes you have to make a tough decision.

“Now, with the way we wanted to build this team, it is important to trust the players and pass on some responsibility to them," Le Bris added.

"They have the right culture now, and are ready to execute some of the tasks by themselves. When we are thinking about the way we want to build our game model, we want to give the players the possibility to choose some things for themselves. They need to be making decisions on the pitch, and now, after seven months of working with us, that should be easier for them. I hope we will create new conditions where they can take responsibility.”

One option Sunderland have would be to promote U21 boss Graeme Murty into the first team set up for a period of time - a role he has twice done in the past when Dodds was interim boss.

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