Sunderland recently changed set piece coaches behind the scenes at the Academy of Light

Régis Le Bris says a desire for more experience was the key factor behind the recent change in set-piece coach behind the scenes.

The Black Cats earlier this month confirmed that James Brayne had left his role at the club, with Thor Herdal arriving as his replacement. Herdal arrived from a five-year stint at FC Nordsjælland, where he had during his time at the club also worked in both analysis and on-pitch coaching. Herdal also worked with the Danish national team for a spell, and Le Bris says the club felt it was the right time to add more experience to the group.

He praised Brayne for having a big role in Sunderland’s successful first season back at the level but said it was the right time to make a change.

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“Brayney deserves big credit, first and foremost, because he was the first set-piece coach in the club and did really well last year to help the team to step up,” Le Bris said.

“We felt at the beginning of this year that, according to the schedule and how demanding it is, we needed to step up a little bit with someone a bit more experienced, because he was a really young coach.

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“We decided to change and Thor joined the club with a bit more experience and a long spell in Denmark as well with the national team. He has got this ability to work with top-level players for a long period and I think it was needed for us. This is the rationale behind the decision.”

Herdal has begun work and will hope to increase Sunderland’s set-piece output as they bid to pull away from the bottom of the Premier League table.

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