Sunderland

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini has been reflecting on the Black Cats' win against West Brom on Saturday.

Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle: "It's the right time of the year to be winning 1-0, isn't it? Those kind of victories are very pleasing.

"It was a fantastic defensive performance again and just solidifies our position in the table as well as showing that we are a really good defensive unit and when we get the opportunity to break and cause trouble we can do that as well," he added.

"We're scoring all kinds of goals, maybe not enough of them but the variation is there, different players contributing at different times so lots to be pleased of at this stage in the season especially."

Gabbiadini also highlighted the consistency of Regis Le Bris' side.

"When things haven't been going well, we usually come back with a good result," he said.

"People were questioning our form and formation and the players that he was picking a few weeks ago after that Leeds result, the Coventry one. But all of a sudden it's just gone steady again and I think that is what we have been this season.

"We have been the most consistent team in the league.

"We maybe haven't put a scintillating run of five wins out of six in there which makes you an automatic promotion contender but our consistency levels when we're a team that is very young and inexperienced, that has been remarkable really.

"The manager takes a lot of credit and I'm sure he's very proud of his players."

Listen to more Sunderland discussion on BBC Sounds.

Sunderland's 1-0 win at West Brom marked Anthony Patterson's 50th clean sheet for the club.

The goalkeeper has made 159 appearances for the Black Cats having come through their academy.

He has previously come under criticism this season when it comes to commanding his box and coming out to catch crosses but boasts a clean sheet every 3.18 games.

Talking to BBC Radio Newcastle's Nick Barnes after reaching the milestone at The Hawthorns, Patterson said: "I didn't have a great deal to do but it shows the character of the lads who dug in really well and defended with their hearts on their sleeves to keep the ball away from me, which I'm thankful for.

"We knew what West Brom were going to be like," Patterson added.

"They were going to be good with the ball, make it really difficult for us. I think everyone defended really, really well and that showed in the game. We came away with three points and a clean sheet."

You can listen to more from Anthony Patterson on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland legend Gary Bennett has praised the Black Cats' defensive performance during their 1-0 win at West Brom on Saturday.

The former captain called the victory a "fantastic result" and a "great team performance" after his commentary on BBC Radio Newcastle.

"Anthony Patterson didn't have a great deal to do," Bennett said.

"He made a tremendous save in the second half late on where he's dived to his left-hand post to keep the ball out but overall you've got to say defensively we were excellent.

"You're putting your body on the line. Getting your head in. You're blocking shots. Fantastic."

Hear more of Gary Bennett's reaction to Sunderland's win on BBC Sounds.

Norwich City host Sunderland on Tuesday (19:45 BST) in a bid to gain some ground in the play-off race.

A run of lacklustre results has left the Canaries eight points adrift of the top six, winning just one of their past six league matches (D2 L3).

While, the Black Cats are as many points behind a place in the automatic promotion spots but recent form may have them feeling there's an outside chance of stealing one away after two successive league wins.

• Norwich have lost three of their last four league games against Sunderland (W1), as many as their previous 11 beforehand (W5 D3 L3).

• After their 2-1 win in December, Sunderland could record a first league double over Norwich City since 1984-85 in the top-flight under Len Ashurst.

• Norwich's home games in the Championship this season have seen 72 goals (45 for, 27 against) at an average of 3.6 per game. Only in 1962-63 (4.1) and 2018-19 (3.7) have their home matches produced a higher average over a league campaign.

• Sunderland are unbeaten in their last 11 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W5 D6) since a 0-1 defeat to Leicester City in March 2024.

• Norwich's Josh Sargent has scored in both of his two league starts against Sunderland, netting in August 2022 and March 2024.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris says it is "possible" that winger Romaine Mundle could miss the rest of the season following a return of his hamstring injury in Saturday's 1-0 win at West Brom.

The head coach told BBC Radio Newcastle's Nick Barnes: "We don't have a timeline. We are seeking other advice so we will have to wait."

Striker Eliezer Mayenda was selected as Mundle's replacement on the left-wing despite other options available on the bench.

Tommy Watson, who is joining Brighton in the summer, was an unused substitute and Enzo Le Fee previously played there before he was injured.

Le Fee returned to the side from the bench in his favoured central role against West Brom and Le Bris has previously stated he is keen to keep him as a number 10 going forward.

Discussing whether Mundle's injury changes those plans, Le Bris added: "First of all we have to protect Enzo.

"The question mark for him is to gradually improve his shape and his connection to the team without being a rush. We still have six games left in this league. So, many experiences, many opportunities to test different options."

A win at Norwich on Tuesday would finally confirm Sunderland's place in the Championship play-offs, and with a handful of games left to go, it gives Le Bris plenty of time to find the best way to replace Mundle and also gently bring back Le Fee from his injury.

The Frenchman added: "The core of the group is still small but we are in a very good place and we can manage a little bit more now, the rotation, the experiences we can give. Some for some young players and to rotate a bit more of the squad."

You can listen to more from Regis Le Bris ahead of Norwich on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Head coach Regis Le Bris praised "warrior" Trai Hume after the Northern Ireland international defender scored Sunderland's winner for the second successive game.

Hume followed up his goal against Millwall with a free-kick winner against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

"When you have a left-back score it's very positive for the team," Le Bris said.

"For the last two games, Trai has been really important, and for the next fixture, other players will be able to score."

Le Bris says Hume's set-pieces bring a new "layer" to his profile.

"He's really well balanced and if he can add this ability to his game, it changes his profile towards the next level," Le Bris added.

"Trai is a warrior – even if he has an injury he wants to play."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked you if you thought Regis Le Bris was the best Sunderland boss over the last two decades, starting with the beginning of Mick McCarthy's reign in 2003.

Some of you think the Frenchman gets top billing, while for others names like Tony Mowbray and Roy Keane still live long in the the memory.

Here's what you had to say:

Kelly: Tony Mowbray was the manager to weed out the numerous wrongs and pick a players that complemented each other. Not fussy, just simple, straightforward good-quality football. Regis is now benefitting from Tony's team work and has fitted in seamlessly.

Craig: I think Mowbray is. He did it when the team had lost a manager unplanned, he didn't have any signings and the owners only got him to survive and didn't expect him to be as successful as he was, this meant they had to stick with him until he had a sticky patch.

I like RLB but in recent couple of months the team have stalled and he isn't showing another dimension to his coaching yet even though these are his players.

Robert: Impossible to answer. I thought Keane was tremendous. He galvanised us like nobody I have seen and it was a pity he left. He is wasted as a pundit. There's no doubt for me that RLB is the most forward-thinking appointment made since Alan Durban. He's definitely the man to take us forward.

Geoff: Given the squad he has at his disposal, I reckon he's doing a great job. Peter Reid takes some beating though.

David: RLB is arguably the best manager we've had since Peter Reid. His tactical acumen is impressive, and his post-match honesty is refreshing - he doesn't sugar-coat performances, which is a welcome change.

However, if there's one area for improvement, it's his use of substitutions and the limited opportunities given to players on the fringes of the first eleven. That said, he's had to contend with a significant number of injuries, not to mention the board's frustrating habit of signing players who are already carrying knocks.

Despite these challenges, RLB has done an excellent job so far. If he's given the right backing and a bit more luck on the injury front, he could be the one to finally take us forward.

Another game with huge play-off implications takes place at The Hawthorns on Saturday (15:00 BST) as West Bromwich Albion welcome Sunderland.

Tony Mowbray's side are clinging on to their top-six spot on goal difference with seven games remaining while his former club remain in the fourth spot they have occupied every week bar two since early December, and may well remain there until the season finishes, with a nine point gap to third-placed Burnley and a 13-point cushion over Coventry in fifth.

The Baggies have won just one of their past five games and saw a six-match unbeaten run ended at Norwich on Saturday while the Black Cats made it 10 points from their past seven games with a narrow win over Millwall at the weekend.

• West Bromwich Albion have won none of their past four league games against Sunderland (D1 L3) since a 2-1 win in December 2022.

• Sunderland have won each of their past two away league matches against West Brom and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since winning their first five there between 1890 and 1894.

• West Brom have lost one of their past 15 home league games (W7 D7) and have won four of their six games at the Hawthorns (D1 L1) since Tony Mowbray returned to the club.

• Sunderland have won 20 league games this season, their most in a campaign within the top-two tiers of English football since winning 27 in 2006-07.

• West Brom midfielder Alex Mowatt has completed 1,993 passes in the Championship this season, an average of 62 per 90 minutes which is the most by a Baggies player in a league season that Opta has on record.

Image source, Getty Images

Regis Le Bris has taken Sunderland to fourth in the Championship in his first season in charge.

But is he the best boss of the past couple of decades at the Stadium of Light?

"It was a big gamble to take someone who nobody had heard about," Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It was a bold, brave appointment and credit to the club that they appear to have got it right.

"No Sunderland fan I'd spoken to thought they'd be in the top six or certainly top four at this stage of the season."

Let us know your thoughts on who you think Sunderland's best boss has been since Mick McCarthy took the reins in 2003 and why they get your vote.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris says that the Black Cats were keen to keep hold of Brighton-bound Tommy Watson - but is trying to look on the bright side of the teenager's move.

Watson, 18, signed for the Seagulls in a deal worth £10m on Tuesday and will join the Premier League side in the summer.

"We have to accept the situation. The timing is not ideal but at the same time we know that Tommy had multiple offers from Premier League clubs before," Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"We declined and tried to renew his contract. It wasn't possible in the end. So, it's his decision and we have to move on.

"I hope it's a positive output for the club financially at least and for the future of the club, we'll see."

Despite the winger's departure at the end of the season, it does not mean he won't play a role in Sunderland's hunt for promotion.

"I think he will be involved because he is professional and this situation is not unusual in football and you have to deal with it," Le Bris added.

"So, the timing is a little bit weird. I accept that and it's clear, but at the same time we want to push on until the end of the season."

Meanwhile, midfielder Enzo Le Fee and defender Leo Hjelde are both expected to make their return from injury for Saturday's trip to promotion rivals West Brom.

Listen to the full pre-match press conference on the Total Sport podcast.

Sunderland met up with an old boss when they hosted Alex Neil's Millwall at the weekend and have now got yet another reunion on the cards - a trip to The Hawthorns to see Tony Mowbray's West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Black Cats commentator Nick Barnes has been giving his insight on both managers, from his "spiky start" with Neil to chats with "remarkable" Mowbray.

"Tony Mowbray is one of the nicest men in football you will ever meet," Barnes told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"He was honest, he was thoughtful and I know it got difficult for him towards the end of his time at Sunderland... and the dignity in which he dealt with that shows the mark of the man.

"Over the 22 years I've covered Sunderland, he is up there with one of the best to deal with."

The game on Saturday will be watched with keen eyes, though less for a glimpse of Mowbray but more for what both teams may expect should they face off again in the play-offs in May.

However, Barnes is hoping it's not a match-up we will get to see come the end of the season.

"It's a difficult scenario, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland in the play-offs, because I think there's a part of everybody who would love to see Tony get some poetic justice - but you don't want it at Sunderland's expense," he said.

"Most Sunderland fans would accept he was harshly dealt with and it wasn't handled particularly well.

"So this potential collision in the play-offs, it probably makes people like me more uncomfortable than Tony Mowbray, but it's certainly one that if one can avoid it, I'd like to avoid it."

Listen to the full episode and more on the Total Sport podcast.

Former Sunderland forward Martin Smith says he is disappointed in Tommy Watson's decision to leave the club but understands the pull of a club like Brighton given their reputation for developing young players in the Premier League.

Earlier on Tuesday, Brighton agreed a deal worth £10m to sign the 18-year-old this summer.

Talking on BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport, Smith says: "There's been noises that teams have been interested and obviously he's been wanting away if he hasn't signed a new contract which is sort of disappointing.

"But you can half understand in terms of, if you're going to go anywhere, you can understand the pull of Brighton now because of what they're doing with young lads."

The former Black Cats star added: "It'll be interesting to see how he does because you go there, unless they sell Kaoru Mitoma in the summer, he's probably going to be sitting on the bench or looking to get a loan."

You can listen to more reaction to Watson leaving Sunderland on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton will sign winger Tom Watson from Sunderland when the summer transfer window opens.

The 18-year-old will join the club for a fee of £10m on 1 June on a four-year deal that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2029.

Watson made his Championship debut in April 2023 and has featured 17 times for the Black Cats, scoring two goals.

He has represented England at under-17 and under-18 level, making his debut for the latter in October 2023.

Brighton technical director David Weir said: "Tommy is an exciting young talent who we have been tracking for a significant period of time.

"He's had an excellent breakthrough season with Sunderland, and we are looking forward to him joining us in the summer.

"However, for now his full focus is on helping them finish their season as strongly as possible."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says criticising Black Cats players for liking social media photos of Newcastle United's League Cup victory celebrations are "nonsense".

Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport that those directing abuse at Salis Abdul Samed and Jenson Seelt following their bitter rivals' victory over Liverpool at Wembley should "grow up".

"I don't think it's something to get heated about. It's just a click on a mouse," he said. "Really? Grow up.

"We don't know the background to this; they may be friends with these players. These players haven't been brought up in Sunderland or Newcastle and they are aware of the rivalry.

"But to be honest, truthfully - it's an absolute nonsense. Give yourselves a break.

"We're the oldies with social media but the more I see it the less I use it because within five or six comments it ends up being a slangfest.

"It's the equivalent walking past each other in the office and saying 'well done, it must have been a good day'.

"It's the social media version of that but it becomes public and becomes a big thing.

"If I bumped into Alan Shearer in a bar, you'd have say 'It's about time, I'm glad one of us has won something', - you just make small talk."

Sunderland defender Trai Hume netted the only goal in Sunderland's victory over Millwall on Saturday - and it's a goal Hume has been patiently been waiting for.

"I wouldn't say I'm fully critical of myself but I know I expect high standards of myself - and I know I could have had more - but I was lucky the chance today was easy enough to put in the net," Hume told BBC Radio Newcastle.

The game was extra special for the Northern Ireland international, whose family made a rare attendance to see Hume score the winner.

"It's the sacrifices you have to make to do what you want to do," Hume added.

"It's hard whenever it's your birthday, your family can't come over, or it's Christmas and they've obviously got to spend it at home.

"It is difficult times, it is lonely but that's part of the parcel of football.

"Mum and dad, auntie and uncle - all four of them were up there. So, I'm glad to score for them and I'm pretty sure they will be happy."

You can listen to the full interview and more on the Total Sport podcast.

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris wants to find a solution to his side's penalty problems with the play-offs looming into view.

They beat Millwall 1-0 thanks to Trai Hume's first half strike, but Luke O'Nien's second half spot-kick miss was the big talking point.

It came after Romaine Mundle was fouled, with the winger eager to take it, until he was stood down in place of O'Nien.

Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle: "It's tough. For the end of the game, the second goal would have been easier for us and we couldn't relax until the end."

The Black Cats' record stands at one scored and four missed this season, including crucial failures from Patrick Roberts at Sheffield United and two in the space of a few minutes from Wilson Isidor at Burnley.

O'Nien's miss was far less damaging, but it highlighted a key issue if Sunderland's season comes to be decided like this in a play-off semi-final or the final at Wembley, with the side fourth and only needing seven points to secure their spot in the top six.

"It's tough. For the end of the game, the second goal would have been easier for us and we couldn't relax until the end," said Le Bris.

"At the moment, our percentage of success is really low and we have to find a solution.

"This is the best situation to score and so far we only score one out of five.

"We'll talk about it next week because maybe we'll have a penalty shoot-out at the end of the season and if we work like that, the chances won't be high."

Sunderland will aim to regain some form as they host Millwall on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Black Cats suffered a 3-0 loss to Coventry City last time out - a team they could end up facing in the play offs come the end of the season - to see them fall further away from the top three and the dream of automatic promotion dwindle.

While Millwall scraped a 94th minute winning penalty out of their 1-0 game against Stoke and will look to remain undefeated by Sunderland this season, having already drawn 1-1 at the Den in November.

• Sunderland have won just one of their last eight league games against Millwall (D5 L2), a 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light in December 2022.

• After winning their last away league game against Sunderland 1-0 in April last year, Millwall will be looking to claim successive wins on their travels against the Black Cats for the first time.

• Sunderland have lost three of their last six league games (W2 D1), as many defeats as across their prior 27 Championship matches combined (W13 D11).

• Millwall have won four of their last seven away league games (D1 L2), as many victories as across their prior 22 matches on the road combined (D8 L10).

• Sunderland have lost just one of their last 12 league games against sides from London (W3 D8), though that defeat came against Millwall last April. Each of Sunderland's three defeats to sides from the capital since the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign have come at the Stadium of Light.