Style Over Fashion, Régis
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris conducts his pre match press conference at the Academy of Light on April 17, 2026 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images) | Sunderland AFC via Getty Images “Anyone order liquid football? ” I quipped in one of the many Roker Report group chats, a mere seven minutes into Friday’s capitulation.
Brian Brobbey had just popped it off his chest to Enzo Le Fée, who neatly found Chris Rigg, as Sunderland began where they left off against Aston Villa — with free-flowing confidence. We were finally free, free from the shackles of “Reggie-ball”, who needs defensive solidity and clear structure, when we can watch Dan Ballard take on five Nottingham Forest defenders, before intricately cutting it back from the byline? In the space of a couple of games, we’ve been untethered in the name of experimentation.
Are we finally seeing Régis’ midlife reform play out in real-time? Will he have grown a mullet and be sampling the newest Y-3 Adidas tracksuit à la Vincent Kompany when we kick off against Wolves? The baggy look doesn’t suit you, Reggie, and that’s ok.
In fact, our pants were so loose against Forest that Vitor Pereira’s side had them down past our ankles before half-time. As his fellow countryman, Yves Saint Laurent, once said: “Fashions fade, but style is eternal. ” Take heed, lads, take heed.
The last two showings weren’t Le Bris’ style. We know that, but our slightly awkward mega-nerd, who undoubtedly has vast data centres dedicated to ranking Bourdelais wines, had to take a dip in the fountain of Pep Guardiola and Roberto De Zerbi at some point. If not as a social experiment, merely to prove his own point.