RLB ON LEEDS

Regis Le Bris was very pleased with our win away at Leeds United, particularly with how the squad adapted under difficult circumstances. He’s also commented on Ellborg’s debut and our goals for the remainder of the season.

ELLBORG

"Melker did really well. First game with us, it was a quick decision because Robin got this injury, shouldn't be too serious which is good news but we still need a back-up and Melker from day one showed that he wanted to learn, he wanted to connect with the players and the squad and this opportunity shows that he was ready. We are lucky because it's not easy to recruit a good goalkeeper - now we have two which is good news for Sunderland. It's more about, I think we want to target potential and a good mindset. Experience can be useful but when you have a good potential and a good mindset, then you can do well. He was just happy to play, which is more or less the mentality of the squad. We are a young team, he's young, he's ready to play, he feels the support and he did really well."

PROUD

“I am proud. It's not only me, because it's teamwork. For example, in this game, we had to work a lot about our defensive set-up against a 3-4-3. We didn't work on the pitch, but we worked hard with the coaching staff. We were ready, so it means a lot about the togetherness of the club in general. Yes, it's positive, but we can't stop. It's always the next game, we'll have the FA Cup. And then after that, we'll have Brighton at home. We want to win, so we can't stop, but we can appreciate this moment."

ADAPTED

“Football is unpredictable but I am really proud of the players tonight. We are proud because we were really well-connected and showed great character. It was a tough game and intense - it was a question of key moments. We were well aligned to seize our opportunities and it was an important win. Leeds played with an unusual set-up so we had to adapt our structure to press them. The Lads did really well and I am impressed because we didn’t work on this. We explained the ideas but then you have to execute. We struggled in the first 10 minutes but after that we were brilliant. I am proud of the flexibility of the squad and the way they worked together to manage this problem.”

SMALL GROUP WORKING HARD

“Melker (Ellborg) and Luke (O’Nien) are great examples of what we want to do. We are a family and we have a small group but they all know they will be involved. We don’t know when but they work hard behind the scenes and stay connected. We don’t know if 40 points will be enough (to stay up), but it is a good target and with nine more games to play we want to stay ambitious.”