"I tried but they didn't understand" - Regis Le Bris drops Sunderland AFC players claim after WBA draw | OneFootball

The Black Cats' form has hit a recent slump.

Regis Le Bris hasn't been perturbed by Sunderland's five-game winless run. He stressed to his players, after Tuesday night's draw against West Bromwich Albion, that there are still positives to take from this situation.

Sunderland's barren run came close to ending against the Baggies, but they weren't able to capitalise on the many dominant spells that they had.

Wilson Isidor had the ball in the back of the net in the second half, only for what would have been his sixth goal of the campaign to be ruled out thanks to a very good offside call by the assistant referee. Other than that, Le Bris' players didn't threaten too much.

Their white-hot start to the season has certainly cooled now. Three goals in their last five matches is all that they have managed, and they now only have one more opportunity to record a win in the month of November: away at Sheffield United.

The fact that they've kept well within touching distance of the top spots despite their drop in form is amazing. In what has been a frustrating period for them, the head coach has found some solace from it.

Regis Le Bris reflects on Sunderland's draw vs West Brom

Le Bris tried the glass half full approach after the stalemate against Albion. He believes that in some of his side's recent contests there have been enough encouraging signs.

"We have many different scenarios. At Millwall it was different, at Preston we didn't deserve to win, at Millwall maybe, today [West Brom] we deserved to win," stated the Sunderland boss, via the Northern Echo.

"At least it shows we are becoming consistent and we can face different styles of play and scenarios and we are difficult to beat.

"With injuries and suspensions, it shows as well the depth of the squad is better. At the end of the game, emotionally we have to be stable. It's not easy but as a coach it's my job.

"I want to remain positive. I repeat West Brom are a strong team in the top six and we dominated the game from beginning to the end so it's a good sign."

Le Bris has spoken previously about the raising of the standards in the dressing room since his arrival. This is great in good moments, but can equally lead to frustration in times like this.

The boss attempted to push his positive mindset, but not to much avail. "I tried but they didn't understand," he said.

Although there have been a lot of draws this month, the five games before this latest run saw Sunderland win four of them. They are now 10 games unbeaten and the boss is happy with the steeliness and resilience of his players.

"It's a tight league and long so this is part of the experience. We started this season with expectations in the dressing room but the reality is the team were 16th last year and now we are in the top of the table and 10 games unbeaten.

"It's a long league and resilience is very important. The difference between a win and a loss is very subtle but 10 games means we are consistent which is a good sign for the future."

Sunderland may have to settle for another draw on Saturday

Bramall Lane will host the Black Cats this weekend in a top-three clash which could be pivotal in shifting the momentum of this promotion push, albeit still at quite an early stage.

Both teams are hard to break down and have players who can produce moments of quality to get them over the top. Sunderland supporters may have been slightly discouraged by the five draws on the bounce, but a sixth could be on its way, and it would be a good one.