Nordi Mukiele move triggers Sunderland dressing room ‘conversations’
Nordi Mukiele’s acceptance that Sunderland’s players haven’t been anywhere near good enough should be viewed as a positive sign for their season.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Black Cats’ squad have begun the new season expecting to be able to perform like last term.
Mukiele admitted after the recent defeat to Bournemouth that his team may have an element of arrogance about them after their success last term.
Wyness believes that the defender deserves huge credit for publicly fronting up to the issues, but did so without singling out any individuals.
The Frenchman went on to suggest that he and his teammates are fully deserving of their lowly league position, after they dropped into the relegation zone last weekend.
However, Wyness is adamant that recognising the issues will be part of the problem for Regis Le Bris' side, and Mukiele’s comments stand them in good stead to turn things around.
Sunderland players having ‘honest conversations’
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Mukiele’s comments will have triggered a series of “honest conversations” in the dressing room.
Sunderland have a 100 per cent record in the Europa League after their opening two European games, but they have struggled to balance that with their domestic assignments.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why the Sunderland squad recognising their issues is a promising sign.
“I took my hat off to him (Mukiele) because I think he's calling a spade a spade in that sense. I think that part of the problem is that they came into this season thinking, we're here, we can do it again,” he said.
“And then a couple of things happen, a couple of injuries and bang, you're in this situation. Being honest about problems is one of the biggest things that doesn't happen in football enough.
“People tend to blame anything but themselves. If there is that honest conversation going on in the dressing room, that's a very positive sign. I haven't seen him singling individuals out or blaming the people upstairs.
“It's about taking responsibility, and that's the first positive sign that you've got to take in terms of getting things going again. Sunderland are another club now that's going to be looking over their shoulder towards Christmas.
“But they're the ones that are showing the most positive signs at the moment out of the group we're talking about.”
Regis Le Bris faces questions from Sunderland board
Former Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider earlier this week that Le Bris is now beginning to face questions from the club hierarchy.
The ex-recruitment boss does not expect the Frenchman to lose his job in the next few weeks, but is adamant that he is now under pressure from above to turn things around.
Brown outlined that owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will not be happy with the club’s current form in the Premier League.
The North East outfit had hoped to kick on and establish themselves in the top half of the table again after last term, but it has been anything but plain sailing for them so far.