Regis Le Bris And Sunderland Hierarchy Must Answer For Bournemouth Horror Show

Sunderland were nothing short of disgraceful in their inexcusable 2-0 loss at Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon. As a result, Regis Le Bris and the Stadium of Light hierarchy must answer for the abject performance.

The Black Cats travelled to the Vitality Stadium on the back of their 2-1 comeback win against Portuguese second division side SCU Torreense in the Europa League, and were desperate to right the wrongs of their 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.

However, Sunderland's disgraceful 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth only compounded the worries and anxieties surrounding Le Bris' side at the start of this season, who now slip to 19th in the Premier League table with the Black Cats now on a four-game losing streak in the league as a result of the abject Cherries defeat.

Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring five minutes in for Bournemouth after defensive lapses from central defensive duo Omar Alderete and Kevin Danso, with the Spurs loanee sent off just ten minutes later after some more pitiful defending.

In the second-half, the atypcally awful Sunderland could have been five goals behind if not for Robin Roefs, with Evanilson doubling Bournemouth's lead just minutes into the second half to leave Le Bris' ten-men with an unsurmountable mountain to climb.

An inquest is needed at the Stadium of Light following yet another substandard defeat in the Premier League, with Le Bris and the Sunderland hierarchy needing to face the music.

First of all, Le Bris must face some stern questions for his Sunderland selection decisions and tactical employment, which had the Black Cats virtually beaten before Craig Pawson blew for kick-off.

The Sunderland boss started Danso and Alderete in central defence, who failed to compose themselves against the Bournemouth press, and in retrospect, it would have been far more beneficial to see Luke O'Nien retain his place in the starting XI following the Torreense win.

In midfield, the Sunderland boss persisted with his invigorating, confusing and counterintuitive employment of trademark right-back Trai Hume in advanced role down the right flank, which is consistently kneecapping the Black Cats from an attacking sense amid the Northern Ireland international's poor start to the season.

Enzo Le Fee was wasted out wide, Chris Rigg battled to no avail in central midfield and novice winger Timur Tutierov was bullied up-front through no fault of his own due to the injuries to strikers Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor.

The selection begs the question why Le Bris would not utilise £5m summer signing Juan Riquelme Angulo, or outcasted Chemsdine Talbi in attack rather than the young Ukrainian academy graduate, who was on loan at League One Exeter City last season. 

Why would Le Bris persist with Hume at right midfield, which has not worked and nulifies the Black Cats in attack, and why the Sunderland boss left wingers Nilson Angulo and club-record signing Malick Fofana on the bench when chasing the game.

However, the Stadium of Light hierarchy, namely Sunderland Director of Football Florent Ghisolfi, must also answer for the ill-fated summer transfer window business, which is now coming back to haunt the Black Cats in the early stages of the season.

Transfer chief Ghisolfi's decision to sell Eliezer Mayenda to Rennes, for admittedly good money at a £22m fee, now looks like a major blunder given the necessity for Le Bris to utilise Tutierov, given the young Spaniard scored at the Vitality in last season's reverse 1-1 draw fixture.

Why did Sunderland fail to solve the glaring need of signing a natural right-winger, but spent over £30m on a left-winger in Fofana, who was an unused substitute on the south coast?

Why would the Black Cats not sign another capable back-up forward to replace the absence of the versatile and effective Mayenda in Le Bris' squad, instead opting to sign an 18-year-old prospect in Angulo to cope with his departure, who was also an unused substitute during the devastating defeat?

Why did Sunderland sign a central defender in Danso, who clearly struggles in possession under pressure, when Le Bris is attempting to evolve the Black Cats from a resolute, defensive-focused side into a more progressive team who look to dominate proceedings.

Skipper Granit Xhaka, who has also been far below his best at the start of the season, wrote on Instagram that "we're not good enough right now", and his words could not have summed up the harrowing situation at Sunderland any more clearly.

Now, the Sunderland players, Le Bris and the Stadium of Light must find the answers to the worrying questions arising at the start of the new campaign, before the club sleepwalk into a relegation battle.

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