00:00Sunderland have been one of the surprises of the football season in England under Reggie Slebrice.
00:06From the misery at the end of the previous campaign that saw the club finish a lowly 16th place in the championship table
00:12to what has been an incredibly memorable season for all associated with the club
00:17and one which could still get even better given the potential for promotion at the end of it
00:21it would be a fair assessment to say that those on Wearside will have enjoyed their football over the last few months.
00:28But what of the head coach himself? How much has he enjoyed the season and being in charge of the Black Cats?
00:34Even in moments of frustration this year Reggie Slebrice has remained focused on his staff and his players
00:40and delivering for the supporters both home and away.
00:43But has he allowed himself to appreciate what has been achieved so far
00:47and if results continue to go Sunderland's way, what could still yet be accomplished?
00:53As it would appear, Slebrice has found this campaign to be one of his most memorable in his career so far
01:01given the bond he has established with the club.
01:04This one was really special I think especially here in England and in this club.
01:12To summarise I should say that the connection with the club was really positive
01:21because in that stage of my career probably I wanted to be connected with my desire
01:29and how I want to coach, how I want to be connected with staff, club and players
01:37because sometimes you work with a group which doesn't fit exactly what you would like to do
01:48and as a head coach sometimes it's not possible to find this opportunity
01:54and it was the case here so for many reasons I really enjoyed this season so far.
01:59And with that in mind what would it mean to you personally and to all your staff
02:03to achieve something like promotion in a club like this?
02:06It's very rare in a career I think so we'll see because expectations are high I get that
02:17but at the same time we don't have to be carried away by negative or positive emotions.
02:23I think the consistency is really key and in that circumstances it's very important to stay focused on our game
02:32so we'll see at the end and if we deserve something we'll see and we'll be happy
02:38but we will work hard until the end I can say that.
02:43You say expectations are high there but is the self-belief in the club really high as well
02:47and the fact that you watched Leeds drop points last week it can happen
02:51so is the belief still there that not just playoffs but even something more could be possible?
02:56Yeah we are still positive and many things can happen
03:03so we have 11 games left to play with 33 points so it's massive we don't know we'll see.
03:15From the outside looking in the playoffs would appear to be the most likely route to promotion
03:20but is the top two still achievable?
03:22I think probably not I think when you look at especially the form that Leeds United have shown all season
03:28and then you look at the individual quality that I think Sheffield United and Burnley have got
03:32I think it's really difficult to imagine them having the kind of drop off that's needed
03:35and at the same time Sunderland haven't quite been consistent enough this season to really keep pace
03:40I think they've overachieved by a long way
03:42I think it's really hard to see a combination of Sunderland kind of going on the long winning run
03:46that they would need and the teams above them having the kind of dip
03:49so I think at this point I probably don't really see it happening
03:52but at the same time I don't think Sunderland should have any fear in the playoffs
03:56against any of these teams as we've seen this season
03:58so although I think the top two looks out of reach I think there's still plenty to be positive about in terms of promotion.
04:02It's been a brilliant year so far I think up until recently the home form was so good
04:07which was such a big improvement on last season that obviously has such an impact on the feel around the place
04:12I think that inevitably at this time of year you know the quality of football dips a bit
04:16because their fatigue kicks in but generally speaking I think the football's been really exciting this season.
04:21Few could have expected that Sunderland would have challenged in the way that they have done so far this season
04:26given just how they ended the previous campaign.
04:29It's a testament to them that they are still in the hunt.
04:32Next up is the visit of Cardiff to the Stadium of Light
04:35where Sunderland will attempt to keep the pressure on the three teams above them
04:38and hope to capitalise on any mistakes that they might make from now until the end of the season.
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