Welcome To Sunderland

Sunderland 2-1 Rennes (Friendly)

I’m up early on a Saturday morning to travel north, and to a ground and city, which has long been on my bucket list, one that has far too long been avoided, so I’m keen to get this done.

Sunderland is a good three and a bit hours’ drive from my house in the Midlands, and it’s always a place I’ve wanted to visit, and even though I’ve been to its noisy neighbour on many occasions (whose name shall for the good of this content, remain nameless), I’ve not quite stepped foot in this wonderful city itself, so as one does, let’s get this place chalked off.

Not many people (outside of the North-East) know that Sunderland are six times English champions, they have a couple of FA Cups and a pair of League Cup wins, as well as three Football World Championships, the last of which they won in 1895.

Apparently to become ‘World Champion’ they only had to beat Scottish opponents back then? Doing so in 1892 when they beat Celtic over two legs, before repeating the feat a year later, after seeing off Queens Park 4-2, and having final success at the hands and home of Heart of Midlothian, who they beat 5-3 at Tyncastle.

An early powerhouse of the English modern game, Sunderland won all six of their First Division titles ahead of the second world war, almost folklore names like John Campbell, David Halliday, Raich Carter and Bobby Gurney, are struggling to be remembered for their efforts these days.

More recent past had seen Sunderland start the Millennium in the Premier League. They suffered relegation in 2003 but returned two seasons later, only to fall again, before winning their second Championship title in three years during the 2006/07 campaign.

The Black Cats then spent ten years in the Premier League before relegation in 2017, they immediately fell into the third tier after Championship relegation and spent four years struggling to get back up, but after returning to the second tier in 2022, they earned promotion via the playoffs in 2025, and last season enjoyed a strong first year home in the top flight, finishing seventh, and more importantly above that team I probably shouldn’t mention, who they also beat twice during a memorable campaign which saw them achieve European qualification.

So with Europe in mind, it’s little wonder that their French Manager and former player of Rennes, Regis Le Bris, will want to test his side against a European opponent, and in using his former club Rennes, he has the perfect opponent to practice on.

Stade Rennais FC were formed a little after Sunderland’s third World Championship success, in 1901, by a group of former students living in the delightful medieval town East of Brittany peninsula in the North-West of France.

On the pitch, Rennes have never won the top division with a best placed third finish in 2020, they have thrice won the Coupe de France and in Europe, have featured regularly in recent years, but have failed to live up to their potential, a couple of round of 16 appearances in the Europa League and Europa Conference League, their best efforts to date.

Star players of recent past include Jeremy Doku, Raphinha, Eduardo Camavinga, Desire Doue and his brother Guela, the clubs current star asset is Swiss striker Breel Embolo whilst a former Black Cat, Eliezer Mayenda has recently joined in a £20m plus deal.

I’m out the door early today, left my house for 10am and up the M1, M18, A1 heading north where I’m stuck in traffic at Doncaster, sat nav eventually taking me onto the (A168) A19 past Thirsk and through Middlesbrough which is supposedly 3 minutes quicker and a mile shorter than directly up the Great North Road, more idyllic too as I pass the North Yorkshire Moors in the background as well as the sea front at Peterlee and Seaham before following the A108 into the town centre.

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The Venue

I’m impressed on first viewings of this magnificent city, a town centre under plenty of regeneration as I park up at the recently built Riverside Multi-Storey Car Park (£6.50 for 4 hours) and walk the remaining ten or fifteen minutes to the stadium.

It’s a nice walk on the Livingstone Way as I get to City Hall and turn left, over the Keel Crossing, all new apartments and offices, eateries hogging the riverbank, Pixel Plaza is a high tech walkthrough that uses AI, ultrasonic sensors and calming surround sound to apparently create an immersive experience for both visitors and residents.

Over the river where it’s equally as calming and tranquil as I spot the stunning Wearside Bridge for the first time, the walk from the town to the stadium is absolutely wonderful and you get a real sense of pride and community with what's going off here, it feels like it is really becoming the Sunderland heartbeat.

There’s Sheepfolds Stables to the left, which I’ve heard a lot about, built in 1884 it was the horse stables for carting to and from the North East Railway, these days converted into a number of swanky bars and restaurants all of which look amazing.

Opposite an old industrial estate is currently being knocked down to make space along the area for more posh residential accommodation by the river, the stadium cantilevered in white with the words ‘Welcome To Sunderland’ across its top, the recent strategic planning of this whole place has really opened everything up, a wonderful walk to a football ground now 30 years old, which feels like it has been in this same spot forever.

People have had their names engraved on bricks along the floor, there’s a statue of Bobby Stokoe that has apparently been turned around 180 degrees, not everything outside is yet finished but you feel it’s certainly getting done, as I walk through the turnstiles and I’m in the doors, like Coventry last night, a modern arena with large space under the stands for food and drink at floor level.

I have a quick wee and I’m impressed by the size and smell of the men’s urinals. The nicest smelling toilets I’ve been in at a football ground I think.

Then up the steps towards my seat, the vast red and white venue opening up, below the pitch set back green under blue skies, I’m up level with the eighteen yard box and sat at the back of the stand, a panoramic view of the Jimmy Montgomery Stand opposite, the North & South stands either side.

It’s brilliant, ageing a little now but in a nice way, it feels like a proper football ground, extended into the rafters at the back for some extra seating, 49,000 when full, the red retro lettering everywhere to be seen, it’s a place with meaning, with thought, the stand to my right, behind the goal has Ha’Way The Lads inscribed into its fading red and white seats.

The Game

By now the place has slowly filled up, always annoying in friendlies of this nature, the stand I’m in is full, everywhere else feels empty, nothing bar staff opposite, a few behind the goal to my left, a good friendly atmosphere of locals all in club colours, as Stade Rennais in pink, come at Sunderland in usual red & white (which from afar looks slightly pink) who are at least made identifiable by their black shorts.

The French team assembled by Manager Franck Haisse, a man with a good reputation in his country, look well drilled, organised, decent in defence and on the break, they have nice footballers, in particular Musa Al-Tamari on the left who has strut, he also has matching boots to in line perfectly pink with his kit.

And its Rennes who take the lead, Thomasson is tripped inside the box, and Le Paul steps up and does the rest, confidently, I’m impressed with how they look, not so much Sunderland who are equally organised, with better players you might think, but it feels their play is a little too slow and predictable.

The Score

Cheeky Rennes goalkeeper Brice Samba is only once called upon in the first half as he sticks out a leg to deflect a Reinildo effort wide, the impressive overlapping left full back almost scored early in the second half too, when he races into the box unmarked to get on the end of a cross, blasting inches from the inside of the post whilst on the full run.

Samba is then called into action as a short headed back pass lets Brian Brobbey run in on goal, his effort is initially blocked by the France international goalkeeper but in trying to clear the ball, Quentin Merlin gives Brobbey it back, the bulging Dutch striker not needing two sniffs, rolls into an empty net, the video scoreboard showing back the goal has one or two in the crowd chuckle at the calamitous way in which the French conceded.

It's a good spell for the home side and Sunderland soon make it two when a free kick pumped into the box causes mayhem, eventually turned in by Trai Hume, the cries in the crowd of Huuuume echo around the arena as fans celebrate the goal for a regular scorer who's up from the back.

Suddenly Sunderland have newfound attacking threat with Wilson Isidor and Romaine Mundle causing problems off the bench. Isidor heading down which is brilliantly saved by Samba, before Mundle crashes the crossbar with an effort from a free kick, he was brilliant when he came on, causing panic in the Rennes defence each time he got the ball they stood off, running at scared defenders who he would leave in his wake.

The Stars

23-year-old Romaine Mundle only played 14 times in the Premier League last season, but he looked to be a brilliant dynamic winger with pace and technique aiming to cut in from the left onto his right foot. A former Spurs academy youngster, he had a good season in the Championship promotion campaign but suffered with hamstring issues last year, hopefully he can come good again and get regular minutes under Regis Le Bris.

Sunderland’s best player for me was the silky smooth Enzo Le Fee in central midfield, given a bit of license and well protected by Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki, Le Fee is one that will do a few things in a game that will get the crowd gasping, whether it be a fifty yard pass or a subtle little touch.

In attack Sunderland have strength and pace, Brobbey is a big powerful handful whilst Isidor and Angulo are tricky and teasing, in defence they look relatively strong, no frills, just good solid defenders with the likes of Hume and Ballard at the heart beat.

As for Rennes, they have some good technical footballers and are probably the best of the French teams that I have seen this summer? Valentin Rongier and Adrien Thomasson are decent on the ball from midfield, as is Sebastian Szymanski who sits deep and breaks down play, Al-Tamari has some swagger when on the ball, Soumare a bit of pace on the left side of attack, whilst Lepaul led the line well up top.

One of the biggest cheers of the day was for a former Sunderland player, you can tell Eliezer Mayenda is much loved still by the home faithful, he came on late to some rapturous applause, a really exciting young winger who I enjoyed watching play for the Black Cats, he’ll add an extra dimension to the Rennes wing.

The Verdict

Unlike the city and venue which I instantly fell in love with, for large parts I was disappointed with the way Sunderland played and questioned to myself, do they have what it takes to survive second season syndrome in the Premier League?

I’m still not so sure, but they do have players who can get them out of trouble, in Brobbey and Isidor (even Ballard and Hume) they have goals, in Mundle, Angulo, Talbi, they have supply, in Xhaka and Sadiki (even Ballard and Hume) they have steel, in Le Fee and Reinildo they have footballers exciting, who are very good within their own roles.

Not always easy on the eye, when they did set the tempo late on, they were very good, and maybe that’s what they need to do, to make them a very tough team to beat, but if they are passive at any time this season coming, there could be trouble ahead?

As for Rennes, I said the night before that Monaco might be fighting for European places? I think Les Rouges et Noirs will also be in and around that mix. A decent team with decent neat footballers, I think they’ll be a tough nut in France to crack.

The Teams

Sunderland: Robin Roefs, Trai Hume, Dan Ballard, Luke O'Nien, Reinildo, Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki (Habib Diarra 62), Enzo Le Fee, Chemsdine Talbi (Romain Mundle 62), Brian Bobbey (Wilson Isidor 72), Nilson Angulo (Chris Rigg 62).

Rennes: Brice Samba, Przemysław Frankowski (Bryan Reynolds 81), Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, Anthony Rouault (Charlie Cresswell 72), Quentin Merlin (Mahamadou Nagida 89), Valentin Rongier, Sebastian Szymanski, Adrien Thomasson (Eliezer Mayenda 81), Issa Soumaré (Arnaud Nordin 89), Mousa Al-Tamari (Ludovic Blas 72), Esteban Lepaul.

3:00pm Kick Off. Saturday 15th August 2026, Stadium of Light, Sunderland (att 24,000).