Sunderland writer James Copley delivers Alan Browne verdict after Millwall display and position change
Sunderland took a relatively unorthodox approach to the defensive injury crisis at the weekend, with Regis Le Bris opting to start midfielder Alan Browne at right-back for the Black Cats’ 1-0 victory over Millwall.
Several key defenders were absent from Le Bris’ match day squad, with the likes of Dennis Cirkin, Dan Ballard, Aji Alese, Niall Huggins, Jenson Seelt, and Leo Hjelde all currently sidelined. But despite having never played at the back for Sunderland before, Browne stepped up to the plate in an unfamiliar position, and impressed with an eye-catching display against the Lions. In the latest episode of The Roar podcast, SAFC writers James Copley and Jason Jones take a closer look at the Republic of Ireland international’s performance.
How well did Alan Browne fit in at right-back for Sunderland against Millwall?
Reflecting on Browne’s display, James said: “He fitted in well, didn’t he? He was solid, dependable. I think his experience in the game is really, really underrated. He played so much for Preston over the course of 10, 11 years. I was saying after the game on Saturday that it’s actually a really good way to get his experience into the side with that middle three being so young and Regis Le Bris preferring them.
“He’s had a struggle, obviously, with his injury issues to get into that midfield slot. So, I think having him as an option at right-back is really, really positive. He just went about his business really, really competently, didn’t he? His energy, his positional awareness was good. I thought he added a little bit of a threat in terms of his passing.
“I think the biggest compliment you could pay him is that if you didn’t know anything about Sunderland or Alan Browne and you were told that he wasn’t actually a right-back, you would be quite surprised because he was just very, very good and very competent and definitely a good option to have, I think, going into the play-off campaign.
“It just goes to show, doesn’t it, at times this season we’ve had injury or suspension crises and we’ve maybe looked at formation changes as fans, as pundits, as laymen – who’s going to play where? Le Bris just does the simple thing, doesn’t it? And nine times out of 10 it works quite well, and putting Alan Browne at right-back and moving Trai Hume over to left back definitely kept the balance of that defence and it proved to be a good decision in the end.”
Jason continued: “I think it’s presented itself as a really viable option to Le Bris. Obviously not one that he would have necessarily expected a few weeks ago, but I really, really liked Alan Browne at right-back. I was really impressed with him. You know, we were talking in the press box and I said to James, all he really needed was to not put a foot wrong – just don’t have a catastrophe, be a body, be a presence, bring that experience. And in the end, he actually provided so much more than that…
“Defensively he was very dependable, but on the front foot, I think that his pedigree as a midfielder really did come to the fore on occasion, his ability to drop balls over the head of the opposing full-back and bring Roberts and Rigg into the game in that way – although it didn’t necessarily bear fruit for Sunderland, it looked like an added dimension on the front foot, which I thought was really interesting.
“This Sunderland team doesn’t necessarily find itself resplendent in terms of its experience – it does lack it in certain aspects – but I think that you’re absolutely right, this is a good way of getting Browne into the team, and if he’s going to keep on playing the way that he’s playing, then I think you could almost argue that it’s difficult to drop him. I know it’s only one game and you don’t want to get ahead of yourself… I would be more than happy to see Browne continue in the team.”
