Coleman can’t wait to get going at the Stadium of Light
BOSS PRAISES CLUB’S AMAZING FACILITIES
CHRIS Coleman admits he is ‘very excited’ about his first game in charge of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light with a bumper crowd expected for the visit of Reading on Saturday.
Coleman is into his second week in charge of the Black Cats but is yet to sample a home game following trips to Aston Villa and Burton Albion.
The Welshman had a little look around the stadium this week and is eager to get his first taste of being in the home dugout at the weekend.
“It’s an amazing place, I’ve obviously been here before as a visitor,” Coleman said.
“But it is fantastic. There is an atmosphere in there without there being any people in there. It is a proper football stadium and it is a place where you look forward to plying your trade.
“Even though we haven’t been getting the results there, you have to look forward to going there to play football.
“I have had my first little look around it for half-an-hour, and I am very excited about it.”
The Black Cats have been having a torrid time of it on Wearside this year and have not won at home since beating Watford in December 2016.
The 2-2 draw against Millwall was the 20th game in succession they have failed to win on home soil, setting an English record in the process.
But Coleman has been keen to focus on the positives and feels that a couple of performances will quickly change the mood and get Sunderland fans excited again.
“I think because it is such a big stadium and such a big fan-base, you can be a little bit put off by that when you are not playing well and not getting results,” Coleman added.
“But you have to look at the positives. If we get results and get performances then they are going to be on our side.
“That is what we are trying to achieve, and that is the challenge – to get them excited again.
“We have been bottom of the league and there is still 20-odd thousand showing up.
“So it just goes to show that the fan-base is incredible. It is up to us to excite and to give them some hope.
“We can only do that with consistent performances and that starts again on Saturday.
“I hope the fans will be there, I am sure they will be there and we have got make sure we are there for them also.”
The 47-year-old has been well received by Sunderland supporters in his first few days in the job.
The former Wales boss didn’t harm his cause by passionately celebrating with the supporters after Saturday’s win at Burton Albion – something which went down very well with the travelling fans.
Coleman admits the reception has been ‘overwhelming’ and insists it only makes him more determined to make a success of the role.
“Brilliant, incredible really,” said Coleman about the reception Sunderland fans have given him.
“You never really know how you are going to be accepted.
“I have been to some places where I have been accepted and other places where I haven’t been accepted.
“It has been absolutely amazing and that makes me even more determined to make sure I don’t disappoint them.
“I am going to try and get a bit of stability throughout the whole club, get a bit of a foothold and then build from that.”
Many people had warned Coleman off taking the Sunderland job after their disappointing start to the season.
Given their financial constraints as well, many felt Coleman was best suited waiting for another job opportunity to crop up.
But Coleman insists he took the job with his eyes wide open as to the size of the task, and is ‘thrilled’ to be at such a ‘big club.’
“I didn’t look at Sunderland and think they are bottom of the Championship.
“It is the stadium, the history, the training facilities, it is a big, big club.”