Sunderland Round-Up, Tuesday 13th October: Herdal Appointed Set-Piece Coach as Focus Turns to Europa League Trip to Torreense
Sunderland have confirmed a reshuffle of Régis Le Bris's backroom staff, with Thor Herdal coming in as the club's new set-piece coach in place of James Brayne (Northern Echo) (Sunderland Echo). Alongside that, the Sunderland Echo reports that the club have also made an off-pitch appointment as they continue to strengthen their operations away from the first team (Sunderland Echo).
Attention now turns to Thursday night's Europa League trip to Portugal, where Sunderland take on Portuguese Cup winners S.C.U. Torreense in Leiria - their first away European fixture in more than 50 years (Sunderland Echo) (Sunderland Echo) (Sunderland Echo). The match officials for the game have been confirmed, with the Sunderland Echo taking a look at the referee's disciplinary record ahead of kick-off (Sunderland Echo). The Echo has also run the rule over kick-off details, TV coverage, team news and form heading into the fixture (Sunderland Echo), as well as assessing which players are likely to get a chance against Torreense and who may have to make do with a place among the substitutes (Sunderland Echo).
There's been plenty of season-so-far analysis too, with the Echo putting together Sunderland's strongest starting XI based purely on minutes played in all competitions this term (Sunderland Echo). Opta's stats experts have also updated their predicted Europa League table, with Sunderland reportedly tipped to finish above the likes of AC Milan and Juventus in their projections (Sunderland Echo). Meanwhile, a pundit has given their verdict on how Sunderland can manage the "really difficult process" of balancing Premier League and Europa League commitments this season (Sunderland Echo).
On the Premier League front, Phil Smith's column for the Sunderland Echo reflects on Saturday's defeat to Brighton, arguing it underlines a key priority for the club, while also stressing that the upcoming Leiria trip is a moment to be relished (Sunderland Echo) (Sunderland Echo). Brighton's win over Sunderland also featured in a wider Sky Sports piece on why Brighton are currently the best team in the Premier League, with the report noting that Jaouen Hadjam scored inside 309 seconds of his Premier League debut in the 2-0 victory (Sky Sports).
Away from football, Sunderland has had cause for celebration after Babaji was crowned the UK's best for street food at a national awards event that attracted more than 1,250 nominees (Northern Echo). There's also news on the city's food scene with word that My Delhi, an award-winning restaurant, is set to take over the former Frankie and Benny's site, with hopes of opening in early 2027 (Northern Echo).
In other local news, residents are being asked for their views on the renewal of the Public Spaces Protection Order aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and environmental offences, with the consultation running until November 15, 2026 (Northern Echo). Separately, HMRC, Northumbria Police and Sunderland City Council have carried out a joint operation resulting in the seizure of more than £1 million worth of suspected illegally imported cigarettes from a home in the city (Northern Echo).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.