“They were unbelievable,”- Chris Rigg delivers ‘special’ Sunderland fans verdict after West Brom game and £38m transfer reports
Sunderland youngster Chris Rigg spoke after his side’s 1-0 victory over West Brom at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Rigg, who has been linked with a move to both West Ham and Tottenham in recent weeks, once again praised Sunderland’s fans following the win.
Reports even suggested that Spurs made a £38 million bid for him during the international break.
Despite the transfer rumors, Rigg started for Sunderland as they secured all three points with a goal from Trai Hume, putting them in a strong position for a spot in the Championship play-offs.
“The fans were unbelievable,” Rigg said, reflecting on the atmosphere at West Brom. “Every away trip with them is special, but today was something else.
The sun was out too, which was nice since we don’t get much of that in Sunderland. They were amazing and helped us finish strong.”
Rigg added: “It’s always great to come to a stadium like this and get the three points, especially after the loss at Coventry. The lads put in a great effort, and we got the win. Our motto in the changing room is to keep going until the season ends.
We need to continue fighting and show everyone how good we are. Our performances haven’t always been as good as we know we can be, but if we keep picking up three points, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
When asked about the difficulty of the game, Rigg said: “That’s football, isn’t it? The lads were incredible, putting their bodies on the line.
The defenders’ efforts were outstanding, and Eli even came on and played left-back at the end.
That shows the mentality of the team. The mentality was spot on today, and if we keep that up, we’ll be fine.”
He continued: “There’s no easy game in this league. We’ll be traveling a lot, but the mentality of the boys is incredible. If we maintain that mentality, we’ll be fine.”
Sunderland also have a fresh injury concern to assess following the win over West Brom.
Romaine Mundle was forced off in the first half with discomfort in his hamstring, the same one he injured earlier this season.
Head coach Régis Le Bris confirmed that it’s unclear whether it’s a serious injury but acknowledged the concern heading into the final stretch of the season.
“It’s his hamstring,” Le Bris said. “We’ll need to wait a day or two to assess how serious it is, but it’s the same hamstring he injured earlier in the season. We’ll have to see.”
