“Four wins out of four and top of the table going into the international break? I’d have settled for that!”

I suspect my neighbour Pete spoke for all Sunderland fans when we chatted this week about the club’s start to the season.

And the same goes for Pete’s verdict on the new head coach: “No-one knew what to expect from Regis Le Bris but he talks a lot of sense and has taken to the Championship like a duck to water.”

Sunderland have certainly been impressive so far - near-flawless, in fact, with only Luke O’Nien’s unfortunate late own-goal at Portsmouth denying the Black Cats a fourth clean sheet to go with the ten goals they have scored and maximum points accumulated.

This is Sunderland’s best start to a season for 99 years and, going into the campaign, I don’t think anyone was expecting to be dusting off that statistic.

Of course, that does not mean everything in the garden is rosy.

Have Sunderland strengthened enough in the transfer window? Is the squad strong enough to maintain a top six challenge over the long haul? Do they have enough firepower? Will the latest crop of youngsters hit the ground running or will they need months, or even a season, to find their feet?

There are still a lot of uncertainties.

Sunderland brought in 20-year-old striker Ahmed Abdullahi from Belgian side Gent and he is an unknown quantity at Championship level, as is French frontman Wilson Isidor who joined a week earlier.

I think most Sunderland fans would have liked to have seen at least one proven Championship goalscorer added during the window.

Midfielders Salis Abdul Samed and Milan Aleksic also arrived on deadline day and fans do not yet know what to expect from them.

Only Wales international Chris Mepham, who joined on loan from Bournemouth, is tried and tested at this level.

RECOMMENDED READING:

For all the talk of Sunderland’s transfer ‘model’ and the move towards a more ‘data-driven’ approach to signings, the club’s actual transfer record is something of a mixed bag.

Sure, there have been the smash hits that everyone can reel off - Ross Stewart, Jack Clarke, Dennis Cirkin, Trai Hume, Aji Alese, Dan Ballard, and Jobe Bellingham, for example.

But there have also been some pretty bad misses such as Leon Dajaku, Isaac Lihadji, Bradley Dack, Luis Hemir, and Jermain Defoe (second time around).

And then there are players such as Abdoullah Ba, Adil Aouchiche, and Nazariy Rusyn, who blow hot and cold, while the likes of Jewison Bennette, Nectar Triantis, Jay Matete, and Timothee Pembele, have failed to nail down a place in the side and have spent either part of last season and/or the current season out on loan.

Incoming loans have also been of variable quality. For every Amad, Nathan Broadhead, and Ellis Simms there has been a Mason Burstow, Joe Gelhardt, and Callum Styles.

I say this just to point out that transfer windows have become something of a lucky dip as far as Sunderland fans are concerned.

When players - youngsters from overseas in particular - arrive, supporters are being asked to take a leap of faith.

The new signings could be next big thing or it could rapidly become apparent that they are out of their depth.

It makes it very difficult to assess the club’s transfer window business, especially in the days and weeks immediately after the deadline has passed.

Aside from generalities about the lack of a striker with Championship experience, we will need to see a lot more of the latest intake before making a meaningful judgement.

Over the remaining 42 games, there will inevitably be challenges, problems, and disappointments to overcome.

But until then, Sunderland fans are right to enjoy the excitement of their team’s brilliant start to the season.

Long may it continue!