If the confirmation and timing of Kristjaan Speakman’s Sunderland departure took many people by surprise when it was confirmed on Friday afternoon, the only thing more worthy of animated discussion than his legacy at Sunderland was what his exit might lead to — as well as the precedent the departure of such a notable figure in our recent history might set.
By any reasonable measurement, Speakman’s tenure at the Stadium of Light must be viewed as a success; indeed, if the only pertinent question by
which we should judge him is “Did he leave Sunderland AFC a healthier, more competitive and forward-thinking club than it was when he arrived?”, it’s almost a moot point.
Did he get everything right during his five-year spell at the Stadium of Light? Of course not.
Did he occasionally make decisions on recruitment which were unpopular and sometimes misguided, as well as leaving people frustrated at his public statements? Yes.
Did the end — that of gaining a place in the Premier League — justify the means? Without a doubt, and for what it’s worth, I always felt his comments in the media were lost to print as in reality, he’s a calm, measured and effective speaker — something I certainly noticed during his appearance at a fan forum following the appointment of Régis Le Bris.
Time will be very kind to Speakman’s legacy on Wearside but with Florent Ghisolfi now at the helm and a key component of our recent structure gone, it’ll be a new version of Sunderland AFC that tackles the remainder of the campaign and Le Bris may find himself being judged by a different set of standards as a result — something I do feel could potentially be hazardous.
I really do hope that moving forward, the void that Speakman leaves won’t lead to instability, a lack of forward planning and the kind of uncertainty that we need to avoid at any and all costs. Much has been made of the ambition of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and his willingness to make bold calls in order to ensure continued progress, but I also think a note of caution should be sounded.
“Ruthlessness” — however it may manifest itself — in footballing circles is often dangerous and as we see with some of the frankly cartoonish dismissals and panicked appointments made in the Premier League, flexing your muscles as an owner (occasionally to rectify a mistake that should never have been made) can be riddled with potential pitfalls.
Taking what often appeared to be a cold, iron-clad approach to hiring and firing might’ve worked for Chelsea when Roman Abramovich’s rubles were keeping the Blues on the leading edge of dominance, but we’re different — or we should be — and I would hate to think that Speakman’s departure heralds the dawn of a scattergun approach that ultimately leads to the kind of turbulence that we’ve tried to escape from.
Barring a cataclysmic end to the season, Le Bris’ position ought to be as safe as houses.
He’s been one of the most important Sunderland head coaching appointments of my lifetime. He’s helped to create a sense of togetherness that we’ve seldom seen and has propelled us forward rapidly, and his calm, measured and unflappable personality is a perfect fit for our club.
Yes, we may have a little bit of work to do in the league and to realign the balance from defensive-minded football to a more positive approach, but let nobody be any doubt that 2025/2026 has the potential to be a memorable season for Sunderland, and our head coach has been as key to that as any of his players.
Perhaps I’m something of a lone voice here, but as much as I’d sell a kidney in order to see Sunderland competing in Europe and the like, I’m not in a rush. I’ve experienced enough highs and lows in thirty years of red and white fandom and I can honestly say that I can’t understand the desperation in some circles to see certain boxes ticked by a certain time or date.
Here and now, I’m happy for the club to be a stable and competitive top flight outfit and to hopefully develop a style of play that can eventually enable us to compete in the upper reaches of the table. I firmly believe Le Bris can be the man to oversee that process and I would only advocate a change in the dugout if a genuine upgrade appeared on the club’s radar — which is by no means guaranteed.
For everyone — fans and owner alike — patience and planning are the watchwords and just as Le Bris said that we wouldn’t play like other teams because “We are Sunderland and I am Régis Le Bris”, perhaps a similar mindset: “We won’t manage our personnel like Watford or Nottingham Forest”, should be adopted by those in the boardroom.
For our long-term stability and top flight prospects, it would surely be a smart thing to do.
