'Needed time' - Kristjaan Speakman explains why coach appointment took so long

Sunderland took an absolute age to replace Michael Beale with Regis Le Bris, and Kristjaan Speakman has explained why that was.

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman /

Kristjaan Speakman has explained why it took so long to appoint a new head coach this year – and has suggested it was down to self-reflection following the Michael Beale debacle.

Beale replaced Tony Mowbray in December 2023 and it proved to be such a poor decision that the former Rangers coach lasted just 12 games on Wearside.

Much of that was down to a ferocious fan reaction, with many not approving of the appointment and Beale’s football and results unable to do anything but reinforce those initial views.

Although he left in February, it wasn’t until July when Regis Le Bris arrived, with Mike Dodds taking temporary charge as Sunderland’s season sleepwalked to a painfully dull – but safe – conclusion.

That led to real criticisms of Speakman for taking so long, but he says they needed the time to essentially tear up their processes and start over.

“As part of the coach recruitment process, I had this, like, matrix around profile and credentials that I was really, really proud of,” he told the Second Tier Podcast. 

“You know, I sat around afterwards and looked at it - something that I was really proud of, that I thought was really good - and I thought, actually, we need to scrap that. We need to change it, and we need to develop and evolve it. 

“And we did that, and, we needed some time after that coach to be able to review and reflect, and we felt that what we didn't want to do was make wholesale changes. 

“So we made a decision to run with our assistant coach [Mike Dodds] at the time, who we’ve got a lot of admiration for, and it gave us the time to be able to reflect, breathe, and obviously make better decisions moving forward.”

Le Bris was eventually appointed, and he has made a stunning start. His side currently sit top of the Championship and, unlike Beale, his football has strengthened the connection with supporters rather than eroded it.

For Speakman, though, another key reason of why it took the club so long to make the appointment was because they felt they would only have a shot at a coach like Le Bris after the end of the season, not during.

“One of the reasons that we didn't move straight into making a permanent choice was because we knew that the permanent choices that were our preference at that time weren't available,” he explained.

“And obviously, look, it's difficult when you get to the back end of the season. There are some people out there that you admire. 

“They might think that the Sunderland opportunity is a good opportunity, but likewise, they don’t particularly want to leave their club at that spot, at that moment, and it might not be the right timing. 

“So we just felt that the summer was going to be our opportunity, really, to be able to identify and be able to recruit the right person. And at the minute, that's obviously borne through, and hopefully that continues.”