Fan Letters: “There are many questions to be asked of Kristjaan Speakman!”

Dear Roker Report,

I’ve just read a reader’s letter in which he defends Kristjaan Speakman’s record as Sunderland’s sporting director.

In response, I’d put the following questions to him:

• Going back four seasons, who decided to move George Honeyman on? He was our captain and red and white through and through, but no explanation was ever given.
• Were Lynden Gooch, Danny Batth and Alex Pritchard moved on for football reasons or was there a hidden agenda?
• Speakman has brought in forty five players during his time at the club, but how many of them have really made the grade and look like long term successes? Three of those successes are Dennis Cirkin, Aji Alese and Niall Huggins, but were they sold to us because they were injury prone?
• Why did Speakman feel the need to sit side by side with Michael Beale during his first press conference? I can’t remember any other Sunderland head coach or manager ever having his hand held.
• What must be going through the minds of stalwarts such as Trai Hume, Dan Ballard, Luke O’Nien and Dan Neil when they see yet another new, untried player arriving from France or elsewhere, knowing that they aren’t really ready for the Championship? Perhaps Gooch, Batth and Pritchard had made their feelings known and that’s why they were moved on. Has that contributed to below-par team performances over the past few months?
• Which of the ‘players for development’ does your contributor think will make the grade? He points out that Jack Clarke was a different player when he first arrived, but he’d played for Leeds and Spurs in the Premier League and had been involved in a multi-million pound deal. His potential and his ability had already been recognised at a high level.
• Which of the current board members does your contributor have any real confidence in? In my opinion, that’s how and why Speakman can more or less do what he wants.
• Does your contributor really think that Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Alex Ferguson, Bobby Robson, Matt Busby, Brian Clough or Bill Shankly would’ve put up with some jumped-up coach or administrator choosing players and then telling them where and when to play them?

Until Speakman goes, we’ll never be a happy and contented football club.

Alan Jackson

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Alan. Thank you for your letter.

The majority of your questions aren’t answerable by me as you’ve addressed them directly to the author of the letter (Andrew White, 2/05/2024), but I think it’s important to highlight that when George Honeyman left Sunderland ahead of the 2019/2020 campaign, Kristjaan Speakman wasn't involved with the club and therefore would’ve had no input regarding Honeyman’s future.

For what it’s worth, I feel that it was a mistake to let him go, but it’s great to see him thriving at Millwall and looking comfortable at Championship level.