'Fortunate' - Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman responds to criticism from fans on social media

Sunderland’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has revealed his response to criticism from fans and how he handles social media.

The former Birmingham City man has been at Sunderland for over four years now and has helped rebuild the club from League One fodder to Championship-toppers. The journey for Speakman, however, hasn’t always been smooth at the Academy of Light.

Speakman has received criticism for some of his dealings in the transfer market over the years with Sunderland’s inability to find a goal-scoring striker for a significant period of time a particular bugbear amongst supporters.

The sporting director also oversaw a poor 2023-24 season in which Sunderland saw four separate managerial stints from Tony Mowbray and Michael Beale plus two separate interim tenures under the stewardship of current first-team assistant head coach Mike Dodds.

“I try not to get too high,” Speakman told the Second Tier’s YouTube channel during a recent interview. “I try not to get too low. I'm not running around the training ground because we're top of the league, celebrating that we've achieved something. At the same time, when things are not going so well, I think it's important to be calm.

“I think in a leadership position, being calm and composed is really, really important. I think in my type of job, it's really difficult because you're trying to communicate strategy. You're trying to communicate a sense of direction. You're trying to inform fans on the here and now, what's happening, to give them an insight and sometimes that's really, really difficult. 

“I've had that conversation internally, you know, you're trying to be authentic. You're trying to be yourself, but you've also got to speak as a leader. And sometimes you've got to try and get the right balance and that's not always easy. I think from a criticism perspective, I don't try to spend too much time on social media. I don't plug myself into that. 

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“My wife always gives me a little nudge when she thinks things are going well and gives me a well done and she'll also be like, it's not going well for you, sweetheart, at the minute, you know, there's a few people. So I think that's just the way it is. 

“If you're fortunate to be the sporting director at Sunderland, the pressure is a privilege and you have to see it that way and you have to ultimately understand that sometimes people are going to think what you're doing is the right thing, and sometimes they're going to feel it's not. You have to accept that with this type of job.”

Speakman also took the time to explain why Sunderland did not rush into appointing a new permanent head coach last summer, and suggested that their patience was ultimately a key factor in ensuring that they were eventually able to land Le Bris. You can read those quotes here.