Kristjaan Speakman's apology to Sunderland fans plus transfer and contract update - every word said

Kristjaan Speakman recently delivered a message to Sunderland fans following the appointment of Régis Le Bris.

The sporting director covered the Frenchman’s appointment and apologised to supporters for a lack of communication during the process. Here, we take a look at everything Speakman said:

Speakman on appointing Le Bris

KS: “First of all, everyone's really excited to be back. It's great to get the first day's training. The weather's not been so kind to us today, but it won't jeopardise our work. I think in Regis, you're just getting a really thoughtful, really diligent, really detailed coach, tactically really astute.

“And everything he'll be doing will be geared towards developing the group, developing the team, the individual focus and ultimately winning games. I think acquiring a head coach is always a complex process.”

Speakman apologises for communication issues

KS: “But I think it would be remiss of us not to mention the fact that our comms wasn't great over the summer. That wasn't intentional. You know, the plan was to go out early with information. That became a little bit difficult with how that process went. 

“And even when Kyril made his statement in early June, it was several weeks later that we were actually able to conclude the deal and announce Regis as the head coach. So, we'll certainly try to improve that element and we really, really respect the patience.”

Speakman on last season’s disappointment

KS: “Ultimately, no one's happy with how certainly the second part of that season went. There's a little dose of failure there for the staff, the players and myself and that's not necessarily a bad thing in terms of our drive and desire to want to get better. 

“You know, it's always important to be learning and we're always trying to learn. And we've learned a lot about ourselves and each other in that period. I think, hopefully, it just makes us stronger for the season coming up.”

Speakman on new club shop and meeting fans with Le Bris

KS: “First of all, the staff over at Black Cat House that are involved in the new shop, the branding, the kit, have done an incredible job and I think it's great to see everyone really, really proud about the work. When you're discussing a new head coach and you're trying to convince the head coach to come to the club, you know, we know how unique Sunderland is and you're trying to tell people how unique Sunderland is.

“But I think for me to be able to take Regis down, see the store, the fans, and just walk the line, you know, people patiently waiting, take some autographs and chat to some supporters. I think that gives him a real feeling about what the club's like and I'm sure he'll get a greater feeling as we move into pre-season and more fan interactions and, obviously, the games.”

Speakman the transfer window and contract talks

KS: “Certainly, we want to make sure the pre-season is executed really well. It's all about having really good planning. We want to be really, really good about the pre-season. My ultimate focus is the transfer window, making sure that the squad is in the right place moving forward. 

“And obviously, we've already started that work with the goalkeeping changes we made. And then it's also about retaining talent and hopefully we'll have some good news in the next couple of days on some of our exciting talent.”