Doesn't this answer the concerns you've outlined, what more can he possibly say?
"Kristjaan Speakman is SAFC’s new Sporting Director. The 41-year-old arrives from Birmingham City and a club statement says he will “take primary responsibility for reviewing and implementing new strategies to develop the club’s footballing infrastructure, with an emphasis on data analytics and innovation, and providing a clear pathway from the younger age groups to the first team.”
Speaking of the appointment, Speakman said: “I have been tasked with delivering a best-in-class player development model from the academy through to the senior squad and given a realistic timeframe and budget with which to do so. It is an absolute honour to have been invited to do this at one of England’s biggest clubs. The blueprint for the future and the ambition to create a sustainable structure with a clear identity is one I will work diligently and passionately to bring to fruition for Sunderland fans. I’m grateful for the autonomy granted me by the ownership group to pursue this plan and create something we can all be proud of.”
“We understand the frustration of the present circumstances and whilst we seek patience and continued support for the longer-term objectives, we are absolutely determined to fix key issues in the short term to establish a winning team. The task of appointing a Head Coach who is both aligned to the overall plan and capable of impacting the team’s performance and style in the immediate weeks and months is a priority above all else. I fully understand the potential of the football club and I’m looking forward to working collectively with staff, players and fans to restore the club to its rightful place in the Premier League. There’s no doubt about the size of the task ahead of us and the need to be pragmatic in our approach, but we all share the same dream and the work starts now to make this a reality.”
Or does this help?
A key part will be retaining our best young talent which is something the club has been criticised for in the past.
How important is it to keep players that have been developed from the age of eight to 16
Speakman - It's a fairly obvious thing that the club wants that, but I also think the players want to do that.
I very rarely come across young players who come from an area of the country and come through an academy but are desperate to move.
One of the things you have to look at is what are the reasons that has happened, what can we correct and improve, and ultimately you need to provide a player with the understanding that you are going to manage their programme on an individual basis and they are going to get everything they need.
That doesn't mean spoiling young players, but if you look across player development, personal development, medical and sports science analysis, in this country there is a very high benchmark on the provisions available to these young players.
Therefore, if you are not going to provide a player with a certain element of that, and you are going to be restricting their potential, then ultimately they are going to choose to go somewhere else.
One of the things that's important about this project is that they want to create a best-in-class academy, and they want Sunderland's academy to be the centrepiece of their strategy.
They also want this to be a powerhouse in the North East of high performance and an institute of excellence across medical, analysis and sports science.
