Kristjaan Speakman was once praised for a decision he made back in 2023 involving a former Sunderland player.
Sunderland have endured a widely successful 2024/25 Championship season, which currently sees them sat 4th in the table, with one foot already in the play-offs.
It has been a stark contrast to the poor campaign that preceded Regis Le Bris’ tenure, which saw Sunderland finish 16th amid managerial difficulties, as well as a lack of motivation around the inexperienced squad.
Much of these difficulties were placed upon the shoulders of Sunderland Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman, who oversaw several decisions that, in hindsight, didn’t work brilliantly, but the Black Cats man did one thing in 2023 that deserves utmost credit and respect.
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What former Sunderland man Mitchell Curry said about ‘unbelievable’ Kristjaan Speakman in 2023
Former Sunderland man Mitchell Curry has had quite the career since he departed from Wearside. After struggling to notch game time for the first team, having only played 15 minutes of action in the 2020/21 League One season, despite showing emphatic form for the U21s that saw him score seven in 10 games.
Due to the lack of first team opportunities, Curry surprisingly found himself on the other side of the Atlantic, playing for Inter Miami’s development side, quite a change of environment from Wearside.
But after his two-year tenure in USA, which saw him succeed his stint in Miami by playing for Hartford, Curry found himself back in the North of England, at a time when he was yet to find his next club.
Per Sunderland Echo, Curry reflected on this back in 2023, to which he said: “A lot of people won’t know this, but when I came back from Miami, I reached out to Kristjaan Speakman and Proc (first-team coach Michael Proctor) asking if I could come in and train for a few weeks. I was told that it was no problem, and it ended up being for three months.
“They were unbelievable, and when I came back from Hartfor,d I asked again, and Kristjaan agreed again, which he totally didn’t have to do, and I ended up staying for even longer.
“I know I played for Sunderland for a short amount of time, but to let me roam around the building, train, use the gym, and have food. I will always be so grateful for that because otherwise I would have just been out down the local park, but they’ve given me a professional environment.”
Curry now finds himself in the 7th tier with relegation-battling Whitby Town, who he joined in the last few weeks after also spending time at Darlington Town.
Kristjaan Speakman decision reflects brilliantly on the club
Under Stewart Donald, at a time when cutting costs was deemed to be necessary to keep the club afloat, there is a stark contrast to the shape of Sunderland since the tenure of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus started.
Previously, a former player coming back and making use of the facilities likely wouldn’t have been accepted, but that certainly isn’t the case under Speakman’s stewardship, and it really reflects brilliantly on the club as a whole.
For Curry himself, despite playing very few games on Wearside, he will see the club positively as it was undoubtedly a factor in him keeping his career on track and finding his next club.