Kristjaan Speakman has explained why Sunderland didn’t publicly back Tony Mowbray during the summer.
Speaking during the RAWA Q&A supporter session, the Sunderland sporting director addressed the recent rumours regarding Mowbray’s future.
The 59-year-old was appointed as Sunderland manager in August 2022 and went onto enjoy a stellar first campaign, guiding the Black Cats to the Championship play-offs after a sixth-place finish.
That didn’t seem to be enough though, with rumours kicking off in the summer that Sunderland were looking to replace Mowbray with 34-year-old Francesco Farioli.
Fans were left baffled by reports of Mowbray’s potential exit, while there was also assumptions that the former Blackburn Rovers coach was left frustrated by the club’s actions.
However, Sunderland went onto extend Mowbray’s contract in September and failed to address previous rumours.
Kristjaan Speakman has now been questioned on the club’s silence in the summer.
Speaking at the Stadium of Light, Speakman claimed that they ‘can’t always respond’ to such speculation.
While Sunderland have had an up-and-down start to the current campaign, there is no doubt that they made the right decision to extend Tony Mowbray‘s contract.
The head coach is clearly brilliant with our young players and has a great relationship with the fans, while relying on a new foreign manager would have been a big risk. It could have quite easily ended up like the current situation at Birmingham City, which has seen fans struggle to accept the departure of John Eustace.
I wouldn’t blame Mowbray if he had left in the summer either though, it was a complete insult for us to consider his exit despite the success he had brought to Wearside.
