Red and white TID
Midfield
All I know is that his job at Birmingham was totally different to the one he has now, speaks lovely, but hasn’t a clue what the North East and playing for Sunderland means be a massive culture shock imo.
Kristjaan Speakman
- Thread starter 6inarow
- Start date
Grumpy Old Man
Striker
Nothing to stop us bringing some in though. Maja didn't come from our academy.
I’m a bit concerned he has got the job on the back of Bellingham being the next big thing having done ok apart from that.
Having said that I like the approach and he speaks pretty well.
Yes but much trickier as a league one club as opposed to premier league. Maybe a benefit if we can show a real pathway to first team football.
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Grumpy Old Man
Striker
I don't think that's the case. He's done a good job there for a sustained period, and was apparently. SpD in all but name for the last year or so.
PL clubs shed 17-19 year old players every year. We've barely touched that side of it.
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Has he done a good job? What are you basing that on?
If he has been what improvements have been seen at Birmingham? They finished 20th in the championship last year.
Fred Basset
Winger
I absolutely agree with that mate. And, I have no answer. That is now their job to sort it. How any manager sorts the first team out quickly? However, if foundations are put in place for the future of the club, great, I'm in. It's a good positive step
Definitely I think it’s a positive step structure wise. I know very little about the SpD and not much more about Johnson.
---Nemo---
Striker
Never heard of him but I found this.....
Under the parameters of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), Blues Academy came fifth for productivity in the past three years.
Blues Academy Manager Kristjaan Speakman said the prestigious rating highlighted the work that has been going on at Wast Hills producing young talent.
"It's part of the audit process for the EPPP that clubs have to go through for categorisation, which operates on a three-year cycle," explained Speakman, pictured above (centre) with Head Of Academy Goalkeeping Sam Meek (left) and Assistant Academy Manager Stuart English.
"Every three years your productivity scores are provided by the governing body. It’s an anonymous provision of data which allows you to track your progress in relation to where you are in relation to other clubs.
"Your audit score is tracked over three, six, nine and 12 seasons on the graduates that have come through your Academy within that period.
"What was really pleasing was that on the productivity rankings that we've had back, since the Academy has had a lot of investment from the Football Club, we’ve gone from 32nd to 11th out of all 92 clubs.
"And if you looked at the data over the last three years we're fifth in the country.
"It's anonymous in that you know where you are but you don't know where everybody else is. The reason why it is so good is that you're judging the Academy programme on people getting through the programme and going on to make First Team appearances and also going on to make appearances in other tiers of the league - Jack Butland, for example - so it can be up or down.
"It’s what players have come through your system and are playing for one of the 92 clubs in England.
"For our programme to have the fifth best productivity in the last three years highlights the direction the programme is going.
"And if you looked at it on the last six years since we've had this further investment into the programme there's obviously been a marked return on the investment so that we now sit in the last six years 11th. So it's obviously an ever increasing scale.
"By comparison with the graduates produced over the past three years, which is the most important, because it's how we're currently operating, for us to be fifth out of 92 clubs is a fantastic achievement.
"We certainly don't spend the fifth most, so the return on the investment for the Club is significant. Not only that, but Birmingham City is quite easily identifiable now as an Academy to go to to have an access route through to First Team football.
"Over the Last 12 years we're 32nd, but you're looking at the work we're currently doing.
"Our aim with the productivity is to try and remain in the top 10 because I think if you're one of the top 10 teams producing players in the country that's a really healthy position to be in and for our programme it's really nice to have that endorsement in terms of the work that is going on.
"It’s a fantastic retention tool for players already in the building and it's also a fantastic recruitment tool the fact that this is somewhere that players can come and they can progress through the Academy from any stage of their entry into the First Team."
El Gen
Striker
1. How do you know that he doesn't have a clue?
2. Things are massively data driven now. Data doesn't care about the North East or Sunderland.
3. I'd rather have someone cold and analytical running football operations if they deliver results. Couldn't give a flying fuck if he's not boozing with fans before the same singing 'disco pants'.
bedlington mackem
Striker
Speakman speaks well here
safc.com
Speakman's first interview
Watch Kristjaan Speakman's first interview as Sunderland AFC's Sporting Director.
safc.com
Saw his interview about that, probably a function of my own experience in benchmarking and quality audits that made me far too sceptical!
El Gen
Striker
Fred Basset
Winger
Same here mate. Liked what the SpD had to say as it seemed well grounded and positive. So, am going to put a bit of trust in there and get behind any appointment. That may turn out to be misguided, who knows mate. I do know that we have had hope stripped bare lately.
---Nemo---
Striker
It's down to time served for me, I'd have to be an extremely slow learner not to have succumbed to a degree of scepticism.
Iv watched/listened to a few interviews with him and he certainly seems to talk well. I just have a niggling feeling that he has been appointed on the back of Bellingham. Which isn’t an issue if he is good.
---Nemo---
Striker
If you check out the piece I quoted he appears to have progressed their academy year on year.
MackemTackem
Midfield
Thought he spoke very well during his first interview.
admwil
Striker
The multiple references to ‘Project’ gives me a lot of hope. You can tell this has all been well thought through. Finally some long term and progressive thinking at SAFC.
Credit to KLD and JS for putting the change of approach together. I wonder how much influence KLD has had on this with his studies / background. I suspect a fair bit.
Let’s see if these lads hired can deliver on it.
Credit to KLD and JS for putting the change of approach together. I wonder how much influence KLD has had on this with his studies / background. I suspect a fair bit.
Let’s see if these lads hired can deliver on it.
deleted user 785
Striker
Watched that interview 3 times now and.it just sits right with me. Everything he says is spot on, "the owners" clearly aren't Donald and Methven. Loved the bit about local young players not wanting to leave, yet we had fans insisting there was nothing the club could do (league Juan etc etc ETC). Mentality of us fans probably needs to change as well and understand young players need a bit time and patience. I mean we had fans actually sticking up for, and agreeing, with the sale of Bali Mumba. Haway man a blind man on a galloping horse could see his development here was stifled and handled abysmally.
Fingers crossed this bloke, with the backing of new owners, is given the time and our patience in building the club he talks about.
Fingers crossed this bloke, with the backing of new owners, is given the time and our patience in building the club he talks about.
