Sunderland appointed Régis Le Bris one year ago following his departure from FC Lorient
Kristjaan Speakman has hailed Régis Le Bris's calm leadership at Sunderland as the head coach celebrates his first year in charge of the club.
One year on from his appointment, Le Bris has overseen the continued development of the club's best young players and delivered promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Speakman discussed Le Bris's progress at the Foundation of Light's annual fixture breakfast last week, and the decision to pursue the former Lorient boss.
While there were some reservations on Wearside given Lorient's relegation under Le Bris, Speakman says the club saw an opportunity to capitalise on. He also gave interesting insight into the club's recruitment process, outlining how head coaches such as Le Bris who progress through academy management hold a strong appeal.
"Well first of all, we've always tried to track the coaches that have progressed from reserve teams or B teams into the senior teams," Speakman said.
"It shows an understanding of coaching younger players which is important for us. So Régis was already on our radar. He had an incredible first season at Lorient followed obviously by a more difficult second season. We wouldn't have been able to recruit him after a season like his first, so last summer there was an opportunity for us and we've always tried to be opportunistic in our recruitment whether it be staff or players."
Kristjaan Speakman opens up on Régis Le Bris's leadership style and why it has been so important to Sunderland's success
Speakman hailed Le Bris's dedication to the role but also his steady leadership over the course of a rollercoaster campaign. The sporting director said the way he was able to seamlessly adapt to his first head coach role outside of France was also testament to the structure the club has put in place.
"He's got an incredible amount of passion, you don't put in the work he does with the dedication and attention to detail that he does without having a real passion for your work," Speakman said.
"In any football club you are going to have ups and downs, so it's really important that people in leadership positions are consistent. Régis is the same every week, whether we win, lose or draw. What then creates is an environment where everyone knows what to expect and can go about their business and what they need to do. I've seen environments where a head coach is more volatile, and probably everyone will have experience of their own working environments where you never quite know what mood someone is going to come in. It can put people on edge. Régis has fitted into the building really well, and I think it shows the strength of the plan and the structure that we've put in place for the last four years. We don't have an autocratic approach, we've got lots of different leaders across the club and the head coach is one of the roles within that. Régis sets the tone for us."
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