The going is good at Sunderland right now. Their squad has improved since last season, new signings look inevitable in the final days of the transfer window, and the club have unearthed a gem of a manager in Regis Le Bris.
Regis Le Bris has become a hugely popular Sunderland manager. He has his minor critics, but on the whole he’s done a stellar job at Sunderland this season, with his side sitting in 4th place of the Championship table.
And those critics were rife last time out as Sunderland drew 2-2 with Plymouth Argyle in the Championship. Many think Le Bris can be overly-defensive when in front in games, but the vast majority of supporters think he’s the right man for the job still.
He replaced Michael Beale at the Stadium of Light. There were four months between Beale’s Sunderland sacking and Le Bris’ arrival, with a horde of managers linked with the Wearside job in between.
Beale was a hugely unpopular and largely unsuccessful Sunderland manager. Now, his career has taken another turn.
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Michael Beale set to leave Al-Ettifaq after just two months
Beale lasted just 12 games at Sunderland, winning four. The football quickly turned turgid under his watch and Beale fell out with the Sunderland fans, antagonising them with comments he made in press conferences.
Since leaving Sunderland, the 44-year-old has been loosely linked with a number of clubs – at one point Beale was linked with Maccabi Tel Aviv. But in November 2024, Beale took the no.2 job at Al-Ettifaq, linking up with Steven Gerrard whom he worked under at Rangers and Aston Villa previously.
However, Beale is set to leave the Saudi club, along with Gerrard. Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed on X that the pair are set to leave the club after Gerrard ‘asked to leave for personal reasons’.
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Michael Beale hinted at Sunderland ‘snakes’ after exit
Beale has given a couple of interviews since he left Wearside. One was more interesting than most, with Beale hinting at ‘snakes’ behind the scenes at the club, which lead to his downfall as manager.
Speaking in November before he landed the Al-Ettifaq job, Beale said: “Around a couple of the moves I’ve had as a manager, I saw loads of snakes and people come out of the woodwork. And I didn’t like it.
“It made me uncomfortable, and perhaps I would’ve made better decisions if those people weren’t around, but that’s for another time.”
Beale certainly hasn’t helped himself. On too many occasions has he made comments that just don’t make him seem like much of a professional. Now, he’s back at square one in his career.