Graeme Souness has reacted to Michael Beale’s imminent arrival at Sunderland.
Multiple reports have claimed that Sunderland will appoint the 43-year-old as their new manager before next week’s home clash with Coventry City.
Despite looking likely to bring their new manager in from abroad following Tony Mowbray’s departure, the Black Cats have now looked closer to home in Michael Beale, eleven weeks after he was sacked by Rangers.
Fans have been left rather underwhelmed by the news, with Beale’s only real ‘success’ as a manager coming with QPR, where he actually only won nine of his 22 games in charge.
His stint in London earned him a move to Rangers in November 2022, though he was dismissed after eleven months and his chances of managing at the top level again looked bleak.
Plenty of Rangers and Sunderland fans have reacted to the news of Beale’s imminent appointment, while Graeme Souness has also addressed the ‘difficult’ move.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, the former Rangers manager said: “Michael Beale looks set to take over as the new head coach at Sunderland, and I suspect that job will be just as difficult as he found it at Rangers.
“It was a gamble going to Rangers and it did not work for him. Sunderland will be something similar in that it is a huge club with big expectation.
“They are a Premier League club, in reality. One of his early games will also be against Newcastle in the FA Cup – I wish him all the best!”
Can Michael Beale help us win the Wear-Tyne derby?
Sunderland‘s search for a new manager has been all anyone can talk about on Wearside, but the concern of the Wear-Tyne derby also sits in the back of our minds.
The new coach needs to beat Newcastle United in what could be their fifth game in charge of the Black Cats – a very big ask.
Michael Beale is no stranger to the pressure of a derby, having managed Rangers in one of the biggest rivalries in Europe. However, he hasn’t had much luck.
The 43-year-old took charge of six derby fixtures in Glasgow, but only managed to win one of them – winning 3-0 in May.
It’s not a very promising sign for Sunderland, but at least we know that he is used to such an intense environment, though it’s just whether he cracks under it.