Sunderland hired Michael Beale as manager last month. But it’s now been revealed that he wasn’t actually the club’s first-choice appointment.
Sunderland made the bold decision to sack Tony Mowbray last month.
The Black Cats were sitting in 6th place of the Championship table but there was a sense that change was needed to take the club forward; both this season and in the long-run as well.
Whilst Mowbray’s sacking was premature in the eyes of many, the club’s ruthlessness was somewhat praised, and they gave themselves a chance to set out their vision with a new and exciting appointment.
Then after a week or so of reports linking a handful of names to the Stadium of Light, Beale arrived as a very underwhelming appointment.
He’s now overseen five Championship games in charge of Sunderland, taking seven points from a possible 15, with the club now sitting in 7th place of the table.
Michael Beale wasn’t Sunderland’s first-choice, Will Still was
An emerging report from The Telegraph has revealed that Beale was actually Sunderland’s second-choice appointment after Reims boss Will Still.
The 31-year-old Belgian-English coach has made a name for himself in France and was heavily linked with the Sunderland job last month.
It was revealed that the Sunderland owners had held positive talks with Still, but The Telegraph now say that the Black Cats were unwilling to ‘pay the compensation needed to extract from his contract’ at Reims.
Beale was then hired, but the former QPR and Rangers boss has quickly become a symbol of discontent at the club, with journalist Michael Graham recently highlighting a disconnection between the fans and the club following the appointment.
What could’ve been for Sunderland
Beale hasn’t made a woeful start as Sunderland boss. He’s had a tough run of games and and Sunderland are still in a good league position, and he’s also yet to be given any new players.
If Still had come in and had the same record as Beale after five games, we’d be saying it’s a steady start for Still.
But the problem with the Beale appointment is that it appears to lack any kind of imagination or forward-thinking.
The club has made great strides over the past few seasons and sacking Mowbray looked like a real turning point for the club, as it meant they could finally bring in a young and innovative coach who matched their ambitions.
And whilst Beale may still have a good reputation in the coaching community, he just hasn’t give Sunderland fans anything to be exciting about so far.
The style of play seems to have gone backwards if anything. But it’s still early days and with a few more signings, Beale and Sunderland could yet flourish together.
Up next for the Black Cats is a home game vs Hull City this weekend.