Michael Beale looks to have been given a fresh chance at Sunderland.
It has been almost two months since Michael Beale was appointed Sunderland manager, before going onto endure defeats to Coventry City, Newcastle, Ipswich Town and Hull City.
The 43-year-old was far from loved on Wearside and it didn’t take him long to become the subject of booing and chants, while his controversial press conference last month only made matters worse.
However, since the news that Alex Pritchard wanted to leave broke, Sunderland have gone three games unbeaten and have put six goals past Stoke and Plymouth – that’s only two less than they had put away in the previous seven games all together.
Beale was met with great support in the fourth minute of their win over Plymouth, with supporters standing up and applauding after the coach had revealed that his four-year-old niece had had a relapse in her battle with leukaemia.
Beale thanked the fans after the game and it now looks like he is beginning to receive more faith and support than he had done earlier in his tenure.
Taking to X to share his thoughts on Beale, journalist James Copley said: “You have to say fair play to Michael Beale. Has taken some criticism – some of it justified, some of it nasty. His family’s story goes a long way to explaining earlier media comments. He is human, was going through a hard time and was under pressure. New beginnings!”
He then added: “Tbf, having thought about quite a bit over the past couple of weeks, I respect him for coming out swinging in some ways.”
Has Michael Beale proven us wrong?
While the results weren’t up to scratch either, it was always going to be tough for Sunderland fans to warm to Michael Beale just because of his attitude and personality.
That press conference really pushed a lot of fans over the edge and it will be what will keep many faithfuls as ‘Beale Out’ for a long time to come – but he knows he has a lot to prove.
There has been significantly less criticism of the former Rangers boss in recent weeks and, while I don’t think he has exactly bettered the team’s performances, there has definitely been a noticeable improvement since his arrival.
If he can keep this up then there will be much fewer shouts for his sacking, but he still has a lot of work to do.