Sunderland have been heavily criticised following reports claiming Michael Beale has left the club.
Sunderland’s decision to sack Tony Mowbray in December was mostly met with positivity, while rumours linking them to the likes of Will Still made supporters even more excited.
What didn’t please the Sunderland faithful though, was the eventual appointment of Michael Beale.
The 43-year-old had enjoyed a brief successful spell at QPR, but was quick to jump ship and join Rangers, where things didn’t go quite as well.
The Black Cats didn’t have a ‘new manager bounce’ and instead got battered 3-0 by Coventry City in his first game in charge, before going onto claim only four wins in 12 games in total.
Beale has been booed on many occasions, while has attitude and controversial statements continued to create an even bigger divide between himself and the supporters.
However, Wearside was filled with relief this afternoon after various reports confirmed that Beale had left the club after less than three months at the helm.
Thankfully, the board haven’t been stubborn and stuck with the manager until the summer. However, the fact that he was appointed in the first place remains ‘worrying’.
Journalist Michael Graham has criticised the board for their recent decisions, writing on X: “It was never going to work. Right from the start, it was just never going to work. Worrying that everyone could see it except the ones making the decisions.”
What were Sunderland thinking?
You didn’t have to have watched Rangers week in week out to know that bringing Michael Beale to Sunderland was a bad idea.
The Scots had a very strong dislike for him and held out no hope for his time with us either, which they were very much right about.
Going from Will Still to Michael Beale was always going to be disappointing, and how the club thought it would work out is beyond me.
Yes, Alex Neil and Tony Mowbray weren’t the most exciting choices either, but at least they were a bit more likeable. At least they wouldn’t make the fans feel like these problems were our fault and would take accountability for their own mistakes.
It’s a huge error from Kristjaan Speakman, and while we are all delighted at Beale’s exit, it is extremely hard to now trust him to bring someone better in in the summer. Though to see Mike Dodds appointed until the end of the season is something most of us can probably get behind.