Michael Beale's swift tenure at Sunderland has been brought into question after an anonymous social media account has been linked to him.
The 52-year-old was only appointed manager at the Stadium of Light before Christmas, but after winning two of his twelve games in charge, the Black Cats have acted to dismiss him.
Disputes behind the scenes are said to have caused a rift in the club's relationship with the former Rangers manager, with Will Still and Steve Cooper emerging as favourites to replace him in the summer.
An account on X, previously known as Twitter, has been discovered by fans online, with the tweets posted appearing to come from Beale himself.
Now deleted and inactive, @Player__ID appears to have been potentially set up by the ex-QPR boss in an attempt to promote his coaching business.
Used predominantly to promote pro-Beale information, one post retweeted by the account seemed to suggest the Sunderland job was a poisoned chalice due to unrealistic expectations and the lack of adequate support from the board.
Having snubbed Trai Hume following his substitution against Birmingham at the weekend, the account also tried to pass the blame for any wrongdoing.
"Give @MichaelBeale new business @Player__ID a follow and check out the website," read a post shared by user @AaronCawley81 in July 2017.
Beale had been working as assistant to Brazilian coach Rogerio Ceni but was also trying to promote his coaching business, which can also be seen via LinkedIn.
Before being deleted, a description of @Player__ID online read: "Development programme for players and coaches. Home of the playerID podcasts - hosted by @Michaelbeale."
A post on Beale's personal LinkedIn page also seemed to confirm the suspicions with the @Player__ID account, as he shared an interview with former Aberdeen coach Cameron Campbell.
Beale's LinkedIn page is also now not visible, with plenty of Sunderland fans, including fans podcast 'What the Falk' revealing all earlier today.
After Beale snubbed Hume's attempts at a handshake, he was forced to apologise via social media this weekend, but it seems his fate was already sealed.
"Trai Hume is a fantastic player for our club. He gives everything for his team-mates and the staff," wrote the 43-year-old.
"I wasn't aware that I missed his handshake until being asked about it post-game. I immediately went to see him to apologise.
"Trai passed a fitness test this morning to play the game and I cannot hold him in higher regard as a man or professional. He is an example of everything that is good about a young footballer and our team."
It also retweeted this post… pic.twitter.com/uRo7AksBFhFebruary 20, 2024
Furthermore, the X account @Player__ID also retweeted a post from a Coventry supporter suggesting Sunderland would find life hard if they parted ways with the former Charlton Athletic player.
"If Sunderland sack Beale, who in their right mind would want the job?," the post read.
"Owners that won't back a manager in the transfer market and a toxic fan base that will boo the f*** out of him and want him gone as soon as they lose two games."
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