Sunderland are seeking their 22nd manager in 22 years after sacking Michael Beale on Monday two months after appointing him as Tony Mowbray’s successor at the Stadium of Light.
The former Rangers and QPR manager won four of his 12 games after taking charge on 18 December and leaves the Championship club 10th in the table, four points adrift of a playoff position.
It is understood tensions had been rising behind the scenes since the 43-year-old Londoner began voicing his concern at his young team’s lack of an experienced centre-forward. Sunderland’s 27-year-old owner, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, had fallen out with Mowbray when the latter publicly emphasised this glaring flaw in the club’s recruitment blueprint.
Compounding his growing political problems at boardroom level, Beale never won the hearts and minds of Sunderland supporters. His unpopularity only rose after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Birmingham, now managed by Mowbray. Beale appeared to snub Trai Hume when he substituted the defender in the 88th minute. Television footage shows Beale ignoring his player’s outstretched hand. He apologised for that oversight on social media, denying he had refused to shake hands while also praising Hume and his professionalism.
After making his name as an admired coach while serving as Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Rangers and Aston Villa, Beale has found life as a No 1 tougher. He was sacked by Rangers last October after less than a year in charge at Ibrox and found things even less straightforward on Wearside.
Louis-Dreyfus and his director of football, Kristjaan Speakman, had initially wanted Will Still, the 31-year-old Reims head coach, to succeed Mowbray but balked at the compensation the Ligue 1 club were demanding. It remains unclear whether they will make a second attempt to lure Still to the Stadium of Light.
Speakman will feel under pressure to get this latest appointment right and put Sunderland back on course for the promotion to the Premier League Louis-Dreyfus craves while appeasing an increasingly disgruntled fanbase.
