'Michael Beale took an energetic, vibrant team and dulled it - I don't think he gets another job'

A Sky Sports EFL expert says Michael Beale was so bad at Sunderland he may struggle to get another job.
'Michael Beale took an energetic, vibrant team and dulled it - I don't think he gets another job'
'Michael Beale took an energetic, vibrant team and dulled it - I don't think he gets another job' /

Sky Sports EFL expert Jobi McAnuff says he can’t see Michael Beale getting another job as a head coach any time soon after how he ‘dulled’ Sunderland down.

Beale lasted just 12 games on Wearside, losing half of them and winning just four.

An even bigger problem in the eyes of many fans, though, was the clear and dramatic decline in the quality of football under Beale.

Juan Sartori responsible for Michael Beale Sunderland sacking, claims reports in South America

In his role as a pundit for Sky Sports, McAnuff has kept a close eye on the situation at Sunderland, and he thinks Beale was so bad he will struggle to get another job.

Speaking to Sky Sports, McAnuff said: “Does he get another job at this level again? I don’t think so off the back of this last one.

“He’s taken a young, energetic, vibrant team and just dulled it down really. They haven’t been any better. I don’t know who is going to be in a rush to reappoint him.”

Beale was at the centre of more controversy in his final game in charge when he appeared to give Trai Hume a deliberate cold shoulder.

Hume had just been substituted and was making his way off down the touchline. As he approached Beale, the head coach appeared to ignore him and even step away from the Northern Irishman.

Beale claimed he didn’t see Hume, but the video evidence certainly looked bad.

“This was obviously another nail in the coffin,” McAnuff said. “Trai Hume coming off and actually gives him a shout and it looks like [Beale] just blanks him.

“That picked up a lot of traction. I’ve got to say, there is no way he would have intentionally blanked him, in my opinion.

“If he wasn’t aware then that’s something that he’s maybe got to take a little credit for because you know when the player is coming around the pitch, just to give him a little high-five as he comes off.

“That’s something that has been doing the rounds on social media and that fans were not happy about, whether they felt he meant it or not.

“I think just maybe that little lack of connection to the players and the football club is what’s told for him in the end.”

'Sunderland is an attractive club for anyone,' says former boss Simon Grayson

READ MORE SUNDERLAND NEWS


Published
Michael Graham
MICHAEL GRAHAM

Michael Graham is a professional sports writer with more than ten years of industry experience. After pursuing football writing by helping establish the Roker Report Sunderland AFC fansite, Michael moved to Planet Sport to cover football.  Michael has since worked on many of the sports sites within the Planet Sport network, including Football365, TEAMtalk and Planet Football before leaving to join 90min. As well as football, Michael is an accomplished tennis writer and has been regularly featured on Tennishead, TennisBuzz and Tennis365. It is football that is his first love, though, with Sunderland AFC his particular passion.  Contact: michael@buzzpublishing.co.uk