Michael Beale breaks silence on Sunderland exit as ‘difficult’ fan relationship addressed
Michael Beale admits he was unable to bring in the signings he wanted at Sunderland in January after some frank conversations with owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
Beale was sacked by Sunderland in February after just two months in charge, with the Black Cats sitting 10th in the Championship at the time. A run of four wins in 12 games did little to help the 43-year-old but the main point of contention was thought to be regarding transfers.
Beale was reportedly keen to bring in more experienced players in January, with the hope being that they could improve results enough for a play-off place. But Dreyfus has operated a strict policy of recruiting young talent and it seems those disagreements occurred shortly before Beale’s exit.
“It was a disappointing period for everyone, not just myself, for the people inside the club, the players and the fans,” Beale told Sky Sports. “Everyone went into it with the right intentions. In terms of the league results, we were always between sixth and ninth position. The weekend before I left we had a fantastic home result against Plymouth and won 3-1 but you wouldn’t have thought at that point that I’d be leaving a week later.
