Redemption or just reset? Is Michael Beale changing the minds of Sunderland fans?
They say that if you can’t change your mind you can’t change anything. Against the odds, Michael Beale is becoming something of a champion of that philosophy, and Sunderland fans may well follow suit.
The last five or six weeks has been a tumultuous one on Wearside. There was the derby debacle off the pitch, the derby debacle on the pitch, two disappointing defeats, a fan revolt, a head coach biting back, and what could be the start of reconciliation.
The reality is that few new managers or head coaches will have endured the kind of hostility that Michael Beale did at Sunderland. We can, and have, examined the root causes of that, and Beale himself is not without blame. I maintain that.
Sunderland fans are resilient and fair. They have had no choice, but they are not immune to triggers. Beale managed to hit many of those triggers with his communication early on – completely unintentionally, it must be said, but he hit them nonetheless.
His decision to go on the attack after the Hull game was ill-judged as well. It was a moment for empathy, not confrontation and, whether you think Beale should have had to have handled it at all, there can be little doubt that he handled it wrong.
It must be acknowledged that we now know that spiralling events in his personal life may have had a real influence on Beale. With a young close family member facing a second leukaemia diagnosis, it is little wonder that a man might be of a defensive frame of mind.
It was perhaps, if nothing else, another lesson in the dangers to rush to judgement on people without knowing a whole story. I’ve been as vocal as anyone in my criticisms of Beale, and I have to hold my hands up here too. It’s a lesson to take seriously.
Tyne Tees TV’s exceptional sports correspondent Simon O’Rourke has described the events since the Hull game and fallout as ‘useful marriage guidance counselling sessions, but still work to be done on the relationship,’ and you won’t find a more apt description than that anywhere.
And, as any marriage counsellor will likely tell you, you’re never going to have trust without empathy – from both sides.
Obviously, Sunderland fans offered it to Beale in droves during the game against Plymouth, giving a stadium-wide round of applause to niece Poppy. It was a special moment that clearly touched Beale, but a gesture of goodwill to a cancer-stricken child was easy.
The much harder part of repairing the relationship has fallen to Beale himself, and you have to give credit where it is due. Since his astonishing rant before the Stoke game, Beale’s communication has been so much improved it has almost been unrecognisable.
He might have had some help from the club there, but he still had to do it so fair play.
The over-positivity that bordered on patronising has been replaced with concise and clearly considered deconstruction of performances – both good and bad. It’s been almost Tony Mowbray-esque in that sense.
The biggest change, though, without any doubt whatsoever, has been a change of demeanour. Beale started out brash and bullish, and perhaps he was attempting to respond to a hostile welcome with an outward display of confidence. Sadly, it came across more as arrogance and entitlement.
Recently, though, that has been replaced with some signs of real humility. Now that’s something Sunderland fans can get on board with. In fact, just comparing Beale quotes from after Hull to those he gave after Plymouth is extremely revealing.
From: “I feel I deserve a little bit more respect because my journey deserves that. But if people don't want to give it, fine.”
To: “It's still early days. That's my 10th game and we have everything to prove: me, the players, us as a team and a club.”
From: “I think you're throwing negativity at a team that doesn't deserve it.”
To: “We have to take the pats on the back when they're deserved and take the feedback when it's not so positive.”
There are quite a few other examples too, but the undeniable conclusion is that Michael Beale is now giving Sunderland supporters something they can recognise.
Enough defiance to respect, but sufficient humility to trust and the just about the right about of positivity to inspire belief. The blend has been just right.
And ultimately, that has to respect well on Beale. Footballing fates are after all, intertwined. Criticism of a manager is just a plea for change, and Beale has certainly appeared to have made a noticeable effort to answer that call.
If he can change his mind, then surely we can too.
Has Michael Beale won over Sunderland supporters?
Everyone will have their own answer to that question. Some, it has to be said, never actually turned on him in the first place.
I can only ever speak for myself, and for me Beale has not yet won me over. What he probably has done, though, is reset my opinion back to a relatively neutral point.
Results have helped, of course. Beale has won seven points from the last nine available. In bursts, the performances have been much better too, though only bursts.
IMAGO / PA Images
On the other hand, surely we would all expect to be beating Stoke and Plymouth at home? I don’t think anyone could really say they were eye-raising results.
Similarly, Middlesbrough’s home form has been patchy this season, so the point won at the Riverside probably wasn’t as impressive as it felt.
Tactically there are things Beale is doing that I like, such as playing more to the strikers and getting full-backs further forward on overlaps. There are, though, also things I worry about, such as the game management and a big drop-off in fluidity. Perhaps, though, those pros and cons are merely consequences of each other, compromises that are required to find the sweet spot within the middle ground.
Honestly, I don’t know how I am feeling about Beale now. What I do know, though, is that is a huge improvement on where I was with him. It’s several steps in the right direction.
However, what I will always do is respect anyone who can emerge from adversity and criticism with sufficient composure to change what they’re doing. Most Sunderland managers in my lifetime have picked that moment to double-down on what drew the criticism in the first place.
Like him or not, you’ve got to give him credit for that.
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