Michael Beale slammed as ‘scared, negative, miserable’ Sunderland lose to Newcastle in ‘carbon copy’ of Rangers vs Celtic flops
Michael Beale’s “miserable” Sunderland approach to the derby defeat to Newcastle was a “carbon copy” of what he did with Rangers in Old Firm derbies, according to David Cartlidge.
The ESPN editor reacted via Twitter after the game on 6 January after the Black Cats were swept aside 3-0 at the Stadium of Light by Eddie Howe’s Magpies in the FA Cup.
After Beale recorded just one win in six Celtic clashes during his time as Ibrox boss he has now come up short in the first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016, and has been accused of using the same flawed methods in both jobs.
Cartlidge wrote: “Sunderland with a scared, negative, miserable performance. Carbon copy of Beale approach in Old Firm games essentially. Opening 10 mins fed off crowd but then faded out.”
All too familiar
Beale landing a job the size of the Sunderland manager’s role so soon after being sacked by Rangers came as somewhat of a surprise.
And while a middling record of two wins, a draw and a defeat in the Championship so far may not be a bad return it will have paled in significance to the cup visit of rivals Newcastle for the first time in eight years.
Producing such a flat performance will have come as a huge disappointment to supporters just as the regular missteps against Celtic did during his time in Scotland.
Beale’s time back at Rangers started well but ended miserably, with the failure to get ahead of Celtic in a meaningful way a regular characteristic.
The 43-year-old didn’t prove to be the right man for the Light Blues but might become a strong manager with more experience.
But he is absolutely going to need to ditch his habit of flopping in the biggest games or he will never be able to win over fans no matter how good his record is otherwise.
A reputation for being second best in two of the biggest derbies in British football this early in his management career is not a great sign, and plenty of Gers fans might be feeling that Sunderland asked for their cup disappointment in moving for the ex-QPR man in the wake of his exit from Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues view one “clinical” ace was their “ideal signing” this month and he is interested in the move.