Rangers and Sunderland posts emerge in latest bizarre Michael Beale development after sack
The recent history of Michael Beale appears only be getting stranger after social media posts about his time in charge at Rangers and Sunderland have come to light.
The Englishman was sacked by Sunderland on Monday (19 February) after just 12 games, where he was surprisingly hired just two and a half months after he had lost his job at Ibrox amid a disastrous start to the season.
Now it appears that he may have been posting messages on Twitter in support of himself during his past two jobs, using a now-deleted account apparently belonging a business of his called Player ID.
The Second Tier podcast posted a thread on Twitter on 20 February, crediting the Walk The Falk Podcast for the research, apparently showing evidence of Beale’s connection to Player ID, as well as posts defending his refusal to shake Trai Hume’s hand after substituting the Sunderland player [Sky Sports, 19 February] against Birmingham at the weekend, for which he subsequently apologised, and his work at Ibrox.
Michael Beale uses burner account during Rangers reign?
The Player ID account had also apparently reposted a message blasting the Black Cats for “self entitlement” if they sacked him.
While the thread appears to have backed up its claims sufficiently, the fact that it is realistic either way shows how Beale’s reputation has suffered since he set out on his own in management.
Arguably the strangest element over the past two seasons, since he left Steven Gerrard’s side at Aston Villa, is that the well-travelled coaching brains behind the 55th title win has come across as anything but the smart, modern coach he was billed as.
His history with the Chelsea and Liverpool academies, before time spent in Sao Paolo where he learnt Portuguese to improve his coaching, then work on the Light Blues winning the SPFL under Gerrard all suggested he was one thing.
And yet his time at QPR, Rangers and now Sunderland have instead been characterised by the opposite, as he has flattered to deceive with results, come across as having an overinflated opinion of himself, and then left under a cloud three times in less than two years.
It may be as simple as the 43-year-old being a top coach but a poor manager, and having believed his own hype in trying to run before he could walk as a number one, but the way his image has transformed since he set out on his own is startling.
Sunderland job wrong from start after Ibrox sack
In his defence he set off like a house on fire with a series of wins at Loftus Road, and lifted a faltering Rangers side after taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox, while he arguably never had a chance at Sunderland as he came in after the surprise sacking of the popular Tony Mowbray.
And yet results at QPR had trailed off by the time he managed to upset people in West London by preaching integrity and commitment after turning down the Wolves job, only to leave for Glasgow within weeks having also caused upset in Scotland by very publicly turning up at Ibrox with Van Bronckhorst under pressure.
His strong start as Rangers boss was undercut by failing to win the big games, most notably against Celtic, while heaping pressure on himself by getting involved in spats with the likes of Chris Sutton.
He took on the responsibility of leading the summer recruitment drive and it proved a huge disappointment, ultimately leading to his exit in less than a year, only for Philippe Clement to take the same players top of the table and with the Viaplay Cup secured.
He might have had the benefit of the doubt a year ago but at this stage the suggestion that he was using a burner account to put posts out backing his position at Ibrox and the Stadium of Light seems very much on-brand now.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues title charge has been dismissed amid claim Clement’s men are “not a good team”.
For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.