Michael Beale strong favourite for Championship job despite failed Sunderland spell
Ex-Sunderland boss Michael Beale could be set to make his return to EFL Championship management after just under two years away.
Sunderland are loving life in the Premier League under Regis Le Bris, thankfully forgetting those old memories under Beale.
Approaching the halfway point of the season, Sunderland are flirting with the potential for European football next term.
As such, Sunderland are expected to be busy in the upcoming January transfer window, as the Black Cats attempt to record a truly unforgettable campaign.
Michael Beale backed for Championship return
However, as Sunderland fans won’t need reminding, it wasn’t always like this in recent times.
Indeed, it was only in the 2023-24 season that they were finishing 16th in the Championship, with Premier League football at that point seeming a very long way off.
Sunderland had three coaches take charge at varying points that season: Tony Mowbray, Michael Beale and Mike Dodds, respectively.
All three of those managers are currently out of work, but it’s the middle of that trio, Beale, that could be about to make his return to the dugout.
Beale is now emerging as a strong contender to become Oxford United’s new manager, with the 45-year-old now 5/4 favourite with major bookmakers.
Oxford sacked Gary Rowett earlier this week, with the U’s sitting inside the Championship relegation places ahead of the Boxing Day games.
Beale was a disastrous appointment by Sunderland
Hired to replace Mowbray in December 2023, by February 2024, the Beale era at the Stadium of Light had already come and gone.
Having previously spent just under 12 months in charge of Scottish giants Rangers, and with experience at QPR and Liverpool respectively, Beale was still very much of the profile of a young and upcoming coach.
But, after six defeats and two draws from 12 games in charge, Sunderland sacked Beale just nine weeks into the job.
- Beale’s Sunderland team scored 13 goals and conceded 16
- He finished with a 1.17 points per game average
- Beale was in charge of Sunderland when Newcastle won 3-0 at the Stadium of Light in the FA Cup third round
His successor, Dodds, didn’t fare much better, though, and after taking charge of the team for the remainder of that season, was eventually axed and replaced by Le Bris.
So, it’s sure to be a risky appointment for Oxford if they do go with Beale, given his record at Sunderland, and he would have a huge challenge on his hands keeping the U’s in the second tier.
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